In matters of procurement, every member of the University’s faculty and staff shall be governed by the University’s policies on Conflict of Interest including Conflict of Interest Policy for University of Guelph Employees.

This Policy is intended to facilitate employees’ ability to maintain the highest business and ethical standards, and to facilitate the protection of the integrity of employees in the course of their job responsibilities.

This Policy defines and addresses potential, apparent and actual conflicts of interest. It provides guidance to employees so that conflicts of interest are recognized and either avoided or resolved expeditiously through appropriate disclosure and management.

The fundamental principle underlying this Policy is that employees must not permit relationships with others or external business activities to conflict, or appear to conflict, with the interests of the University.

Definitions:

Conflict of Interest means a potential, apparent or actual conflict where an Employee’s financial or other personal interest, whether direct or indirect, conflicts or appears to conflict with the Employee’s responsibility to the University, or with the Employee’s participation in any recommendation or decision within the University.

Employee means University of Guelph full-time or part-time Employees who are not members of the UGFA.

External Activity means any activity of an Employee outside the scope of her/his employment with the University undertaken as part of a commercial or volunteer enterprise.

Relationship means any relationship of the Employee to persons of his or her immediate family whether related by blood, adoption, marriage, or common-law relationship, and any relationship of an intimate and/or financial nature during the preceding five years, any student-supervisor relationship, or any other past or present relationship that may give rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias

Supervisor means the person to whom an Employee reports or, in the case of a committee, the committee Chair.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

All Employees have an obligation to disclose to their Supervisor any Conflict of Interest. The Employee must disclose in writing as soon as she/he could reasonably be aware that a Conflict of Interest exists. The existence of a Conflict of Interest does not necessarily preclude involvement in the issue which has given rise to the Conflict (“the Matter”). The Employee must declare, in writing, the nature and extent of the Conflict of Interest no later than any meeting or process in which the Employee participates and at which the Matter is to be considered. The Employee must refrain from taking part in any discussion or decision-making vote in relation to the Matter, and withdraw from any meeting or process when the Matter is being discussed until a decision has been reached regarding the manner in which the Conflict of Interest will be addressed.

A Conflict of Interest may also be reported to a Supervisor by any other person. A report to a Supervisor about the existence of a potential, apparent or actual conflict of interest shall be made in writing.

To learn more about the procedures for Management of Conflicts of Interest or other aspects of the University of Conflict of Interest Policy, visit the Conflict of Interest Policy for University of Guelph Employees website.