That was the case where I made my few jumps. The first three were static-line jumps at 2500 feet, then a couple where you’d jump, extend into an arch, and immediately pull the ripcord (hop & pop), then gradually increasing periods of free fall. The instructors would decide what a student was ready to do.
I don’t know why this Toronto place would do things differently.
That’s how my former buddy jumpmaster would do it. Absolutely no one would jump the first time other than on a static line, so he could watch them. That included a couple guys who had military jump training but understood he needed to personally evaluate how they handled themselves. Just common sense and risk management.