TORONTO, January, 13, 2022 – OCUFA is disappointed that the Superior Court of Justice has denied the Ontario Auditor General’s request for documents that Laurentian University claims are privileged. Laurentian’s sudden insolvency and unprecedented implosion as a result of the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) process has devastated the Greater Sudbury community, raised concerns at […]
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 […]
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 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 May 28, OCUFA held its final Board of Directors Meeting of the 2020-21 academic year. The virtual meeting focused on continuing developments at Laurentian University, university reopening plans for fall 2021, and saw the election of a new OCUFA Executive for 2021-22. Financial crisis at Laurentian University The collapse of Laurentian University under the […]
TORONTO, June 9, 2021 — Ontario’s university faculty and academic librarians were deeply disturbed to learn of the recent attack and murder of a Muslim family in London, Ontario—Madiha Salman, Salman Afzaal, their daughter Yumna Afzaal, and Salman’s mother. Madiha and Salman’s son Fayez remains in hospital, recovering. The family was targeted because of their […]
TORONTO, May 26, 2021 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) is pleased to announce that the recipients of this year’s Henry Mandelbaum Graduate Fellowships for Excellence in Social Sciences, Humanities, or Arts are Amy Shawanda from Trent University for the doctoral level of study and Laura Paolini from the University of Ottawa […]
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 […]
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 12, 2021 — Following news that approximately 60 programs have been cut at Laurentian University and that over 80 faculty members have lost their jobs, the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations is calling for the resignation of Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano. These devastating cuts are the direct result of […]
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 […]
This Saturday, March 27 the OFL will be hosting the first ever Education Assembly to unite workers, students, and parents from child care through postsecondary education. COVID-19 has made navigating education systems more difficult than ever. This Saturday’s discussion will focus on developing education systems that keep everyone healthy and safe. OFL Education Assembly Saturday, […]
