(Image Credit: UNBC)

By Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince George Citizen

BC Human Rights Tribunal

Ex-staffer of UNBC grad students society loses complaint

Mar 14, 2026 | 12:00 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — The BC Human Rights Tribunal dismissed discrimination complaints by a former executive director of the Northern B.C. Graduate Students’ Society (NBCGSS).

Alden Chow held the position at University of Northern BC (UNBC) from November 2018 until his Oct. 31, 2023 resignation.

In an Oct. 29, 2021 complaint, he accused the society of discrimination on racial, colour, ancestry, place of origin and mental disability grounds. He is of Chinese descent and has anxiety and depression.

“Mr. Chow says the society was a toxic workplace and he was forced to resign because of the discrimination he experienced and the board’s failure to respond reasonably,” said the Feb. 11 decision by tribunal member Ijeamaka Anika.

Chow complained about three November 2020 incidents involving a person who Anika decided to call “Ms. M.”

BC Human Rights Tribunal

Ex-staffer of UNBC grad students society loses complaint

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Chow alleged that Ms. M. posted a video that spread misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic in a group chat that included Chow and the NBCGSS board.

“Mr. Chow says the video is clearly stating that Chinese people are attempting to impose a technocracy and totalitarian model to commit genocide.’ Second, that Ms. M told other members of the board that a student had complained that someone at the society had been ‘curt’ and based on the student’s physical description of the person, Ms. M told the student it sounded like she was talking about Mr. Chow.”

Also, at a board meeting, Chow said Ms. M. expressed skepticism about the official pandemic death toll and the efficacy of vaccines, and said public health orders were civil liberties issues.

NBCGSS successfully applied to dismiss Chow’s complaints without a hearing.

Anika agreed that there is no reasonable prospect that Chow could prove the discrimination or that the sharing of the video violated the Human Rights Code.

“On the evidence before me, there is no reasonable prospect that at a hearing, the tribunal could find that Mr. Chow was constructively dismissed,” Anika decided.

NBCGSS is run by a board of directors elected by members and represents all master’s and doctorate students at UNBC.