Celebrating 60 Years
OCUFA Today and Tomorrow
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. The impact of the pandemic had lasting effects on society and the university sector, upending teaching methods and challenging faculty and students’ physical and mental health.
Unprecedented Upheaval
In response to the pandemic, the Ontario government declared a state of emergency. In the universities, there was a sudden shift to emergency remote teaching and learning. By September 2020, 68% of universities were delivering courses primarily online. OCUFA advocated for proper health and safety protocols for campus activities and supported member organizations as they navigated an unfamiliar working landscape.
Ongoing financial constraints and performance-based strictures continued to create lasting challenges. By 2022, provincial funding made up just 24% of university revenues. From 2018 to 2022, university operating revenues from the provincial government and domestic student fees declined by about $3,200 (in 2020 dollars) per full-time student. Per-student funding levels in Ontario were the lowest in Canada. This chronic underfunding left significant revenue gaps in university coffers.
In response, universities looked for ways to increase funding and cut costs. One key cost-cutting measure was the increased use of contract faculty across the sector, a trend that began in the 2010s and accelerated in the 2020s. By 2020, 58% of faculty positions were contract, teaching-only, non-tenured, and mostly part-time, with few job protections or benefits.
A key revenue-generating measure for universities was to dramatically increase international-student tuition fees, which were uncapped and unregulated. By 2022, almost 19% of full-time students were international students; their tuition fees, at about $40,000 a year (in 2020 dollars) paid 48% of all fees collected by universities.
Many universities strained under the weight of the funding crisis, and one broke: in February 2021, Laurentian University declared insolvency, the first public university in Canada to do so.
OCUFA doubles down
OCUFA responded to these crises through a renewed focus on enhancing support for faculty, including contract faculty; expanding its outreach to the public; and engaging with its allies and with government.
The Laurentian insolvency was a key focus for the organization. With its allies, including the Laurentian University Faculty Association, OCUFA launched a campaign to amend the federal Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act and the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act to exclude publicly funded educational institutions. In 2024, it succeeded in securing the passage of federal legislation to do exactly that.
The issue of eroding collegial governance, a shared governance model in which university boards and senates work together to ensure the health and success of the institution, also came into focus. Among other initiatives, in 2022, OCUFA’s University Governance Committee published a resource, Strategies for Enhancing Collegial Governance and Effectiveness in Governance Spaces, to help member associations protect and enhance collegial governance at their institutions.
As well, years of work on the issue of adequate pensions—including holding workshops on the issue; releasing research reports; and creating a jointly sponsored framework for the sector, in concert with the Council of Ontario Universities, the creation of which involved extensive liaising with government, unions, faculty associations, and other stakeholders—finally came to fruition in 2021. The University Pension Plan is now the official pension plan provider for almost 40,000 working and retired university faculty and staff in four Ontario universities and 12 sector organizations.
By 2024, OCUFA’s broader political advocacy strategy became more focused on educating the public about the issues facing public universities and working with all levels of government to ensure strong support for public postsecondary education in Ontario. OCUFA’s campaigns, conferences, training programs, and communications emphasize this public value, and reach beyond the academy.
The OCUFA at 50 History Project thanks the following individuals and organizations for their assistance in creating this exhibit:
Quotes
Media
Rally on Wheels for Public Education in support of Laurentian University, April 30, 2021, at the University of Toronto. The rally was part of a province-wide day of action.
Save Our Sudbury Townhall virtual meeting, March 3, 2021. Attendees included community and union members, Laurentian Faculty Association and staff union members, and Members of Provincial Parliament Jamie West and Frances Gelinas.
OCUFA member organization leadership and provincial leaders at the Enough Is Enough Solidarity Action, May 3, 2023, The Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto. The Enough Is Enough campaign supported fair wages and keeping public services public.
Gyllie Phillips, OCUFA Board Chair; Marianna Valverde, Emeritus Professor, University of Toronto; and Natalya Brown, President, Nipissing University Faculty Association participate in a conversation about the university as a financial actor at OCUFA’s Funding our Future conference, December 1, 2023, the Yorkville Royal Sonesta, Toronto.
