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TORONTO — A Toronto-area father has won the right to have his son exempted from all religious programs at a local Roman Catholic high school, a ruling that could set a precedent across Ontario.

A three-member panel of the Ontario divisional court ruled Oliver Erazo’s son Jonathan should not have to attend any religious liturgies or retreats at Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School in Brampton under provisions in the provincial Education Act.

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“The court’s decision means my family will no longer have to [live] with this prolonged anguish we have been put through any longer,” said Mr. Erazo.

“However, it will only be fulfilling when every parent’s and every student’s rights protected in law are respected.”

He has already secured an exemption for Jonathan to opt out of religious studies after a lengthy battle with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board.

In a hearing in October, the judges heard arguments relating to specific definitions as outlined under section 42 (13) of the Education Act and how they apply to religious programs and education.