As the province, feds, and private sector do less for research and development, universities are being forced to do more – often at the expense of basic operating funds. When per-student public funding falls at our universities, so do R&D expenditures. As we’ve shown over the past few weeks, major players in research and development are […]
Last weekend, the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Glen Murray met with OCUFA’s Board of Directors during its October meeting. The Minister was questioned on his plans for higher education reform in Ontario, on the government’s agenda for university pension plans, and on public sector wage restraint. Overall, it was clear that the Minister has […]
On Saturday, October 27, 2012, OCUFA presented the 2011-12 Teaching and Academic Librarianship Awards at a ceremony in Toronto. Since 1973, OCUFA has recognized the outstanding contributions made by professors and academic librarians to the quality of higher education in Ontario. This year’s winners exemplify the spirit of innovation, dedication, and collaboration that characterizes university faculty […]
Like the federal government and Canadian business, the Ontario government talks a good game about the need to innovate. But when it comes to funding research and development, it also balks at the walk. According to Statistics Canada, and after adjusting for inflation, the Ontario government spent 29 per cent less on R&D in 2010-11 […]
These are challenging times for Ontario’s higher education sector. We are being challenged on three fronts: university pension plans, the government’s anti-labour push for wage restraint, and a reform plan that threatens institutional autonomy and academic freedom. OCUFA is working hard to monitor the latest developments and push back against government intrusion in higher education. […]
If innovation is the name of the game for improving Canada’s economic prospects, who is paying for the research and development (R&D) that contributes to the effort? Last week we saw that business is losing interest. It seems the next biggest funder, the federal government, is getting out of the business too. Statistics Canada reports that […]
Last night, Dalton McGuinty resigned as premier and prorogued the Ontario Legislature. This means that all legislative business has ceased and all legislation currently being considered dies on the order paper. When a new session of the Legislature is eventually convened, it will be a new session of parliament, accompanied by a Throne Speech. All […]
Governments in Canada and elsewhere have embraced “austerity” as a necessary public policy to eliminate budgetary deficits and ensure future prosperity. How has this “austerity agenda” affected faculty, students, administrators and institutions in Ontario, in Canada, and globally? Is “austerity” inevitable, or are there alternatives? And what might universities do now, and in the future, […]
In these difficult economic times, “innovation” seems to have become the mot-de-jour for the private sector; actual investment in innovation, not so much. Statistics Canada estimates that industry expenditures on research and development (R&D) in 2012 will increase by less than one per cent over 2011 levels. If economic forecasts for GDP growth are borne […]
On October 9, 2012, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities made troubling comments on faculty in an article that appeared in the Peterborough Examiner. Here is OCUFA President Constance Adamson’s response. This past Wednesday, October 10, 2012 the Minister of Training, Colleges, and Universities Glen Murray, in an interview with the Peterborough Examiner, made this statement on the Government of […]
A comprehensive summary and analysis of the Ontario government’s draft anti-labour legislation has been prepared for OCUFA by the legal team at Sack, Goldblatt, Mitchell. It focuses in particular on Schedule 2, titled Respecting Collective Bargaining Act (Public Sector), 2012. According to the legal analysis, the proposed legislation as currently drafted “goes far beyond simply implementing […]
The Ontario government has signaled its interest in reforming Ontario’s public sector pension plans, and appears to be closing in on a new framework for university pensions in the province. In order to develop an informed response to government proposals, faculty members need a full understanding of the potential impact these government actions could have […]
On October 3, 2012, the OCUFA Executive met with Minister of Training, Colleges, and Universities Glen Murray to discuss our submission in response to the government’s recent discussion paper. Members of the Executive highlighted OCUFA’s concerns with the assumptions and proposals contained within the discussion paper. We believe that, taken to their logical conclusion, they would lead to […]
Those who claim that faculty compensation is eating up university funding just don’t know the facts – or are trying to prevent Ontarians from learning the truth. Right now, as a proportion of total expenses, province-wide full-time and part-time faculty represent barely 19 per cent of Ontario universities’ annual expenditures. When looking only at operating expenses, […]
As we reported last week, the Liberal government has unveiled anti-labour legislation that strips public sector employees of their bargaining rights – including professors and academic librarians. OCUFA is moving aggressively to fight back against this legislation. Since the announcement, we have: Attended a meeting a senior public sector union leaders to coordinate strategy, and […]