Bill 124 news conference, June 20, 2023. OCUFA President Sue Wurtele and provincial union leaders speaking to members of the media at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and Court of Appeal, Toronto.
OCUFA ambassadors at the Queen’s Park Advocacy Day 2024, March 20, 2024, Queen’s Park, Toronto.
President Nigmendra Narain addresses OCUFA Queen’s Park Advocacy Day attendees including Members of Provincial Parliament, political staff, and faculty ambassadors, March 20, 2024, Queen’s Park, Toronto.
OCUFA leadership, staff, and members of the Finance Working Group at the Day of Action in support of striking CUPE education workers, November 2022, Queen’s Park.
OFUFA President Sue Wurtele, Executive Director Jenny Ahn, provincial allies, and members of the Canadian Association of University Teachers meet at the House of Commons in Ottawa with Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne in November 2023 to express their thanks for working to reform the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act and the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.
The Toronto Faculty Association’s President Jesmen Mendoza, Chief Negotiator Ian Sakinofsky, and OCUFA Director of Collective Bargaining Services Kimiko Inouye at a rally in solidarity with CUPE Local 233 maintenance and custodial workers, April 27, 2023, Toronto Metropolitan University.
OCUFA Executive and Board of Directors sign a group pledge to demonstrate their commitment to maintain pressure on the federal government to reform the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act and the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, February 25, 2023, The Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto.
OCUFA Executive and Board of Directors at the Contract Faculty Committee’s annual Social Media Day of Action express their support fairness for contract faculty, February 26, 2023, The Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto.
University of Ontario Institute of Technology Faculty Association members are joined by OCUFA representatives and local union leadership on the picket line, February 2022, Ontario Tech University, Oshawa.
Timeline
2020
On March 11, The World Health Organization declares that COVID-19 is a pandemic.
In response to the pandemic, the Ontario government declares a state of emergency in the province under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.
Across all universities, there is a sudden shift to emergency remote teaching and learning. By September 2020, 68% of universities are delivering courses primarily online.
OCUFA campaigns for enhanced health and safety measures on campuses during the pandemic.
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees: $9,122 (in 2023 dollars).
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees for international students: $46,566 (in 2023 dollars).
The government implements performance-based funding measures for postsecondary institutions.
Jenny Ahn joins OCUFA as executive director.
The Renison Association of Academic Staff (RAAS) unionizes in March and, later this year, becomes an OCUFA member organization.
Elementary and secondary school staff hold a one-day province-wide strike against the government’s recent austerity measures under Bill 28, the Keeping Students in Class Act. The act prohibited any strikes by CUPE public education members and capped annual wage increases at below-inflation rates.
2021
University status is denied to the Canada Christian College. OCUFA and its allies actively campaign to have status denied to the private institution, whose president espouses homophobic, transphobic, and Islamophobic views.
Laurentian University declares insolvency in February. OCUFA mounts a province-wide campaign with the Laurentian University Faculty Association and allies in Sudbury to save university jobs and prevent learning loss.
The University Pension Plan (UPP) becomes the official pension plan provider for almost 40,000 working and retired university faculty and staff in four Ontario universities and 12 sector organizations.
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees: $8,727 (in 2023 dollars).
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees for international students: $46,408 (in 2023 dollars).
The OCUFA Board of Directors passes a motion setting out its opposition to certain aspects of Bill 168, the Combating Antisemitism Act, 2020, that could be used to censor political speech and restrict the academic freedom of faculty.
Sue Wurtele becomes the 34th President of OCUFA.
Following drastic cuts and job losses at Laurentian University, Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities, is shuffled out of his portfolio under pressure from OCUFA.
2022
The Progressive Conservatives win a majority in the June election with the lowest voter turnout in the province’s history.
The University of Ontario Institute of Technology Faculty Association goes on strike. The strike lasts for two weeks, and a three-year deal is ratified soon thereafter.
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees: $8,325 (in 2023 dollars).
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees for international students: $45,848 (in 2023 dollars).
