Conestoga, Tibbits face lawsuit
Sault College and its president launch defamation case due to comments from February interview
The war of words between Conestoga College president John Tibbits and Sault College president David Orazietti has led to a lawsuit.
Orazietti and Sault College filed a defamation lawsuit April 11 in Sault Ste. Marie against Conestoga and Tibbits regarding comments he made in February during a 22-minute sit-down interview with The Record and Cambridge Today. During the interview, Tibbits referred to Orazietti as a “whore,” among other criticisms specifically aimed at the school’s private-public partnership with triOS College.
Orazietti is looking for a public retraction of the statements, an apology, and $200,000 in damages, the statement of claim shows.
The statement of claim contains allegations that have not been proven in court.
“Unfortunately, we have had to take this necessary step as a last resort given the seriousness of the public comments made by Mr. Tibbits to further protect the integrity of Sault College,” a Sault College spokesperson said in a statement.
“We have been more than reasonable in our request for a direct apology for his personal attacks and misinformation about our college and our operations. However, to date, the Conestoga College Board of Governors is either unwilling or unable to hold Mr. Tibbits accountable.”
The comments were made in a wide-ranging interview after Tibbits and University of Waterloo adjunct economics professor Larry Smith spoke at Conestoga’s Cambridge campus for the release of “The Conestoga Effect,” a 66-page report on the economic impact of the college.
During the course of the interview — which was focused on how Conestoga was preparing for the province’s unveiling of a 50 per cent cap on international student enrolment — Tibbits was asked a question about a podcast where Sault College president Orazietti referred to Conestoga as a bad actor.
“Orazietti has been on the job for about six months, I think he should be quiet, he has very little experience, and why don’t you ask him how many beds he’s got in his private-public partnership in Toronto.
Zero. I mean, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
Sault College has a partnership with triOS College, which runs campuses in the Greater Toronto Area, and offered Sault College curriculum to 2,800 international students this year.
The interview carried on another five minutes before Tibbits returned to Orazietti while answering a question about housing issues for international students.
“This guy’s been on the job eight bloody months up there, and he’s offering project management and a couple of programs like that in Toronto, and he’s offering no bloody services. He should keep his goddamn mouth shut.”
The interview concluded with Tibbits answering a question about the thousands of students who had already been accepted to Conestoga in 2024, but couldn’t move forward in their visa process until the province announced how it was going to implement the cap.
Tibbits once again veered back to Orazietti.
“Look, if you put 100,000 students into Toronto, and you don’t have a bed, of course it’s going to have an impact here. Like Orazietti, why are his goddamn students in Toronto? Like, why aren’t they up there (in Sault Ste. Marie)?
“Talk about a whore, he’s taking a percentage of the profits of the operation. Anyways, I can’t stand the guy.”
When asked for comment on the exchange, Orazietti told The Record he wanted the auditor general to open an official investigation into the practices of Conestoga.
Two months later, the lawsuit was filed.
“In their extended meaning or by innuendo, the statements mean or were meant to convey a message that Sault College and Mr. Orazietti are deceptive, fraudulent, and unreliable in their professional activities,” the statement of claim reads.
The lawsuit alleges Sault College reached out to Conestoga on Feb. 15 and demanded a formal apology and warned of a potential lawsuit.
After Conestoga’s board sent out an official statement denouncing the comments, Sault College reportedly sent a second notice asking for an apology. The file of claim said there was no response.
“Conestoga College is aware of the lawsuit filed by Sault College and its President David Orazietti,” Conestoga spokesperson Brenda Bereczki said Monday.
“As the matter is before the courts, Conestoga is unable to provide further comment or information at this time. Our focus remains on providing highquality education and fostering a positive learning environment for our students, staff and faculty.”