The University of Toronto and its law faculty are returning a US$450,000 donation from Amazon following The Logic’s reporting that the gift went undisclosed and unreported to academics and students.

“The Faculty of Law upheld the University’s firm commitment to academic freedom, institutional autonomy and integrity. Nonetheless, we acknowledge the important questions raised about the lack of full transparency pertaining to the gift, and the perception of external influence on our academic activities,” wrote law dean Jutta Brunnée in a statement published on the university website.  “For that reason, I have decided, together with [U of T] President [Meric] Gertler, to return the gift to Amazon.”

The university has also pledged to publicly disclose all future philanthropic donations from corporations. 

Brunnée’s statement was also shared with the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), the organization representing 72,000 university academics and staff across the country. The CAUT was considering censuring the university as a result of the donation, which it said was “a serious violation of basic standards of academic integrity and academic freedom.” CAUT executive director David Robinson had a meeting with Gertler on Tuesday afternoon regarding the donation. 

As The Logic first reported on Aug. 15, the 2022 donation was the start of what U of T assistant dean for advancement Jennifer Lancaster hoped would be “a long-term relationship” between the university and the Seattle-based online shopping giant. The school put the money towards research and discussions on antitrust issues just as the federal government was announcing plans to revamp competition laws in the country to ensure fair competition in the online marketplace. Competition Bureau commissioner Matthew Boswell has said existing legislation is doing little to hinder anti-competitive practices on the part of internet-based commerce giants. 

Law faculty staff picked academics for the events—which included roundtable discussions, webinars and a symposium—from what U of T Future of Law Lab director Joshua Morrison called “Amazon’s list.” The results drew from Amazon’s recommended academics and in some cases echoed the company’s view that competition reforms are unnecessary. 

In a statement to The Logic earlier this month, Brunnée said that though Amazon didn’t seek recognition for the donation, it was ultimately her decision to not inform participants of the company’s contribution. She said she withheld the information in order to foster “open discussion, and debate that reflects the full range of perspectives in the field.” 

“I recognize now that more information may have been preferred to enable some of our participants and invited speakers to fully evaluate their engagement in these activities,” Brunnée told The Logic at the time. In her statement posted to the law school’s website Tuesday evening, Brunnée said the gift “adhered to the University’s policy on donations” and didn’t conflict with the university’s commitment to “academic freedom and institutional autonomy.”

As The Logic reported in April, Amazon was in talks last year with the University of Ottawa to create a “Digital Economy Initiative” that would illustrate how competition reform would “risk undermining small business and innovation in Canada.” The university ultimately passed, citing Amazon’s refusal to meet its standards for academic freedom.

In her statement announcing the return of Amazon’s donation, Brunnée said the university is commissioning a survey of best practices among post secondary institutions regarding disclosure of corporate donations. “We will use the findings to inform future decision-making and potential updates to our Faculty’s gift acceptance policies,” she said. 

Reached for comment, Amazon spokesperson Julia Lawless repeated on Wednesday a statement the firm provided to The Logic when the donation first came to light. “Like many other companies with significant investments and job creation in Canada, we contribute to policy dialogues on a wide range of topics, and we always respect the independence of our partners,” it said.

This story has been updated to include response from Amazon