Following a coordinated Charter challenge by a coalition of over 40 unions, including OCUFA and led by the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), the Ontario Superior Court of Justice finds that Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act (formerly Bill 124) violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
OCUFA’s Board of Directors adopts a four-year strategic priorities plan that aligns with the provincial election cycle. The plan’s goal is to help OCUFA be more effective, action-oriented, and impactful and integrate and infuse equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigenization throughout the organization.
OCUFA holds its first Awards of Distinction event for all award recipients in October. The event celebrates the achievements of all recipients in various award categories together.
2023
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees: $8,279 (in 2023 dollars).
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees for international students: $46,941 (in 2023 dollars).
A government-appointed Blue-Ribbon Panel on Postsecondary Education recommends increasing public funding for universities and colleges, as Ontario ranks last in Canada in public funding for its universities.
Federal Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland reports that the government is reforming the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act and the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act to protect public universities from corporate-style restructuring policies. The reform came about partly from OCUFA’s relentless advocacy work lobbying the government and making the public aware of the issue.
OCUFA hosts a policy conference: Funding Our Future: Keeping Universities Public.
Nigmendra Narain becomes OCUFA’s 35th president.
The teaching and academic librarianship awards mark 50 years.
OCUFA offices move to 21 Randolph Ave in the Junction Triangle neighbourhood of Toronto.
2024
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees: $8,514 (in current dollars)
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees for international students: $48,267 (in current dollars).
OCUFA has 14 staff members.
The Ontario Court of Appeal dismisses the province’s appeal of Bill 124.
Canada’s only women’s university college, Brescia University College, closes.
$1.3 billion in new provincial funding for colleges and universities is announced, in part due to OCUFA’s strong advocacy work.
OCUFA hosts its first collective bargaining conference: Bargaining Stronger, Together.
OCUFA and its allies succeed in securing the passage of federal legislation that will exempt public universities from the provisions of the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act and the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. This will ensure that public universities cannot use corporate-style restructuring processes to respond to financial trouble.
OCUFA’s Board of Directors passes a motion condemning the caste system, caste-based discrimination, and colourism.
OCUFA grows to represent more than 18,000 faculty, academic librarians, and academic professionals in 30 member organizations.
Moving From Crisis to Crisis
The 2010s were a time of significant change and upheaval. In the wake of the 2007/2008 financial crisis, governments struggled to deal with the resulting devastation, deficits, and rising unemployment.
Austerity and Pullback
In 2010, the Liberal government introduced a two-year wage freeze for about 350,000 non-unionized public sector workers. The move was in keeping with the austerity measures introduced by governments around the world.
By 2011, though, the government had pledged to inject new funding into the higher-education sector. This was not enough, however, to “right the ship” in an increasingly underfunded sector. In 2014, although the Liberals pledged to increase the number of government-funded student places in colleges and universities by 60,000 over four years, per-student funding actually fell by 7% over the next three years and tuition fees began to steadily climb.
By 2015, the funding crisis had become clear. In response, the government introduced the Funding Formula Review, which re-evaluated the formula by which Ontario’s universities were funded. It included measures to determine “outcomes” as a way to implement a new funding model.
In 2018, the Progressive Conservatives won a majority government, which quickly reversed course on a number of the Liberals’ initiatives. For example, 2019’s Bill 124, the Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, imposed a 1% cap per year on wage increases for public-sector employees for three years.
The government also announced a plan to institute performance-based funding in the higher-education sector, which tied 60% of funding to outcomes or “performance” measures. It argued that this new “business model”–based approach would incentivize universities to be more productive, efficient, and “in tune” with the labour market’s needs.
It also drastically modified the Ontario Student Assistance Program, making more students ineligible for loans and increasing expected parental and student contributions.
Changing Times, Evolving Priorities
In response to the upheaval, OCUFA worked to educate and inform Ontarians about the quality and sustainability of the province’s universities. OCUFA’s “We Teach Ontario” campaign, for example, promoted the connection between teaching and research in universities through highlighting the research of featured professors.
In 2012, OCUFA launched an anti-austerity education and mobilization campaign, highlighting the significant funding challenges facing the higher education sector and the government’s unwillingness to address what was quickly becoming a funding crisis. In 2015, the organization held its first annual Advocacy Day, at which representatives from its member organizations met with members of the Legislature at Queen’s Park.
