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By The Canadian Press

U of A

Alberta professor reinstated after put on leave over Charlie Kirk social media posts

Sep 29, 2025 | 3:06 PM

The University of Alberta says a law professor is back on the job after being placed on leave over social media posts surrounding the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

But the professor at the Edmonton-based school says questions remain over why it happened in the first place.

Florence Ashley, who uses they/them pronouns, says they were reinstated a week ago after being placed on non-disciplinary leave a week before that.

At that time, the university said the action was taken while it conducts a review amid concerns for community safety.

The school now says it reinstated Ashley after its review determined there was no safety risk, but Ashley says they were not asked to participate in the review and worries the action was taken to suppress free speech.

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Ashley says the university told them posts they made about Kirk’s Sept. 10 shooting death were garnering too much attention and that some university groups were receiving threats.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2025.