TORONTO, February 22, 2023 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) calls on universities across the province to revisit employment agreements with faculty and academic staff negotiated during the last three years under the Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act—formerly Bill 124, now declared unconstitutional. “Faculty, librarians, and staff have […]
SUDBURY/TORONTO, December 6, 2022 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) supports a call from the Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) for a public inquiry into the financial crisis at Laurentian University, which led to unprecedented program cuts and faculty and staff job losses. “A public inquiry is necessary to ensure that the disaster that took place […]
The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA), Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) and the Canadian Federation of Students – Ontario (CFSO) collectively commend the government’s interest in protecting sexual violence survivors. However, we raise concerns about elements of the newly announced Strengthening Post-secondary Institutions and Students Act, […]
SUDBURY/TORONTO, November 29, 2022 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) is pleased that the Superior Court of Justice has agreed to unseal correspondence between Laurentian University and the Ministry of Colleges and Universities relating to the university’s insolvency claims in early 2021. However, the unsealing of these documents after 69 program cuts, […]
On Tuesday, November 15, faculty and academic librarians from across the province gathered at the Ontario Legislature to meet with Members of Provincial Parliament to advocate for robust funding of public post-secondary institutions, better working conditions and support for contract faculty, the need for faculty renewal at Ontario universities, and for changes to Bill 26 that […]
SUDBURY/TORONTO, November 17, 2022 – A new report from the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario confirms that senior administration at Laurentian University intentionally sought to enter the inappropriate and unnecessary Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) process on the advice of private financial advisors and lawyers, leading to terrible consequences for students, staff, faculty, […]
SUDBURY/TORONTO, November 17, 2022 – A new report from the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario confirms that senior administration at Laurentian University intentionally sought to enter the inappropriate and unnecessary Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) process on the advice of private financial advisors and lawyers, leading to terrible consequences for students, staff, faculty, […]
October 17-21 is Fair Employment Week , an annual campaign led by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) to raise awareness and improve the working conditions of precariously employed contract faculty and academic staff. On Ontario campuses, OCUFA member organizations are hosting events, tabling on campus, and participating in social media campaigns. See more on the OCUFA […]
OCUFA has released a new video that celebrates the energy, commitment, and dedication of faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals across Ontario. The past year has been challenging, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the collapse of Laurentian University, but OCUFA’s members have persevered and shown that they are energized and ready to redouble […]
The OCUFA University Governance Committee has published “ Strategies for Enhancing Collegial Governance and Effectiveness in Governance Spaces .” The resource provides concrete and practical strategies and tactics for addressing barriers to collegial governance and faculty engagement in university governing bodies. As traditional processes of shared collegial governance are becoming increasingly threatened or ignored, this document aims to provide faculty and academic librarians associations and […]
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, April 25, 2022 – The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) is calling on university administrators across the province to maintain campus masking mandates until at least the end of August. With new COVID-19 cases reaching peaks surpassing previous waves of the pandemic and other health and safety measures having been lifted, masking […]
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 […]
