The 2012 Ontario Budget introduced several measures that will affect Ontario’s public sector pension plans, including those in the university sector. These include: Consultations on a new legislative framework for jointly sponsored public sector pension plans (“JSPP’s”); The introduction of framework legislation in fall 2012 to pool investment management of smaller public sector plans; The […]
Posts from June 2012
According to a recent analysis by Statistics Canada, the salaries of Canadians who have attained a bachelor degree are more than a third higher than those who did not pursue further education after high school. However, the difference in earnings has narrowed over the past decade. After adjustments for work experience, salary advantage for male university […]
On Tuesday, June 12, OCUFA made a written submission to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs articulating our concerns about the provisions of Schedule 28 of the budget bill, Bill 55 Strong Action for Ontario Act. Schedule 28 of Bill 55, the Government Services and Service Providers Act, is intended to allow for further privatization of Service […]
The most recent data indicate that operating funding provided to Ontario universities by the provincial government is in a holding pattern when compared to other provinces. For 2010-11, per student funding was 34 per cent lower than in the rest of Canada, the same gap as 2009-10. Ontario remains dead last in terms of public […]
On Thursday June 7, OCUFA made a written submission to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs in support of Bill 77 , an act which introduces amendments to the existing labour relations act that enhance fairness for employees. Bill 77 is a private member’s bill that was introduced by NDP labour critic Taras Natyshak and seeks to bring about five small concrete changes to improve the labour relations climate […]
On June 3, 2012, the University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA) reached a tentative agreement with the administration. The three-year deal includes across-the-board increases and temporary enhancements to progress-through-the-ranks worth 7.14 per cent over the course of the agreement. It also contain improvements to health benefits and increases sabbatical pay to 90 percent for people […]
Australia’s National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) recently released the results of a survey of “casual” academic staff who are appointed on a per-course or research contract basis, equivalent to part-time, sessional, or contract academic staff in Canada. Almost two-thirds of respondents aspire to an academic career, preferably a permanent full-time position with teaching and research responsibilities. Teaching-only positions were the least desirable of the full-time options. […]
This past week, OCUFA awarded the first Henry Mandelbaum Graduate Fellowship to Johnny El-Alam, a PhD Candidate at Carleton University. The fellowship, created in honour of retired OCUFA Executive Director Henry Mandelbaum, provides support to a student who has demonstrated academic excellence, shows exceptional academic promise, and has provided significant community service in his/her university […]
Three individuals who have provided exceptional service to OCUFA and its members were honoured in a ceremony at Toronto’s Royal York Hotel on June 2, 2012. The winners are: Prof. Brian E. Brown from the University of Windsor Faculty Association (WUFA) Prof. John Fekete, from the Trent University Faculty Association (TUFA) Prof. Atef Fahim, from […]
It is not cheap to provide a high quality university education online. At first glance, the operating expense per student appears lower at the Télé-Université du Québec (TÉLUQ) and Athabasca University than at traditional universities. Accounting for enrolment profile, the same is true for Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in BC, which has a physical campus […]