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The 2022 Provocation Ideas Festival has arrived

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The Provocation Ideas Festival is a venue for the public to engage in spirited discussion, debate, and exploration on important contemporary issues. With support from OCUFA, the 2022 festival is bringing together disparate voices working for positive change through engaging dialogue and evocative art.

The festival will feature panel discussions with some of Canada’s most provocative thinkers, art exhibits that provoke new ways of seeing the world, and immersive events that help participants explore their shared connections.

All events are free of charge.

Discover the 2022 Provocation Ideas Festival.

NOSM University Academic and Professional Staff Union extends collective agreement

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The Northern Ontario School of Medicine University Academic and Professional Staff Union (Unit 1, OPSEU 677; NUFSA) has extended their collective agreement for one year. The extension agreement contains a one per cent ATB increase and a Bill 124 wage re-opener, as well as other provisions including additional Scholarship funding for 2022-23. The parties have also committed to discuss and attempt to agree on alternative work arrangements for Professional Staff, Interprofessional Education Lecturers, and Professional Librarians that would go into effect on July 1, 2022.

New resource recommends strategies for enhancing collegial governance

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The OCUFA University Governance Committee has published “Strategies for Enhancing Collegial Governance and Effectiveness in Governance Spaces.” The resource provides concrete and practical strategies and tactics for addressing barriers to collegial governance and faculty engagement in university governing bodies.

As traditional processes of shared collegial governance are becoming increasingly threatened or ignored, this document aims to provide faculty and academic librarians associations and their members with concrete steps to defend against threats to shared governance at Ontario’s universities.

Read Strategies for Enhancing Collegial Governance and Effectiveness in Governance Spaces.

This Sunday, join us at the OFL’s provincial Day of Action

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On Sunday, May 1, International Workers’ Day, the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) is holding a province-wide Day of Action to bring together workers and their families from across Ontario to raise awareness about our priorities and demonstrate our commitment to fighting for a more progressive future for the province.

In over 20 different communities, faculty and academic librarians will be participating to call for more university funding, fairness for contract faculty, and increased student financial assistance.

With just one month before the election, we want to make sure postsecondary issues are a central issue in the campaign.

RSVP for a local May 1 action today.

Ontario university faculty and academic librarians give a failing grade to Ford’s election budget

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The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) has given the Ford government a failing grade for its election budget. After four years of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government undermining the foundations of public universities and allowing our postsecondary education system to languish behind every other province, this budget promises no improvement to university education quality, research, or accessibility.

“This budget fails faculty, it fails staff, it fails students, and it fails Ontarians,” said Sue Wurtele, OCUFA President. “We have a university system in desperate need of additional funding and a government that would rather cut public services than invest in the education and research so vital to Ontario’s future and our post-pandemic recovery.”

Today’s budget fails to reverse the Ford government’s wage constraint legislation or the deep real dollar cuts to public services and student financial assistance. In fact, the government admits it is likely to spend $685 million less on postsecondary education in 2021-22 than planned, as the Ford government ignores the needs of the sector and takes a free ride on the back of increased federal transfers. The money the Ford government is “saving” should not be going back into government coffers to be used for the many regressive tax credits included in this budget; it should be supporting faculty and students in the classroom.

Under the Ford administration, Ontario’s public universities now only receive an average of 33 per cent of their operating funding from the provincial government. The rest comes from private sources, including student tuition fees. Freezing funding while costs soar means a real dollar cut to university support at a time when the province should be investing in high-quality education and research as part of its pandemic recovery strategy. The Ford government’s neglect of universities demonstrates a government that is out of step with polls showing that 69 per cent of Ontarians believe that postsecondary education should be a priority and 57 per cent believe the government should increase financial support for universities.

“After four years in power, the Ford government’s track record on postsecondary education is unacceptable,” said Wurtele. “They clearly don’t understand the vital role that Ontario’s universities play in creating a resilient society and economy. This government stood idly by while Laurentian University fell into financial crisis and gutted key programs that supported Indigenous, Francophone, and northern communities.”

On reviewing today’s Ontario Budget, OCUFA President Sue Wurtele had a simple message for university students and their parents and grandparents: “It’s time for a government that values education. It’s time for a government that consults with stakeholders. It’s time for a government that invests in human capital. It’s time to elect a government that invests in public universities.”

