TORONTO – Ontario faculty are deeply concerned by the Ford government’s attempt to cap public sector compensation increases at one per cent per year. This legislation represents an attack on the right to free and fair collective bargaining, a threat to pay equity and benefits for contract faculty and other marginalized workers, and an erosion […]
Worldviews 2019 starts next week, but there is still time to register. In addition to a stellar line-up of speakers , conference participants will enjoy a special free screening of the documentary The Corporate Coup D’etat being presented in partnership with the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival . The film will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Rick Salutin, and featuring Maude Barlow, John Ralston Saul, […]
June 7 is the one year anniversary of the Doug Ford government. It mark’s a year of reckless cuts to education, health care, the minimum wage, and decent work laws that made life better for Ontario’s most vulnerable workers. To mark this milestone, citizens from every corner of the province are organizing and hitting the […]
TORONTO – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) is pleased to announce that this year’s recipient of the Henry Mandelbaum Graduate Fellowship is Rebecca Ellis from Western University. “The Mandelbaum Fellowship recognizes graduate students who combine exceptional scholarship with deep engagement in their communities,” said Rahul Sapra, Vice-President of OCUFA. “Each year, we […]
Ontario faculty are concerned that the Ford government intends to interfere in collective bargaining relationships throughout the public sector, including at universities across the province. In a written submission to the Treasury Board Secretariat regarding its consultations on public sector compensation, OCUFA detailed its concerns about the consultation process and the government’s motives. Ontario’s faculty […]
The latest issue of Academic Matters asks whether universities are doing enough to respond to colonization in higher education. An insightful group of scholars contribute their perspectives. It’s a must read and available online for free. Bringing Indigenous viewpoints to higher education By Tanya Talaga and Victoria McMurchy Ojibway author and journalist Tanya Talaga sits down with Victoria McMurchy to discuss how Canadian postsecondary institutions have responded to the Truth […]
OCUFA is concerned about the motives behind the Ministry of Finance’s “consultations” on compensation for workers in the broader public sector. It has become increasingly clear that these consultations are not being conducted in good faith and are, instead, part of the Ford government’s political agenda to undermine the rights of workers and unions in […]
On April 11, the 2019 Ontario Budget was tabled. Given the track record of the Ontario government to date, this budget delivered what OCUFA expected: a continued attack on workers’ rights, university autonomy, and public services, including postsecondary education. The overall postsecondary education and training sector budget is projected to be cut by $700 million, […]
The early-bird registration deadline for Worldviews 2019 is tomorrow. After that, ticket prices will increase. Register today to get a special reduced rate on conference registration. This June, participants from around the globe will gather in Toronto for the 2019 Worldviews on Media and Higher Education Conference. Titled Democracy at risk? Reflecting on the future of higher education and media in a post-truth world, the three-day […]
On April 4, over 100,000 students at over 700 high schools across Ontario walked out to protest the Doug Ford government’s proposed cuts to education on April 4. Organized by students, this mass walkout is believed to be the largest student protest in Canadian history. Days later, on April 6, over 30,000 educators, students, parents, […]
As part of the Ministry of Labour’s consultation on pay transparency reporting, OCUFA sent Minister Laurie Scott a letter expressing faculty concerns about the staggering 31.5 per cent gender pay gap that exists in Ontario and the pervasive pay inequities that exist within most sectors. The Ontario Pay Transparency Act, passed in May 2018 by […]
TORONTO – Ontario’s faculty are alarmed by the Doug Ford government’s budget proposal to allocate 60 per cent of university funding based on institutional performance. By design, performance-based funding threatens education quality as it rewards institutions that meet specific performance targets while penalizing those that do not. Faculty are also concerned by signals that the […]
There is more to Academic Matters than just the print issue. New articles are being added to the Academic Matters website every week. Healthy research ecosystem – healthy researchers? The researcher as an organism of focus within a ‘research ecosystem’ By Michelle L.A. Nelson and Ross Upshur “The academic research environment is changing and researchers report struggling to adapt in order to be successful. Funding shortfalls are perennial, but what systemic shifts […]
The McMaster University Faculty Association (MUFA) has ratified a three-year agreement with their university administration. Significant achievements include extensive improvements to benefits in areas such as mental health, hearing aids, and medical device coverage. MUFA also successfully negotiated increases to its professional development allowance and dependant tuition bursary program. Among other improvements, the association achieved […]
Nicholas Hune-Brown has been awarded the inaugural OCUFA Fellowship in Higher Education Journalism. Hune-Brown is a Toronto-based magazine writer whose work has appeared in Toronto Life, Slate, The Walrus, The Guardian, and other publications. He is the winner of multiple National Magazine Awards and is the features editor of The Local. The Fellowship was established […]