OCUFA’s 2015 Funding Formula Review Handbook, created after extensive engagement with the government on the issue, helped guide its member organizations through the review’s principles and laid out its own: “Funding should be: adequate, committed to core activities, student-centred, supportive of good jobs, stable and predictable, equitable, transparent, and respectful of universal autonomy and academic freedom.”
Near the end of the decade, after Bill 124’s introduction, OCUFA began what would become a years-long fight to challenge the constitutionality of the Bill, mobilizing its members and working with other labour organizations.
Quotes
Media
OCUFA’s President Mark Langer speaks at Henry Mandelbaum’s retirement party, June 2011. Photo courtesy Joel Duff.
Henry Mandelbaum at his retirement party, June 2011. Photo courtesy Joel Duff.
Henry Mandelbaum’s retirement party, June 2011. Photo courtesy Joel Duff.
Henry Mandelbaum at his retirement party, June 2011. Photo courtesy Joel Duff.
Staff members Donna Gray and Lisa Alexis at Henry Mandelbaum’s retirement party, June 2011. Photo courtesy Joel Duff.
Henry Mandelbaum’s retirement party, June 2011. Photo courtesy Joel Duff.
Henry Mandelbaum at his retirement party, June 2011. Photo courtesy Joel Duff.
Mike Yam (Canadian Federation of Students–Ontario), Henry Mandelbaum, and Nora Loreto (Canadian Federation of Students–Ontario) at Henry Mandelbaum’s retirement party, June 2011. Photo courtesy Joel Duff.
Henry and Thea Mandelbaum at his retirement party, June 2011. Photo courtesy Joel Duff.
Henry Mandelbaum on the picket line with striking librarians and archivists at the University of Western Ontario, fall 2011. Photo courtesy Rebecca Coulter.
Striking faculty members at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine Faculty and Staff Association (NOSMFSA), Thunder Bay, 2010.
Striking faculty members at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine Faculty and Staff Association (NOSMFSA), Thunder Bay, 2010.
Deborah Flynn, a former OCUFA President, speaks at Henry Mandelbaum’s memorial, February 8, 2013.
Executive Director Mark Rosenfeld speaks at Henry Mandelbaum’s memorial, February 8, 2013.
Timeline
2010
Full-time enrolment has increased by 57% over the last 15 years.
Provincial government introduces wage freezes on public-sector workers.
Provincial government announces that the Ontario Online Institute will be created as a way to increase the availability of post-secondary education to Ontarians; in response, OCUFA joins with the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, and the Canadian Union of Public Employees to study the initiative.
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees: $6,347 ($6,831 in 2014 dollars).
2011
Provincial government announces new funding to support an additional 60,000 students at universities and colleges: $64 million in 2011/2, $309 million in 2013/4.
Mark Rosenfeld becomes OCUFA’s Executive Director.
2012
Student unions in Quebec boycott classes to protest the provincial government’s plan to increase tuition fees.
OCUFA’s Status of Women Committee wraps ups its Listening Tour, during which it travelled to seven universities in the province to speak with female faculty members about a number of issues, including equity, access to tenure, and promotion. A subsequent report and recommendations released early in 2013.
OCUFA anti-austerity education and mobilization campaign begins.
2013
OCUFA launches its “We Teach Ontario” campaign (January 22), to promote the important connection between teaching and research at Ontario’s universities through feature videos; faculty, student and community stories; and social media.
Launch of OCUFA pension reform initiative to create a multi-employer pension plan in the university sector.
Kathleen Wynne becomes Premier, taking over from Dalton McGuinty.
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees (2014 dollars): $7,436.
OCUFA offices move to 4th Floor, 21 Randolph Ave., a renovated 19th-century house.
2014
Ontario Liberals win a majority in the June election.
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees: $9,509 (in 2023 dollars).
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees for international students: $31,927 (in 2023 dollars).
OCUFA represents 17,000 professors and academic librarians in 28 member organizations at Ontario universities.
OCUFA has 11 staff members.
Kate Lawson is OCUFA’s 30th president.
The Contract Faculty and Faculty Complement Committee is formed. The goal of the committee is to develop solidarity between tenured faculty and contract faculty.
