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Convicted Killer in McGill Law Classes Sparks Campus Safety Debate
CBC reports that Jeffrey George Ewert — serving life for a 1984 second-degree murder and attempted murder in B.C. — has been attending McGill's law school on day parole since August; students criticize the lack of transparency while his lawyer calls it rehabilitation in action.
Why it matters
CBC reported Friday (Oct. 16) that a man serving a life sentence for second-degree murder and attempted murder is attending classes at McGill University's law faculty and faculty events. Several students who learned of his violent past told CBC they feel concerned, criticizing the university's lack of transparency — highlighting the tension between campus safety and offender reintegration.
The case and parole status
The man is Jeffrey George Ewert, convicted for two attacks committed in B.C. in 1984: he sexually assaulted and killed a woman, and less than six weeks later beat and choked a 15-year-old girl, leaving her paralyzed and disabled for life. Serving a life sentence, he was granted day parole in 2025, extended for another six months in June 2026, and has been attending McGill law classes since August. Clinical assessments in his parole file ranked his risk of reoffending as moderate to high; official parole documents say that with close supervision at a halfway house and clinical follow-up, the risk “seems to fall more into the moderate risk category.” The parole board expressed concern about his interactions with and attitudes toward women.
Both sides
Students who spoke anonymously said “more than half of the students are women, we're young,” arguing the school had a moral obligation to inform them even if not legally required. McGill declined to say whether it knew of Ewert's past when he was admitted, citing privacy laws, and noted criminal background checks are not part of Canadian university admissions. Ewert's lawyer, Nora Demnati, called his presence proof of rehabilitation: “This is what rehabilitation is about” — he has been honest about his past and sober for decades. Some students also reported positive experiences with him.
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