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?
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, […]
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/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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Ford government’s obsession with austerity and privatization was a major driver of Laurentian University’s insolvency and collapse. This was the message OCUFA Board Chair Gyllian Phillips delivered to participants in “Our Movement, Our Fight, Our Future,” a webinar series focused on reclaiming power through labour organizing in Northern Ontario. “Universities, especially northern universities, have […]
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 . […]
We are proud to announce the first article published as a result of the OCUFA Fellowship in Higher Education Journalism. The Fellowship is designed to support those wishing to pursue in-depth investigative reporting on higher education in Canada. With the backing of the Fellowship, respected journalist Nicholas Hune-Brown spent two years investigating the troubling world […]
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 […]
