The father of a Toronto high school student, who drowned last July on a school-organized canoe trip, says he’s relieved a criminal charge has now been laid.

54-year-old Nicholas Mills, a teacher at C.W. Jeffreys Collegiate Institute, faces one count of criminal negligence causing death.

15-year-old Jeremiah Perry drowned during an excursion to Algonquin Park as part of a summer outdoor education course.

The Toronto District School Board later revealed he was among nearly half the 32 students on the trip who had failed a mandatory swim test before the excursion.

Jeremiah’s father, Joshua Anderson, says in a statement that the family’s relieved.

”We believe these charges are warranted under the circumstances.”

He adds while nothing can bring back his son or take away the pain of losing him, he hopes this will be an important step ”in ensuring that a tragedy like this never happens again on a school trip.”