On the weekend of May 14–15, the OCUFA Board met for its first hybrid meeting since the beginning of the pandemic and the final meeting of the 2021-22 academic year. Members attended in person and joined virtually from across Ontario to discuss the provincial election, political advocacy, on-campus action, and new postsecondary education developments in […]
OCUFA has released a new video that celebrates the energy, commitment, and dedication of faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals across Ontario. The past year has been challenging, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the collapse of Laurentian University, but OCUFA’s members have persevered and shown that they are energized and ready to redouble […]
In a recent segment on TVO’s The Agenda with Steve Paikin, OCUFA President Sue Wurtele laid out OCUFA’s priorities in this election, joining other panelists for an engaging and informative discussion on the postsecondary education platforms put forward by Ontario’s political parties. Watch the full segment: Which Party Has the Best Post-secondary Plan?
During the Ontario election campaign, OCUFA has been monitoring party platform announcements and asking parties pointed questions about where they stand on important policies that will shape the future of postsecondary education in the province. OCUFA has now completed a comprehensive analysis of each party’s commitments for postsecondary education and evaluated how they measure up […]
The Ontario Universities and Colleges Coalition (OUCC), of which OCUFA is a member, has written an open letter to Elections Ontario highlighting the need for on-campus polling stations. There are major documented successes with on-campus polling stations in both the 2015 and 2019 federal elections cycles, with a 60 per cent increase in campus voter […]
In the lead-up to the Ontario election, OCUFA sent a survey to all major political parties in the province. The survey asked questions about party positions on OCUFA’s priority issues in this election. To-date, all Ontario’s major political parties, except for the Progressive Conservative Party, have responded to the survey. Read the Ontario New Democratic Party’s responses. Read the Ontario Liberal Party’s responses. Read the Green Party of Ontario’s responses. We hope these responses are helpful […]
We still have time to shape party priorities in this election and influence the mandate of Ontario’s next government. Send an email to your local candidates to tell them it’s time to prioritize public postsecondary education, invest in Ontario’s universities, support fairness for contract faculty, and increased student aid. Take action today.
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
This election presents a valuable opportunity to put postsecondary education on the agenda and build a better future for Ontario. Each political party is making promises and proposals that will affect university faculty, students, our families, and our communities. This election, OCUFA is focused on three advocacy priorities : Fairness for contract faculty to ensure all faculty are […]
Meeting and resolutions The pandemic may continue, but at its Board Meeting on October 23 OCUFA set its sights on the 2022 provincial election and the goal of electing a government committed to supporting high-quality, public postsecondary education in Ontario. Good jobs for all Since the last election, the Ford government has repealed large parts of the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act and introduced wage restraint legislation under Bill 124 . […]
Earlier this week, The Toronto Star published a contribution from OCUFA President Sue Wurtele that highlights the need for the next federal government to pass changes to federal insolvency and bankruptcy legislation to exempt public institutions, including universities. Read “Laurentian University’s collapse shows federal government must protect public institutions from private-sector restructuring.”
Ontario faculty associations are sending letters to federal candidates running in their regions and asking those seeking a seat in Parliament to exempt public institutions from private-sector restructuring under the federal Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) and the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA). It was under the CCAA that, earlier this year, Laurentian University acted […]
