TORONTO, March 17, 2023 – Ontario university faculty and students know the math does not add up in the provincial government’s latest announcement on post-secondary education. University tuition fees are unaffordable for many in Ontario, and are among the highest in the country. Tuition fees remain the most significant barrier to accessing post-secondary education in […]
TORONTO, March 2, 2023 – Ontario university faculty criticized the Premier’s decision to leave their expertise out of critical decision-making regarding the future of post-secondary institutions and warn that doing so will be a recipe for disaster. In an announcement March 2, the government announced the formation of a Blue Ribbon Panel focused on post-secondary […]
SUDBURY/TORONTO, December 6, 2022 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) supports a call from the Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) for a public inquiry into the financial crisis at Laurentian University, which led to unprecedented program cuts and faculty and staff job losses. “A public inquiry is necessary to ensure that the disaster that took place […]
TORONTO, November 30, 2022 – Following a coordinated Charter challenge by a coalition of over 40 unions, including OCUFA member organizations and led by the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), the Ontario Superior Court of Justice declared the Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act (formerly Bill 124) violated the Canadian Charter of […]
SUDBURY/TORONTO, November 29, 2022 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) is pleased that the Superior Court of Justice has agreed to unseal correspondence between Laurentian University and the Ministry of Colleges and Universities relating to the university’s insolvency claims in early 2021. However, the unsealing of these documents after 69 program cuts, […]
On Tuesday, November 15, faculty and academic librarians from across the province gathered at the Ontario Legislature to meet with Members of Provincial Parliament to advocate for robust funding of public post-secondary institutions, better working conditions and support for contract faculty, the need for faculty renewal at Ontario universities, and for changes to Bill 26 that […]
The University of Guelph Faculty Association (UGFA), the University of Western Ontario Faculty Association (UWOFA) and the part-time unit of Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association (WLUFA) all reached tentative agreements in recent days following extensive bargaining and mobilization efforts. The agreements are now at various stages in the ratification process. Further details to follow.
SUDBURY/TORONTO, November 17, 2022 – A new report from the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario confirms that senior administration at Laurentian University intentionally sought to enter the inappropriate and unnecessary Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) process on the advice of private financial advisors and lawyers, leading to terrible consequences for students, staff, faculty, […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Members of the X/Ryerson Faculty Association (XRFA) have just ratified a three-year collective agreement that represents significant gains on equity, Indigenous complement, librarian rights, and benefits. The university has allocated $500,000 dollars for salary anomalies, with $200,000 of that specifically for gender anomalies. A Joint Committee on Equity in Salary will be created to make […]