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals in 31 member associations across Ontario. It is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education in Ontario and recognizing the outstanding contributions of its members towards creating a world-class university system. For more information, please visit the OCUFA website at www.ocufa.on.ca.

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For more information, contact:
Ben Lewis, Communications Lead at 416-306-6033 or communications@ocufa.on.ca

New articles from Academic Matters

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There is more to Academic Matters than just the print issue. New articles are being added to the Academic Matters website every week. Here are some recent articles you might find interesting:

Are there ever really ‘financial reasons’ to fire faculty? Laurentian University, academic freedom, and the disciplining of the professoriate
“The 2020–21 academic year saw two incidents of Ontario professors being effectively fired: the termination of 116 of the 345 professors at Laurentian University in an unprecedented use of the Companies Creditors’ Arrangement Act (CCAA) at a public institution and the donor interference that…”

Blank stares and black screens: The pitfalls of virtual learning and the challenges of post-pandemic education
“The email that summarized my abysmal teaching experience this past term arrived on the final day. A student contacted me in a panic after I sent the class a reminder of a campus-wide schedule change. Confused because our hybrid mode alternated between virtual and…”

Am I becoming Professor Mindy? A reflection on “Don’t Look Up” and my position in the academy
“Last week I watched the film Don’t Look Up with my daughter, an anthropology student passionate about environmental issues and biodiversity loss. The satirical film by Adam McKay tells the story of a doctoral student, Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence), and her advisor, Professor Randall…”

Universities after COVID: as lecture theatres reopen, some pandemic teaching methods should live on
“COVID-19 restrictions required universities to move their classes online. It was a tremendous – although difficult – learning experience for all involved in this shift. As restrictions have been lifted, universities are moving back to in-person teaching. With campuses getting busy again, it may look…”

For a ‘safe return’ to university campuses, listen to students most affected by the pandemic
“As many universities have moved back to in-person learning from online learning, this return to “normal” is reproducing ableism, racism and classism. Learning in person is important. But putting it above the lives of lives of disabled people, those who are immune-compromised, elders…”

Gender bias in student surveys on teaching increased with remote learning. What can unis do to ensure a fair go for female staff?
“Gender bias against female academics increased in student evaluations of teaching during remote learning, particularly among male students, our research published today shows. This bias could have impacts on female academics’ leadership and career opportunities, and on their confidence and well-being. Based on our…”

Why insecure work is finally being recognised as a health hazard for some Australians, including faculty on short-term contracts
“About 3 million Australian workers lack job security. An estimated 2.4 million – 20% to 25% of the total workforce – are casual workers, with no paid leave entitlements. A further 500,000 are on fixed-term contracts. Whether you are labourer engaged by a labour…”

1 in 3 Australian university students have been sexually assaulted. They demand action on their vision of a safer society
“One in three university students (30.6%) have experienced sexual assault at least once in their lifetime. This is one finding from the 2021 National Student Safety Survey (NSSS) report, released today. The survey responses from 43,819 students enrolled in 38 Australian universities, as…”

5 ways university and college instructors can help students take care of their mental health
“A few years ago, a student showed up in my class looking distraught. “I don’t think I can be in class today,” the student told me. No explanation, no elaboration. Yet I knew from our previous conversations that this student suffered from anxiety and…”

Humanities are essential in understanding the Russian war against Ukraine
“I recently moderated a virtual event about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine hosted by the Department of Central, Eastern and Northern European Studies at the University of British Columbia. The event had experts give brief presentations about the war’s background and the session was…”

Ukrainian academics face exile, harassment and censorship in ongoing war
“Protests at universities and statements from the International Science Council denouncing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine point to the beginning of a massive refugee crisis — and also raise urgent questions about how the conflict will affect Ukraine’s scholars and research. Following the Feb. 24…”

University masking mandates must continue

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TORONTO, April 25, 2022 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) is calling on university administrators across the province to maintain campus masking mandates until at least the end of August. With new COVID-19 cases reaching peaks surpassing previous waves of the pandemic and other health and safety measures having been lifted, masking mandates on Ontario’s bustling university campuses are a vital and simple way to slow the spread of the virus.

