Trinity Western law school fight heading to Supreme Court of Canada

Canada's highest court will hear twoappeals concerning a proposed law school at Trinity Western University and the law societies of British Columbia and Ontario, which are both seeking to deny the accreditation of graduates from the faith-based school in Langley, B.C.

The dispute stems from the university's controversial community covenant, which bans sexual intimacy outside of heterosexualmarriage. All TWU students must sign the covenant.

The law societiesargued the covenant discriminates against people in the LGBTQ community who want to enter the legal profession.

Two different rulings

In November of last year, theB.C.Court of Appeal found it was unreasonable for the B.C. Law Society to refuse to recognize Trinity Western law grads, because the negative impact on the school's religiousfreedoms would be greater than the repercussions on gay and lesbianrights.

The law society sought leave to appeal tothe Supreme Court of Canada.

• Trinity Western University Law School wins legal battle in B.C. court

But in a separate ruling in June, the Ontario Court of Appeal sided with the Law Society of Upper Canada and slammed the nature of the covenant, calling itdiscriminatory despite the university's statements it is an open andaccepting school.

The university then sought leave to appeal tothe Supreme Court of Canada. Both appeals will be heard together, the court announced on Thursday.

Meanwhile in Nova Scotia, the Barristers' Society announced in July it would not appeal aruling allowing graduates to practise in the province.

Thursday's decision by the Supreme Court of Canada to hear the appeals is the latest development in a lengthy battle that dates to 2014 when the Law Society of B.C.'s board of governors voted to accredit TWU graduates.

That decision was reversed in October 2014 when the society held a referendum in whichmembers voted 74 per cent against it.