Court to hear U of T's case after convocation

Judge says protesters' lawyers need time to review more than 1,000 pages submitted by the university

- BEN COHEN

Pro-Palestinian protesters have been camping in the Kings College Circle at the University of Toronto for weeks and are calling on the school to divest from Israel. A hearing for an injunction to clear the encampments is set for June 19 and 20.

It appears the University of Toronto will not get an injunction to clear the protest encampment on its campus before convocation ceremonies begin.

Hearing dates for the injunction against the encampment have been set for June 19 and 20, Community Justice Collective lawyers Sima Atri and Leora Smith, who are representing protesters, have told the Star.

Convocation, meanwhile, is scheduled to start Monday.

“I appreciate that those hearing dates do not accommodate the university’s interest in having the issue resolved before graduation ceremonies are over,” wrote justice Markus Koehnen to the parties in the case Wednesday.

“In my view, however, that is the earliest that the hearing can be held in order to afford the respondents a fair opportunity to answer the application.”