OCUFA’s campaign to create a multi-employer jointly sponsored pension plan begins.
The 50th anniversary conference is held on October 24.
2015
Strikes are held at the University of Toronto and York University; more than 10,000 teaching assistants and contract faculty walk off the job.
The Nipissing University Faculty Association goes on strike.
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees: $9,780 (in 2023 dollars).
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees for international students: $34,353 (in 2023 dollars).
OCUFA releases the Funding Formula Review Handbook, a guide to the University Funding Formula Review.
Academic Matters celebrates its 10th year of publication.
The first annual Worldviews Lecture is held.
The first Advocacy Day is held.
Judy Bates becomes OCUFA’s 31st president.
2016
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees: $9,997 (in 2023 dollars).
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees for international students: $36,684 (in 2023 dollars).
OCUFA holds an international conference on precarious academic labour: Challenging Precarious Academic Work.
The Canadian Federation of Students holds a Student Day of Action on November 2.
2017
The Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, passes. The legislation includes a significant increase to the province’s minimum wage, expands equal pay provisions, and adds new leave provisions and mandatory paid days off.
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees: $10,285 (in 2023 dollars).
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees for international students: $39,090 (in 2023 dollars).
A province-wide campus day of action and outreach is held on February 14 to support the Fight for $15 and Fairness campaign.
On March 3, faculty, staff, and students from across Ontario participate in a social media day of action to support contract faculty at the province’s universities and colleges.
Gyllian Phillips becomes OCUFA’s 32nd president.
2018
The Progressive Conservatives win a majority in the June election.
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees: $10,376 (in 2023 dollars).
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees for international students: $41,337 (in 2023 dollars).
OCUFA creates the OCUFA Fellowship in Higher Education Journalism, valued at $10,000.
Ontario’s Bill 47, the Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018, passes. It strips away much of the gains realized by the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act.
2019
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees: $9,181 (in 2023 dollars).
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees for international students: $44,111 (in 2023 dollars).
The Ford government enacts Bill 124, which imposes a 1% annual cap on compensation increases for all public-sector employees for three years.
The government announces a plan to institute performance-based funding, a significant change to the funding model that ties 60% of postsecondary funding to outcomes or “performance” measures from 10%.
The Ontario Divisional Court strikes down the government’s controversial Student Choice Initiative. The government had sought to make certain student fees optional, including democratically determined students’ union dues.
The government drastically modifies the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) eligibility criteria and funding regulations. Changes include making dependent students ineligible for loans if their parents earn more than $140,000 per year, and increasing expected parental and student contributions.
Mark Rosenfeld, OCUFA’s executive director, retires.
Michael Conlon joins OCUFA as executive director.
Rahul Sapra becomes OCUFA’s 33rd president.
Higher Education in the 21st Century: New Challenges
The new millennium brought different kinds of challenges to the post-secondary sector and to faculty.
These challenges included demographic changes, such as the impact of the double cohort and the “baby boom echo” on university enrolment; the resulting expansion of the university system; the impact of technology on teaching; new staffing models, particularly a significant increase in part-time and non-tenured faculty; and the pending retirement of thousands of faculty members.
The “Reaching Higher” Years
Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals took over the reins at Queen’s Park in 2003. In its first budget that year, the new government signalled a significant shift in approach to the challenges facing the post-secondary system. It promised to create spaces for 50,000 more students, freeze tuition fees, and expand access to student financial aid.
In 2005, former Premier Bob Rae was asked to lead a review of the design and funding of post-secondary education in the province. The resulting report, Ontario: A Leader in Learning, explored five themes — accessibility, quality, system design, funding, and accountability — and made 28 recommendations for change.
Four months after the release of the Rae Report, the government outlined its “Reaching Higher” plan for investment in post-secondary education, including an investment of $6.2 billion over four years, the largest made to the system since the 1960s. This funding injection was welcomed, yet it was still not enough to overcome the severe cutbacks of the late 1990s.
