Ontario school board paid co-founder of group later linked to Antifa in court $39K

An Ontario school board paid a co-founder of an activist group, later found in a small claims court to have “assisted Antifa” to deliver staff training sessions in 2022.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

An Ontario school board paid a co-founder of an activist group, later found in a small claims court to have “assisted Antifa” to deliver staff training sessions in 2022.

The York Region District School Board issued a purchase order in 2022 to Bernie Farber, then-chair of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network. The order shows that Farber was contracted to provide 10 antisemitism professional learning sessions, consisting of three in-person and seven virtual sessions, for approximately $39,550.

Days before the school board’s contract was approved, an Ottawa small claims court ruling in a defamation case stated that the Canadian Anti-Hate Network “did in fact assist Antifa and that the movement has been violent.” The decision does not label the anti-hate group a terrorist entity or claim that the CAHN has itself engaged in violence or criminal activities.

The federal Department of Canadian Heritage provided CAHN with a total of $708,400 for projects aimed at “containing and countering Canadian hate groups.” In addition, Public Safety Canada awarded the organization $200,000 to conduct research on Canada’s “far-right landscape.” The government has not said whether they’ll continue funding the group.

In testimony, journalist Jonathan Kay described a 2017 article by the CAHN’s Evan Balgord as “an apologist tract for Antifa, describing the need for ‘physical disruption’ to get their message across.” He also pointed to other CAHN publications that explained “how to find local Antifa chapters and referring to an international Antifa defence fund.”

The judgment noted that CAHN board member Richard Warman’s “evidence was that he and CAHN were part of the Antifa movement; Farber has praised their muscular resistance; and Balgord referred to Antifa’s use of physical disruption.”

The CAHN responded to a request for comment on behalf of Bernie Farber, saying neither he nor the organization were parties to the Ottawa case. CAHN argued that journalist Jonathan Kay “misrepresented what we published” and said the court testimony “does not mean we support violence.”

A spokesperson added that they “reiterate that any suggestion that we or Mr. Farber have funded, aided, or endorsed terrorism, violence, or criminality is a lie, defamatory, and it is not what the ruling says.”

True North did not receive a response to questions about the content of the training Farber delivered to the YRDSB, despite further communications stating that Farber’s training was separate to the CAHN. True North was unable to reach Farber.

In an email to True North, the York Region District School Board said that they haven’t retained Farber since the 2022 training sessions.

They said that the board “takes human rights and inclusive education seriously and has engaged subject matter experts to assist with providing training” and that “the sessions identified the early roots of antisemitism, considered its evolution, consequences and effects to the present day.”

Lawyer and commentator Caryma Sa’d, who authored the Hate Gate report examining the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, told True North she has concerns about Farber’s role in training educators.

“Bernie Farber in my view has been irresponsible at times with his language making statements that aren’t based on verifiable evidence and are quite divisive in nature,” she said.

Sa’d added that some anti-hate materials used by Farber for other projects were “quite troubling in its assumptions” and “actually fuel radicalization.” She questioned whether the content delivered by Farber represented “good value for the rate that was charged.”

Farber has long been a public figure in Canada, serving as CEO of the Canadian Jewish Congress before co-founding the Canadian Anti-Hate Network in 2018. He remained chair until 2023 and is currently listed as founding chair emeritus.