“Throughout this pandemic, OCUFA has consistently urged university administrations to engage with faculty and campus health and safety committees and take a cautious, measured approach,” said Sue Wurtele, OCUFA President. “Throughout this pandemic, university administrations have excluded faculty from these decision-making processes and created serious disruption by frequently changing course. This has led to unnecessary stress and anxiety amongst faculty, staff, and students.”

Following the Ford government’s ill-advised decision to drop provincial masking mandates on March 21, Ontario universities announced they would be pausing their mandates on May 1. However, as case counts remain troublingly high, several universities have decided to extend masking and vaccination mandates for at least another month. These extensions have come as university faculty and academic librarians point to the increased threat of COVID-19 transmission without proper health and safety protections, as well as the disruptive effects of repeated pivoting.

At the beginning of April, Brock University extended their vaccine and mask mandates after reaching a mediated agreement with the Brock University Faculty Association (BUFA) prompted by a grievance filed by the faculty association. In addition to extending the vaccine and mask mandates at Brock, any future changes to these policies must now be negotiated with BUFA. More recently, Carleton University, the University of Guelph, McMaster University, the University of Ottawa, Queen’s University, Trent University, the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, and York University have also decided to extend their masking mandates following pressure from faculty, though some for only an additional month.

“The health and safety of all members of the campus community remains the top priority of Ontario’s university faculty and academic librarians,” said Wurtele. “We know cases are sky-high. We know COVID-19 is more contagious than ever. We know the science and we listen to regional medical officers of health when they recommend masking policies stay in place. With tens of thousands of daily interactions on our campuses, we must be cautious as we move forward and minimize uncertainty and disruption. University administrations across Ontario should do the right thing and extend masking mandates until the end of the summer.”

As COVID-19 continues to rage across Ontario, university administrators must work through existing shared governance structures to determine appropriate health and safety measures on campus. Cases are at record highs and, although the summer might bring some reprieve, we must not repeat the mistakes of previous years. We must proceed cautiously and minimize the potential for on-campus transmission as well as the disruption caused by constant changes in policy.

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals in 31 member associations across Ontario. It is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education in Ontario and recognizing the outstanding contributions of its members towards creating a world-class university system. For more information, please visit the OCUFA website at www.ocufa.on.ca.

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For more information, contact:
Ben Lewis, Communications Lead at 416-306-6033 or communications@ocufa.on.ca

OCUFA Board develops provincial election action plan

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On Saturday, February 26, OCUFA held its second Board of Directors meeting of the 2021-22 academic year. At the meeting, board members discussed the organization’s advocacy plans for the Ontario provincial election in June. OCUFA’s goal is to ensure the next provincial government is committed to supporting Ontario’s public universities. During the meeting, OCUFA member associations participated in small breakout groups to discuss priority ridings and develop regional action strategies.

2022 election priorities

Over the years, OCUFA has been a strong advocate for accessible, high-quality postsecondary education delivered through secure academic jobs, by publicly funded, autonomous universities that are governed collegially through shared governance. This vision has been formalized in several OCUFA policies over the years and informed the organization’s advocacy and political lobbying. OCUFA’s Board of Directors is focusing on three main areas in its advocacy platform for the 2022 Ontario election.

Government funding

Strong public funding for universities is necessary to support excellence in teaching and research and an accessible postsecondary education for Ontarians from diverse backgrounds. On a per-student basis, public funding for Ontario’s universities has been declining since 2008-09. As a result, Ontario university operating funding is now 40 per cent lower than the rest-of-Canada average on a per-student basis and provincially sponsored research funding is 55 per cent lower.

OCUFA has long advocated for enrolment-based public funding for universities and special grants for universities with specific missions or purposes. In recent years, OCUFA has also vocally opposed performance-based funding schemes and competitive models of university funding.

OCUFA is advocating for the next Ontario government to:

  • Meaningfully increase university operating grants.
  • Increase funding for research under the province’s research funding envelope.
  • Boost funding for northern and bilingual institutions, as well as Indigenous programming, in recognition of their unique importance for Ontario’s postsecondary education system.
  • Discontinue the performance-based funding model for Ontario’s universities.

Fairness for contract faculty

Full-time faculty hiring has stagnated at Ontario’s universities, while the reliance on contract faculty has increased at an alarming rate. It is widely acknowledged that contract faculty are paid less than their full-time colleagues for performing work of equal value. Research also suggests that the majority of contract faculty are women and racialized faculty are overrepresented in contract positions, making fairness for contract faculty an issue of equity.