OCUFA Rises to the Challenges
A newly reinvigorated OCUFA responded to these changes in a number of ways. Support for faculty collective bargaining was increased significantly. The organization also held a series of communications and lobbying workshops for member associations, and began commissioning targeted public opinion polls, asking Ontarians what they wanted the higher-education system to achieve. OCUFA used these data to educate and inform its members, the public, and government officials.
New campaigns and publications were launched as well. OCUFA’s 2007 “Quality Matters” campaign was the beginning of a longer-term strategy to ensure that faculty had the resources they needed to give all students the highest-quality education possible. A new magazine, Academic Matters, was launched in 2006 to explore current trends and relevant issues in higher education. OCUFA also began focusing attention on a wide range of issues, including low funding levels (by the early 2000s, per-student funding in Ontario was the lowest in Canada), high student–faculty ratios, and the continuing challenge of maintaining access to university for Ontario students from all backgrounds
OCUFA also played a major role in the eventual elimination of mandatory retirement in Ontario in 2006, an issue that had been ongoing for many years. And the organization was instrumental in the extension of freedom of information legislation to the universities.
OCUFA’s links to other organizations solidified as well, as the organization worked with student organizations and labour unions on a number of communications and advocacy campaigns.
Quotes
Media
Interior of OCUFA’s offices at 83 Yonge Street, 2004. Photo courtesy Michael Doucet.
Exterior of OCUFA’s offices at 83 Yonge Street, 2006. Photo courtesy Michael Doucet.
Exterior of OCUFA’s offices at 27 Carleton Street, 2006. Photo courtesy Michael Doucet.
Executive Director Henry Mandelbaum at OCUFA’s holiday lunch, December 2006. Photo courtesy Michael Doucet.
Associate Executive Director Mark Rosenfeld at OCUFA’s holiday lunch, December 2006. Photo courtesy Michael Doucet.
Russ Janzen and Lisa Alexis at OCUFA’s holiday lunch, December 2006. Photo courtesy Michael Doucet.
OCUFA staff, May 2007. Front row, seated, left to right: Henry Mandelbaum (Executive Director), Lisa Alexis, Rose Marie Stapleton, Amy Dickieson-Kaufman. Standing, left to right: Karat Tenbrinke, Russell Janzen, Donna Gray, Wendy Cuthbertson.
Program for OCUFA’s Annual Teaching Awards and Academic Librarianship Award, 2002.
Program for OCUFA’s Hire Education conference, 2001.
Timeline
2000
New funding for research initiatives is announced, including the establishment of 2000 Canada Research Chairs by 2004/5.
Federal budget allocates an additional $2.5 billion for post-secondary education and health over four years under the Canada Health and Social Transfer program.
OCUFA begins organizing a series of communications and lobbying workshops for its members, to help them learn how to more effectively lobby the provincial government.
OCUFA commissions a series of polls to gauge how residents in particular areas of the province feel about their children’s ability to access higher education.
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees: $4,297 ($5,638 in 2014 dollars).
2001
lnvesting in Students Task Force established (Jalynn Bennett, Chair).
2002
The Ontario Academic Credit (OAC) is eliminated and a double cohort of students enter post-secondary institutions.
Introduction of Bill 65, An Act to enact, amend or revise various Acts related to postsecondary education and opportunities, (Postsecondary Education Student Opportunity Act).
2003
Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals elected; McGuinty is dubbed the “Education Premier” for his focus on improving the quality of, and access to, higher education in the province.
Federal government announces increased transfer payments to the provinces for health and higher education.
November 15: OCUFA moves to 83 Yonge Street.
OCUFA begins running a major radio campaign, focusing on the issues of opportunity, affordability, and quality of education; ads also challenge the government on its lack of adequate preparation for the double cohort and warns about the quality and accessibility of Ontario’s higher-education system, which has had more than $1 billion withdrawn from it since 1995.
OCUFA estimates that it will take about $800 million to hire the 11,000 faculty the Rae Review said would be needed to cover both looming faculty retirements and increased applications to universities in the coming decade.
2004
Differentiation starts to become a focus in the province, and for OCUFA, as the government seeks to force institutions to focus on core areas.
2005
Major report published: Ontario: A Leader in Learning (The Rae Report, Bob Rae, 2005). Five themes are explored in the report–accessibility, quality, system design, funding, and accountability–and seven strategies are decided on, with 28 recommendations/actions.
