The B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation said the ‘vulnerable’ Indigenous student had expressed an interest in ‘land-based education’
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A B.C. high school teacher has been banned from the profession for life after initiating a sexual relationship with a “vulnerable” Indigenous student soon after graduation.
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Theodore Donald Ewald agreed to the ban in a consent resolution agreement with the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation posted online Tuesday.
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In the agreement, Ewald admitted he taught the student, who had expressed an interest in “land-based education” as a way to connect to the student’s Indigenous culture.
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After graduation, Ewald remained in contact with the student and, about five months later, took the student on an overnight trip during which they had sex. The relationship continued for about six months.
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Two months later, Ewald told the student “that their relationship was over and that he was going to delete and block them from his phone and that they should do the same.”
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Ewald agreed that he “violated his privileged position of power and trust” in his role as the student’s teacher, and harmed the student’s “emotional safety and well-being.”
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The agreement with the commissioner was signed in mid-August, though Ewald resigned and promised not to apply for a teaching position back in March 2025.
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To protect the student, the commissioner did not reveal the district where Ewald taught.
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