TORONTO, September 9, 2021 — OCUFA welcomes the Federal New Democratic Party’s commitment to reform the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) so that public postsecondary education institutions are not subject to restructuring under federal legislation. The commitment, on page 13 of the Federal NDP’s A Better Future for Northern Ontario, states that, if elected, the […]
TORONTO, September 2, 2021 — OCUFA is pleased to see the Federal Liberal Party’s commitment to exempting public postsecondary education institutions from being subject to restructuring under federal legislation. The commitment, on page 31 of the Liberal platform, states that, if elected, the Liberals would, “Protect public post-secondary educational institutions, such as Laurentian University, from […]
TORONTO, September 1, 2021 — OCUFA’s faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals are looking forward to the start of the new academic year, but health and safety must remain the number one priority as COVID-19 cases rise and Ontario enters the fourth wave. With less than a week before the fall term begins, the […]
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 […]
Now is the time to remind MPs we need to take action to prevent more crises like the collapse of Laurentian University. We have just a few days before MPs break for the summer and head into a potential fall election. Send a letter to your MP. Ask them to amend the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act to exclude publicly funded institutions […]
The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) has released a toolkit to support organizing for publicly funded, universal postsecondary education in Ontario. Developed through open public discussions at the OFL’s Education Assembly, the toolkit lays out the rationale for a postsecondary education system free of tuition fees, student debt, and institutional deficits. The OFL shows how this […]
On April 29, the Canadian Military Colleges Faculty Association sent a letter to the Laurentian University Board of Governors calling for the termination of President and Vice-Chancellor Robert Haché, as well as his senior administrative team. The letter also calls for the rebuilding of the university’s Board. On May 5, members of the University of Ontario […]
TORONTO, May 26, 2021 — The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) is pleased that Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano has accepted the recommendation of Ontario’s Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB) and, as a result, will deny university status to the Canada Christian College (CCC). After conducting an in-depth review of […]
OCUFA continues to provide LUFA with direct support on the fallout of the CCAA process. Below is a digest of key events, media coverage, and political action from the past week regarding the Laurentian CCAA Proceeding. Please note that going forward, OCUFA will be providing updates as new actions and significant information or updates transpire, […]
OCUFA member associations continue to push back against Minister Romano for his role in the collapse of Laurentian University. We are seeing the positive impact of these efforts as the issue continues to be covered by the media. A highlight of last week was hearing OCUFA’s positions clearly laid out on The Agenda by Past President and […]
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 […]
The mediation phase of the proceeding with the Laurentian University Faculty Association and Senate has ended. As a result, 110 Laurentian faculty members lost their jobs and 69 programs were cut at the institution (please refer to the end of the email for the list of programs). The next few weeks will determine whether the […]
TORONTO, April 14, 2021 — Today, OCUFA President Rahul Sapra and LUFA President Fabrice Colin called for the resignations of Laurentian University President Robert Haché, Vice-President Academic and Provost Marie-Josée Berger, Vice-President Administration Lorella Hayes, Board Chair Claude Lacroix, Registrar Serge Demers, and Ontario Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano for their roles in […]
Political action The Save Our Sudbury community group of faculty, students, labour unions, and community members held a hugely successful car rally. Over 100 participants came together in spite of rain and snow to demand the province provide funding. You can watch pre-recorded speeches from students, faculty, politicians, and union leaders speaking about why Laurentian […]
TORONTO, Mar 31, 2021—A new poll conducted by EKOS Research Associates for the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations shows that a clear majority of Ontarians believe that Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano and the Ford government should provide additional funding to Laurentian University and any other universities that face financial difficulties. According […]