The government’s “Reaching Higher” plan is launched; promises to boost per-student funding over a five-year implementation period. A total of $6.2 billion is invested into the system.
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees (2014 dollars): $5,814.
OCUFA advocacy campaign to have the Ontario Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) extended to universities begins. That legislation is applied beginning in June 2006.
2006
Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario created; new body to conduct research and provide evidence-based policy advice.
Interest in e-learning accelerates, as do debates around how this will change the process of higher education.
End of mandatory retirement in Ontario announced.
OCUFA launches Academic Matters, a magazine of research, analysis, and commentary on higher education in Canada.
2007
Average Ontario university tuition fees for an arts program (2014 dollars): $4,741.
OCUFA launches its “Quality Matters” campaign; beginning of a longer-term strategy to create a focus on ensuring that faculty have the resources they need to give all students the highest-quality education possible.
2008
Financial crisis hits, causing major recessions in much of the world.
2009
Grievance Committee struck.
Provincial budget introduces one-time funding initiatives designed to help alleviate some long-standing financial issues, including $780 million over two years to improve university infrastructure.
Rae Days, Internal Strife, and the Corporatization of the Universities
The 1990s were a period of difficulty and upheaval. In 1991, a severe economic recession began, brought on by a slowdown in the U.S. economy and inflation-fighting tactics in Canada.
The government in Ontario swung wildly from left to right, with the Progressive Conservatives replacing the New Democratic government mid-way through the decade. The turmoil took its toll on OCUFA, too, as the organization struggled to deal with a variety of internal challenges.
From Rae Days to the Common Sense Revolution
In 1990, Ontarians elected the province’s first NDP government, ushering in what many hoped would be a new, more progressive era. By 1992, however, with the economy stalled and deficits climbing, Premier Bob Rae began a program of budget slashing and austerity, culminating in the implementation of the Social Contract in 1993.
Under this initiative, public sector unions were forced to implement $2 billion in wage cuts centred on a forced 12 days of unpaid leave (“Rae Days”). Public sector collective bargaining agreements were re-opened and re-negotiated. And faculty associations were forced to negotiate five per cent wage cuts; those that didn’t comply had a settlement imposed upon them.
In 1995, things went from bad to worse for faculty. Ontarians elected Mike Harris’s Progressive Conservatives, whose so-called Common Sense Revolution promised a more “corporate” approach to the public sector and public programs. The results were immediate and harsh: In 1995, university funding was cut by 16 per cent, programs were slashed, performance indicators were created and applied, and tuition rose sharply as the government allowed universities to increase fees by as much as 20 per cent.
Public reaction to the turmoil was clear. Days of Action were held across the province from 1995 to 1998, and many unions and faculty associations went out on strike.
OCUFA Regroups
Within OCUFA, internal turmoil mirrored the external upheaval. Faculty associations grappling with government-imposed cuts debated how well OCUFA was serving their needs. A few associations either pulled out of the organization or threatened to leave. At the Board and staff levels, high turnover and sharp differences in opinion bogged the organization down.
By 1997, however, a fundamental shift had begun. A new Board executive and reinvigorated staff sharpened the organization’s focus on its key priorities: lobbying the government on behalf of faculty and serving the needs of members. Election-readiness workshops, conferences, and major new research efforts began once again. OCUFA’s executive reconnected with member organizations, travelling around the province to hear their concerns. And new working relationships with a number of student and staff organizations helped strengthen and extend OCUFA’s message.
Quotes
Media
OCUFA President Emily Carasco addresses students during a student day of action, January 25, 1995. From OCUFA Forum, January 1995.
OCUFA joined the education rally at the Toronto Day of Action, 1996, the Ministry of Education and Training.
OCUFA joined the education rally at the Toronto Day of Action, 1996, the Ministry of Education and Training.
OCUFA joined the education rally at the Toronto Day of Action, 1996, the Ministry of Education and Training.
Striking faculty at Trent University, 1991.
Striking faculty at Trent University, 1991.
Striking faculty at Trent University, 1991.
