CHARLOTTETOWN — Two women who accused the former president of the University of Prince Edward Island of sexual harassment have been released from non-disclosure agreements after more than a decade.

UPEI’s board of governors has issued a statement apologizing to Wendy Carroll and Erin Casey, who took their complaints against ex-president Alaa Abd-El-Aziz to the province’s human rights commission.

The board says UPEI has permanently released Carroll and Casey from non-disclosure agreements and deeply regrets the impact the university’s response to their complaints has had on their personal and professional lives.

Misconduct allegations against the former president sparked a third-party review that concluded in June that the school had a toxic environment of bullying, harassment and racism.

UPEI’s board says the university will not prevent the women from sharing their stories.

Carroll and Casey have issued a joint statement saying that after 11 years of silence they feel heard.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2023.

The Canadian Press

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said that allegations from 2012-13 sparked the third-party review.