The Discipline Committee ordered that the teaching certificate of Jonathan Owen Wong be revoked for engaging in a prescribed sexual act while working in a private capacity as a photographer. Wong engaged in a pattern of voyeuristic behaviour when he used hidden cameras to surreptitiously record women who were either in their underwear or nude in settings such as the washroom, change room, living room, bedroom, and bathroom of his residence and/or hotel rooms.
Police determined that there were 9,000 individualized voyeuristic files created over the course of three years, featuring 174 unidentified women and 8 identified women, in Wong’s possession. Wong admitted that he had been recording women without their knowledge and consent for a period of approximately 20 years.
In criminal court, Wong pleaded guilty to, and was convicted of, three counts of voyeurism. The criminal charges/convictions did not involve students and arose out of Wong’s work as a photographer.
Wong was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment on the first two counts, three months’ imprisonment concurrent on the third count, and 18 months’ probation in relation to all three charges of voyeurism. He was also made subject to a number of ancillary orders.
He was employed as a teacher by the Toronto District School Board during the time in question.
Wong, who was certified to teach in June 2002, did not attend the hearing on February 20, 2025, and had no legal representation.
The Discipline Committee panel ordered that his Certificate of Qualification and Registration be revoked and that he receive a reprimand.
In their decision, the Discipline Committee panel stated, “[Wong]’s behaviour involved an exploitation of the victims’ trust, an intrusion into their privacy and a lack of integrity and respect for the victims. Members of the teaching profession hold a unique position of trust and authority, and they are responsible for the safety and development of students. When they engage in criminal conduct that involves taking advantage of the trust of others, that behaviour calls into question their suitability to hold a teaching certificate.”
