Former Chilliwack school trustee Barry Neufeld ordered to pay $750K for violating Human Rights Code

Former Chilliwack school trustee Barry Neufeld has been ordered to pay $750,000 by the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal for violating the Human Rights Code with “heated public speech” exposing LGBTQ people to hatred or contempt.

The tribunal issued its final decision this week, issuing two sets of costs orders in the matter of the BCTF (on behalf of) the Chilliwack Teachers’ Association v. Neufeld, one ordering the payment of $750,000 in costs to the CTA, and a concurrent order of $10,000 for improper conduct during the lengthy process.

The decision finally rendered after years of deliberations determined that Neufeld violated sections 7(1)(a), (b), and 13 of the Human Rights Code and the orders constitute the remedies against him.

But more than the costs orders, the final decision pinpoints that the case before the Human Rights Tribunal ultimately asked its three members “to navigate the application of the Human Rights Code to heated public speech.”

They were referring to Neufeld’s language “that debates the rights and recognition of this protected group, in a context where transgender people in particular often find themselves disproportionately in the spotlight.”

They concluded that six of Neufeld’s publications could “expose gay, lesbian, and trans people to hatred or contempt based on their gender identity and/or sexual orientation. Viewed objectively and in context, these publications have the potential to lead to their discriminatory treatment. These publications violate s. 7(1)(b) of the Code.”

In their press release in reaction to the decision, the Chilliwack Teachers’ Association chronicles how the CTA and the BCTF initiated a human rights complaint against Neufeld, who was then serving as a Chilliwack School trustee, for the many public statements that “discriminated against 2SLGBTQIA+ teachers in Chilliwack and were likely to expose them to hatred or contempt.”

CTA president Reid Clark emphasized the importance of a discrimination-free workplace.

“This ruling recognizes the very real harm experienced by 2SLGBTQIA+ teachers in Chilliwack and reinforces that they have the right to work in an environment free from discrimination and fear,” Clark said. “We are hopeful that this ruling will lead to more inclusive working and learning environments for all 2SLGBTQIA+ folks in schools and beyond.”

In the decision released Feb. 17, the tribunal found that Neufeld violated the Human Rights Code, stating: “For five years, Mr. Neufeld inundated public discourse in Chilliwack with speech that degraded and denied trans people, sought to eliminate public policies for their inclusion, and sounded alarms about an imaginary threat posed by their social acceptance.

“He spread misinformation and inflamed anti-LGBTQ animus in the district,” the reason said.

The tribunal determined that school trustees have a role in upholding positive school environments and anti-discrimination policies. Instead, Neufeld’s numerous public posts, which “demonized and delegitimized trans people,” were likely to expose all LGBTQ to hatred or contempt based on their gender identity or sexual orientation.

Neufeld is described as “one of its loudest critics” after SOGI resources were introduced, and during his tenure as trustee, waged a “high profile public campaign against SOGI 123 and the values underlying it.”

The campaign was expressed in publications including social media posts, board meetings statements at rallies, and in online interviews, said the tribunal, in the reasons.

Throughout Neufeld’s “publications,” that were reviewed, “30 of which formed the basis of the human rights complaint,” in at least six, the school trustee was sending out the message that SOGI 123 is a “weapon of propaganda” which threatens “traditional family values” and instructs children that “gender is not biologically determined, but a social construct.”

The BCTF release notes that SOGI 123 was launched during the 2017-2018 school year, as a set of tools and resources aimed at supporting an inclusive learning environment for all students. It provides information and resources for policies and procedures, creating inclusive environments, and functions as a classroom resource.

It’s not a curriculum, nor is it mandatory for educators to use in their classrooms, they underlined. Rather it acknowledges the reality and existence of 2SLGBTQIA+ people, different family structures, and the fact that one’s gender may not be the same as the sex they were assigned at birth. It recognizes that teachers are equipped to determine what information is age-appropriate for their students.

In the education-related publications the tribunal was asked by the complainants to analyze, Neufeld attacked “each of these three pillars” of SOGI-inclusive education.

“In doing so, he repeatedly and publicly reaffirmed his intention to perform the duties of a school trustee in a way that discriminated against LGBTQ people, especially trans people,” the tribunal said. “In some publications, he expressly stated that he is using his position as a trustee to ‘speak out’ against SOGI-inclusive education before proceeding to do so in a discriminatory way.

“Even where not expressly stated, his intention is clear. Mr. Neufeld invoked negative and insidious stereotypes about LGBTQ people, especially trans people, which denied their inherent dignity and, in some cases, reflected the hallmarks of hate against them as a group.”

The decision underscores the impacts of the endless attacks on SOGI 123 and the risk for 2SLGBTQIA+ people who work with children, including teachers.

“Critically, the decision affirms that trans people exist—and that claiming to believe that gender identity is not separate from sex assigned at birth is a form of existential denial. This denial pushes the idea that trans people have an agenda rather than being just another demographic group,” the CTA said in their release.

”As this decision illustrates, such terms can create the ‘conditions for discrimination and hatred to flourish,’ as the Tribunal found.”

The complaint was heard by a panel of three members of the BC Human Rights Tribunal over several days in 2024 and 2025, concluding on May 21, 2025. The final decision of the Tribunal was issued on February 18, 2026.

BCTF president Carole Gordon is calling it a “huge win” for human rights in the context of public education.

“Today’s decision is a huge win for 2SLGBTQIA+ rights. It affirms that discriminatory and hateful rhetoric has no place in our public education system – especially when it comes from someone entrusted with a leadership position.

“The ruling highlights the value of SOGI 123, an evidence-based teaching resource for reducing discrimination-based harm. The BCTF will always stand firmly in support of 2SLGBTQIA+ students, families, and teachers. Today’s outcome sends a clear message: inclusion and respect are not optional in British Columbia’s schools.”