OCUFA is advocating for the next Ontario government to:

  • Remove the wage constraints legislated under Bill 124.
  • Reform Employment Standards Act (ESA) language to include equal pay for work of equivalent value for contract workers, including contract faculty.
  • Increase university funding to ensure faculty renewal so that retiring faculty are replaced.

Tuition fees

For years, Ontario has consistently had some of the highest student tuition fees in Canada, as universities seek ways to make up for low levels of public funding. Tuition fees now account for more than half of university operating revenues. OCUFA has been critical of the province’s high tuition fees and the barrier to access they present.

OCUFA is advocating for the next Ontario government to:

  • Increase funding for the Ontario Student Assistance Plan (OSAP).
  • Provide grants, not loans to OSAP recipients to reduce historically high levels of student debt.

Meeting highlights

Focus on equity

The OCUFA Board has made a strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and this approach has been incorporated into all of OCUFA’s work, both internally and externally. At the meeting, board members were updated on OCUFA’s planned survey of member associations and committees to determine the equity resources and training that would be of greatest importance to them. The survey was released in early April and will inform OCUFA’s equity work moving forward. In addition, OCUFA has been compiling an analysis of collective agreement language that relates to equity, diversity, and inclusion. This analysis, when completed, will be provided as a resource for all member associations.

Presentation from Frank Graves, EKOS Research Associates Inc.

Frank Graves from EKOS Research Associates Inc. provided an overview of the results of the poll OCUFA commissioned in anticipation of the upcoming provincial election. The poll was designed to gauge the Ontario public’s perceptions of the importance of postsecondary education and support for OCUFA’s election advocacy priorities. The poll results show Ontarians believe the next provincial government should make postsecondary education a priority, introduce legislation to ensure contract faculty are treated fairly, provide more financial assistance to students, and increase funding for universities.

Presentations from Ontario political party representatives

The Board meeting featured presentations from representatives of Ontario’s New Democratic and Green parties. MPP Laura Mae Lindo, who is also the Official Opposition Critic for Colleges and Universities and Anti-Racism, provided an overview of the NDP’s positions on key postsecondary issues and noted the importance of having frank conversations about racism in Ontario’s education system.

MPP Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario, provided an overview of the Green Party’s plans for postsecondary education and the party’s positions on funding, contract faculty, and student aid.

Representatives of the Liberal Party of Ontario and the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario were also invited to present at the meeting but declined.

Strategies for enhancing collegial governance

OCUFA’s University Governance Committee presented its latest resource, “Strategies for enhancing collegial governance and effectiveness in governance spaces,” which provides concrete and practical ideas for addressing some of the most common barriers to good collegial governance. It is designed to give member associations and individual faculty and academic librarian members sitting on governing bodies tools for improving governing practices at their institution and for being more effective in governance spaces.

New Contract Faculty Committee formed

For many years, OCUFA has had an ad-hoc Contract Faculty and Faculty Complement Committee dedicated to discussing the challenges resulting from the increased employment of faculty on short-term contracts and the impacts this trend has had on education, research, and governance at Ontario’s universities. In recognition of the fact that this will continue to be an important issue for years to come and the benefits of investing more resources in efforts to create more equitable and secure working conditions for contract faculty and academic librarians, the OCUFA board voted to create a new standing Contract Faculty Committee that will build upon the work of the formerly ad-hoc committee.

The next OCUFA Board of Directors meeting will be held on May 14 and 15, 2022.

Auditor General of Ontario finds Laurentian manufactured financial crisis, government ignored warning signs

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TORONTO/SUDBURY, April 13, 2022 – The Auditor General of Ontario’s preliminary report on Laurentian University confirms assertions faculty have been making for more than a year—that the university’s financial crisis resulted from secretive and deficient governance practices and the Ford government’s failure to step in and support the institution when its financial needs became clear. The Auditor General found that the use of the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) was inappropriate and unneeded and that, instead, the university should have worked collegially with the Laurentian University Faculty Association to address the institution’s financial challenges.

