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 […]
OCUFA is pleased to announce that we are now accepting nominations for the Teaching and Academic Librarians Awards and Equity and Social Justice Committee Award of Distinction. We are also accepting applications for the Henry Mandelbaum Graduate Fellowship and Mark Rosenfeld Fellowship in Higher Education Journalism. At OCUFA, we believe it is important to recognize […]
OCUFA has set out its priorities for the 2022 Ontario Budget in a written submission to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs and in a presentation to the committee on January 20, 2022. OCUFA’s budget recommendations aim to preserve the quality and sustainability of postsecondary education in Ontario through stable, consistent, and adequate […]
TORONTO, January 24, 2022 – The voices of Ontario university faculty and academic librarians continue to be ignored by university administrations as postsecondary institutions rush back to in-person learning—even as COVID-19 cases across the province remain high. Outbreaks at universities and in university communities are inevitable if university administrations withhold information about campus health and […]
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 Good jobs for all Since the last election, the Ford government has repealed large parts of the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act and introduced wage restraint legislation under Bill 124 . […]
TORONTO, August 17, 2021 — Ontario university faculty and academic librarians welcome the announcement from the provincial government that will require vaccination policies for high-risk settings, including postsecondary education institutions. OCUFA had previously called on the government to implement a required vaccination policy for universities as part of a safe return to campus strategy, along […]
While OCUFA faculty and academic librarians are looking forward to resuming in-person teaching, OCUFA recognizes that COVID-19 remains a public health concern especially as cases of the highly contagious Delta variant continue to rise. As part of a comprehensive plan for ensuring the health and safety of campus communities across the province, OCUFA’s Executive is […]
Laurentian University insolvency reflects a structural crisis in Ontario’s neoliberal university system By David Leadbeater “On February 1 the Laurentian University president and board got what they wanted from Ontario Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz: “This Court orders and declares that the Applicant [Laurentian] is insolvent and is a company to which the CCAA applies.” The CCAA—Companies’ Creditors Arrangement…” When the Government comes for you, you better have academic freedom By Marc Spooner, University of Regina “Every so often, […]
Congratulations to the Brescia Faculty Association (BFA) for ratifying a new collective agreement. The BFA made a number of notable gains in the areas of faculty hiring, workload, contract faculty security, and professional expense reimbursements. New language will place a greater emphasis on internal hiring, making it easier for contract faculty or faculty in limited […]
The Ontario Universities and Colleges Coalition (OUCC), of which OCUFA is a member, has put out a statement strongly opposing the new provincial election spending rules outlined and enforced by Bill 307, Protecting Elections and Defending Democracy Act. With the use of the Notwithstanding Clause, the government has imposed Bill 307 despite a court decision […]
OCUFA President Sue Wurtele has written to Ontario’s Minister of Colleges and Universities and Minister of Labour to express concern with the government’s plan for universities to fully reopen this fall. The plan was developed without consulting sector stakeholders, including faculty. As a result, it does not address some of the main concerns of those […]
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: Public money, private profit: A history of U of T’s MaRS Discovery District By Chelsea Tao and Mariana Valverde, University of Toronto “It is well known that the University of Toronto (U of T) has historically […]
The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) is alarmed at the detrimental impact the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) process is having on Indigenous studies, faculty, students, and the community in the Greater Sudbury area. As part of the CCAA process, the Indigenous Studies Department, its programs, and its faculty have been terminated. For […]
TORONTO, April 28, 2021 – On April 20th, Ontario faculty, students, and community members took part in a virtual action demanding the resignation of Minister of Colleges and Universities, Ross Romano. Minister Romano has refused to engage with OCUFA or to comment publicly on the situation at Laurentian University. In the absence of being able […]