“The Auditor General’s report makes clear that day-after-day, month-after-month, Laurentian University’s senior administration embraced a flawed and secretive approach to institutional governance and financial planning that lacked the transparency and accountability vital to a healthy university,” said Sue Wurtele, President of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA). “Once they realized the consequences of their mistakes, instead of coming clean and working with the faculty association to find a path forward, the senior administration doubled down on secrecy and spent months planning how they would dismantle the university through the CCAA process.”

Among the Auditor General’s findings were numerous problems with the university’s governance practices, including weak oversight and excessive use of in-camera sessions by the Laurentian Board, ill-advised building projects, questionable hiring practices, and an increasingly expensive payroll for senior administrators. When these poor governance practices led to a financial crisis, the senior administration’s abhorrent solution was to spend tens of millions of dollars on lawyers in efforts to cut university programs, faculty, and staff. When the Auditor General was asked to investigate what had occurred, the toxic commitment to secrecy continued, with senior administrators creating a “culture of fear” amongst university workers and implementing “unprecedented restrictions” on access to university documents and staff.

“This is a clear validation of what we have been saying for years,” said Fabrice Colin, President of the Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA).  “Time and again, the faculty association urged the university administration to be more accountable, come clean about the university’s finances, and work with us to strengthen this important public institution of higher education and its tricultural mandate. Time and again, we were ignored.”

The Auditor General found the destructive CCAA process was unnecessary and could have been avoided, and that the Ford government and Ministry of Colleges and Universities were aware of the university’s financial challenges before the CCAA process was triggered but failed to proactively intervene when the crisis became clear. The report also notes that the federal CCAA legislation is an inappropriate remedy for addressing financial challenges at public institutions as it undermines the fundamental principles of transparency, accountability, and the precedence of public interest. This report’s findings on the CCAA should be swiftly acted on by the federal Liberal government, which has committed to reforming insolvency legislation so that it can never be used again on another public institution.

“The Ford government had both the opportunity and duty to step forward and provide Laurentian University with the funding needed to prevent cuts and chart a new path forward,” said Wurtele. “Instead, Ford and numerous Ministers of Colleges and Universities sat on their hands, ignored their responsibilities, and watched the university collapse.”

“It’s time to begin a new chapter at Laurentian,” said Colin. “New leadership should be hired ready to embrace collegial, transparent, and accountable governance and the provincial government should step up to provide Laurentian University with the funding it needs to restore the programs, faculty, and staff that were cut as a result of the crisis and the Ford government’s inaction.”

The Auditor General’s report can be found here:
https://auditor.on.ca/en/content/specialreports/specialreports/Laurentian-U_Preliminary_Perspective_en.pdf

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals in 31 member associations across Ontario. It is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education in Ontario and recognizing the outstanding contributions of its members towards creating a world-class university system. For more information, please visit the OCUFA website at www.ocufa.on.ca.

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For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Ben Lewis, Communications Lead at 416-306-6033 or communications@ocufa.on.ca

OCUFA fellowship recipient receives Hillman Prize for Journalism

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OCUFA is proud to announce that Nicholas Hune-Brown has been awarded the Canadian Hillman Prize for Journalism for The Shadowy Business of International Education, an article he wrote with the support of the Mark Rosenfeld Fellowship in Higher Education Journalism. The Hillman Prize has honoured journalists who pursue investigative reporting and deep storytelling in service of the common good since 1950.

You’re invited to the OFL’s province-wide postsecondary caucus on Monday, April 4

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This coming Monday, the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) is hosting a caucus open to anyone who studies or works at a college, university, or other postsecondary institution in Ontario. The caucus will provide an opportunity to get organized for the OFL’s province-wide day of action on May 1. Thousands of people across Ontario, including academic workers and students, will be joining the day of action in efforts to create a better Ontario taking action for a better Ontario.

  • RSVP for the April 4 postsecondary caucus here.
  • Then forward this caucus invitation to students, staff, and faculty on your own campus: student unions and campus clubs, trade unions, faculty associations, cross-campus alliances, and so on.
  • Then sign the pledge to take action on May 1 and to vote on June 2.

French language programs at Laurentian should be restored following report exposing failures by university and Ford government

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TORONTO, April 1, 2022 – With the French Language Services Commissioner’s revelations that the Laurentian University administration and Ford government failed in their responsibilities to safeguard the interests of the province’s French speakers, the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) is calling for the 28 French language programs cut by the university to be restored.

“This report demonstrates serious failures on the part of the Laurentian University administration and Ford government to protect French language rights in Ontario,” said Sue Wurtele, OCUFA President. “Instead of following proper process and considering how these cuts would damage the educational options available to the Franco-Ontarian population, the university and government ignored their responsibilities and facilitated the collapse of French language programming at Laurentian.”

The French Language Services Commissioner’s report follows more than a year of chaos at Laurentian University. The university administration’s decision to apply for protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) led to 28 French-language programs being cut along with more than 100 faculty and staff. These cuts were devastating to the university and the Greater Sudbury Community, in which 27.5 per cent of the population identify French as their mother tongue compared to 4.3 per cent across the entire province.

In the report, the Commissioner finds that the Laurentian University administration failed to comply with and in fact “violated” the French Language Services Act and that the Ministry of Colleges and Universities and Ministry of Francophone Affairs failed in their duties to ensure Laurentian University was complying with the Act. The Commissioner found that throughout the CCAA process the university and government treated French language services as an “afterthought.”

“The interests of Ontario’s Francophone population, particularly their right to a French language education, cannot be treated as an afterthought,” said Wurtele. “Franco-Ontarians deserve respect and they deserve funding for French language university programming in their own communities.”

The Ford government should immediately provide Laurentian University with the ongoing funding required to restore the programs that were cut as part of its restructuring to ensure that the rights of Franco-Ontarians are respected. Further, in recognition of its responsibilities to protect minority French speaking communities across the country, the Federal government should immediately pass legislation to ensure the CCAA and its counterpart, the Bankruptcy Insolvency Act, cannot be invoked by other public institutions who might use it to cut similar programs and services for French speaking populations.

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals in 31 member associations across Ontario. It is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education in Ontario and recognizing the outstanding contributions of its members towards creating a world-class university system. For more information, please visit the OCUFA website at www.ocufa.on.ca.

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For more information, contact:
Ben Lewis, Communications Lead at 416-306-6033 or communications@ocufa.on.ca

Our chance to ensure what happened at Laurentian never happens again

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When Laurentian University filed for protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA), it became the first public university in Canada to do so. The upcoming federal budget is our chance to make sure it is also the last.

Both the CCAA and Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA) are federal pieces of legislation specifically designed for private-sector corporations, not public institutions. However, as they are currently worded, these acts can still be used to dismantle and restructure public institutions.

If other public institutions, like universities and hospitals, are allowed to invoke the CCAA or BIA, the results will be devastating. At Laurentian, where the CCAA was used, students lost access to more than 60 programs, over 100 faculty and staff jobs were cut, years of important research was forsaken, and the university has abandoned its commitments to local Francophone and Indigenous communities. Terminated employees were denied severance and instead have to get in line behind big banks, whose profits have soared during the pandemic. Students have had to change programs or transfer to other universities.

The federal budget is an opportunity to remind the Liberal government of their promise to reform the CCAA and BIA to make public institutions exempt and ensure that Canada’s vital public services are protected through proper funding.

Send a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau, Deputy Prime Minister Freeland, and Minister Champagne today and ask them to take action on this important issue.

New poll: Increased university funding, good jobs, more student aid should be priorities of next Ontario government

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According to a new poll conducted for OCUFA by Ekos Research Associates, two out of three Ontarians (69 per cent) believe that the province’s next government should prioritize postsecondary education as it works to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic. Those polled recognize the value of a university education and believe it is time to introduce legislation that improves working conditions for contract faculty, provides additional financial assistance to students, and increases funding for universities.

“These poll results make it clear that, regardless of which party leads the next Ontario government, they have a mandate to prioritize and revitalize our province’s public postsecondary education system,” said Sue Wurtele, OCUFA President. “This poll shows that Ontarians understand the many benefits provided by our public universities and believe more should be done to support these important institutions of education and research.”

Amongst those polled, 68 per cent believe that a university education is valuable for today’s young people. They recognize the vital contributions universities make to society, including producing important research, delivering high-quality education, exposing students to diverse viewpoints, and providing good jobs that support Ontario communities. When it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic, a majority of Ontarians believe that universities will be important for ensuring society’s recovery.

Asked about funding levels, 57 per cent of respondents stated that the Ontario government should increase financial support for Ontario’s universities and 81 per cent, including 75 per cent of Progressive Conservative Party supporters, expressed opposition to cuts. According to the poll results, two-thirds of Ontarians (68 per cent) recognize the important role played by northern universities.

Ensuring that contract faculty receive equal pay when doing work equivalent to that done by their tenured colleagues is supported by an overwhelming 71 per cent of Ontarians. 69 per cent also support special funding to encourage universities to replace retiring faculty with tenured positions, rather than hiring more precariously employed contract faculty. This is a matter of equity, as a majority of contract faculty are women and racialized, and it is vital for the continued effectiveness of Ontario’s universities, as universities require the service work of tenured faculty to keep their programs up and running. Both of these measures were backed by more than half of those intending to vote for the Progressive Conservative (55 per cent/52 per cent), New Democratic (90 per cent for both), and Liberal (88 per cent/86 per cent) parties.

Although 81 per cent of Ontarians believe that all eligible students should have access to a university education, two out of three (68 per cent) are concerned that today’s young people might not be able to afford a university education due to the cost and 52 per cent believe that the provincial government offers too little financial support to students wanting to attend. In addition to increasing student financial assistance, 61 per cent of Ontarians support replacing government student loans with grants that do not have to be repaid.

“This latest poll confirms that Ontarians support the priorities of the province’s university faculty and academic librarians for improving postsecondary education,” said Wurtele. “Party leaders and candidates have a mandate to commit to postsecondary education platforms that bring fairness to contract faculty, increase student financial assistance, and provide stronger public funding for Ontario’s universities.”

These poll results paint a clear picture of the policy positions Ontario voters expect the next government to pursue in support of Ontario’s public universities. If Ontario’s next government wants to succeed in building a more vibrant, equitable, and resilient university system, then listening to faculty and academic librarian voices will be the first and most important step.

The full results of the poll can be downloaded here.

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals in 31 member associations across Ontario. It is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education in Ontario and recognizing the outstanding contributions of its members towards creating a world-class university system. For more information, please visit the OCUFA website at www.ocufa.on.ca.

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For more information, contact:
Ben Lewis, Communications Lead at 416-306-6033 or communications@ocufa.on.ca

With tuition fees frozen, Ontario Budget should increase university funding and student financial assistance

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The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations is pleased to see the Ontario Government extend the tuition fee freeze for domestic students into 2023. However, urgent funding is needed to support education quality and accessibility at Ontario’s public universities.

“If the Ford government is serious about tackling student debt and high tuition fees, the upcoming Ontario budget should provide crucial funding to reduce universities’ dependence on student fees, reverse cuts to student financial assistance, and replace student loans with non-repayable grants,” said Sue Wurtele, OCUFA President. “It is quite troubling that Ontario continues to rank last in Canada in per-student funding and that its students are graduating with historically high levels of student debt.”

On a per-student basis, Ontario’s funding for universities has fallen further and further behind the rest of the country over the last decade, a trend that threatens the future health of these vital public postsecondary institutions. Ontario universities now receive an average of only 33 per cent of their operating funding from the provincial government.

“University faculty and academic librarians are strong believers in a vibrant university education accessible to all students,” said Wurtele. “This goal can only be achieved if the government steps up to address the chronic underfunding of Ontario’s universities, which weakens our postsecondary education system and drives up student fees.”

Extending the tuition fee freeze into 2023 will provide much needed short-term relief for students struggling to make ends meet, but it is a far cry from the commitment to university revitalization that Ontario needs. Bringing the province up to the average level of per-student funding across the rest of Canada will require a large but important new investment of $12.9 billion over the next five years.

“Our students deserve better and Ontario deserves better,” said Wurtele. “Our universities will be a vital part of the province’s post-pandemic recovery, so every dollar spent on postsecondary education now is an investment in our collective future.”

In the coming months, Ontario political parties hoping to form the next government will have an opportunity to put forward their own visions for the future of Ontario’s universities. If they believe in the importance of our public postsecondary institutions, those visions should include policies that increase public investment in Ontario’s chronically underfunded universities and remove financial barriers to higher education.

Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals in 31 member associations across Ontario. It is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education in Ontario and recognizing the outstanding contributions of its members towards creating a world-class university system. For more information, please visit the OCUFA website at www.ocufa.on.ca.

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For more information, contact:
Ben Lewis, Communications Lead at 416-306-6033 or communications@ocufa.on.ca