Striking faculty at Trent University, 1991.
Striking faculty at Trent University, 1991.
OCUFA advertisement, 1991. OCUFA Forum, November 1991.
York University faculty strike, spring 1998. OCUFA Forum, Spring 1998. Photo by Deborah Barndt.
York University faculty strike, spring 1998. OCUFA Forum, Spring 1998. Photo by Deborah Barndt.
OCUFA President Bill Graham (1989-92) with a student on the steps of the Ontario Legislature, circa 1990.
OCUFA President Bill Graham (1989-92) inside the Ontario Legislature, circa 1990.
OCUFA President Bill Graham (1989-92) in his OCUFA office, circa 1991.
OCUFA President Bill Graham (1989-92) at a conference, circa 1990.
OCUFA President Bill Graham (1989-92) with a student, circa 1990.
OCUFA President Bill Graham (1989-92) at a conference, circa 1990.
Campaign leaflet, late 1990s.
Teaching and Academic Librarianship Awards winners, circa 1991.
OCUFA President Bill Graham (1989-92) speaks outside the Ontario Legislature, circa 1990.
OCUFA advertisement, 1991.
The OCUFA Teaching and Academic Librarianship Awards celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1998.
OCUFA Board of Directors’ executive members and Executive Director Marion Perrin (1989–98; front).
OCUFA President Saul Ross (1993-94) at an Ontario Federation of Students event, circa 1993.
Timeline
1990
Bob Rae’s NDP government elected; in power until 1995.
Federal transfer payments to universities frozen.
Ontario Council of Regents for Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology publishes major report: Vision 2000: Quality and Opportunity. Its recommendations include revising the role of colleges to support accessibility, program quality, and linkages to universities.
Task Force on University Accountability publishes University Accountability: A Strengthened Framework.
OCUFA, COUSA, COU, and OFS (the Ontario Federation of Students) agree to cooperate to lobby government; the first time the four groups have worked on a joint effort.
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees: $1,680 ($2,690 in 2014 dollars).
1991
Smith Report published.
1992
Severe recession takes hold; hangs on until late 1993.
1993
NDP introduces the Social Contract; public sector unions required to implement $2 billion in wage cuts, centred around a forced 12 days of unpaid leave (“Rae Days”). Public sector collective bargaining agreements re-opened and re-negotiated, and faculty associations made to negotiate 5% wage cuts; those associations that don’t comply have a settlement imposed on them.
New Ministry of Education and Training created; combines the two former ministries of Education, Colleges and Universities, and Skills Development.
Task Force on University Accountability established (William Broadhurst, Chair).
Task Force on Advanced Training established (Walter Pitman, Chair).
1994
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) comes into effect.
Model C funding structure proposed; the government to become an active partner with the universities in determining each institution’s mission and the balance of its activities among teaching, research, and community service. The funding of teaching would be separated from the funding of research.
1995
Mike Harris Progressive Conservatives elected; in power until 2003.
A 16% cut to university funding is implemented, programs are cut, performance indicators are created and applied, and tuition rises sharply as the government allows universities to increase fees by as much as 20%.
Activists begin holding a series of “Days of Action” across the province to protest the Harris cuts.
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees (2014 dollars): $3,655.
1996
Major report published: Excellence Accessibility Responsibility (Report of the Advisory Panel on Future Directions for Postsecondary Education, 1996); recommendations for reform organized around the themes of investment, quality, and accountability.
OCUA disbanded.
Board restructuring begins taking place at OCUFA, after a period of internal turmoil and tightened finances.
Henry Mandelbaum become OCUFA’s Executive Director.
1997
Average Ontario university tuition fees for an arts program (2014 dollars): $4,208.
Creation of the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario R&D Challenge Fund.
York University Faculty Association on strike for eight weeks (March to May).
1998
Government introduces key performance indicators (KPls) for colleges and universities.
Bill 160, Education Quality Improvement Act, introduced.
Student Day of Action organized by Canadian Federation of Students (January 28).
25th anniversary of OCUFA Teaching Awards.
1999
Ontario government announces the elimination of the 13th year of schooling; high school would go from 5 years to 4, thus creating a “double cohort” of first-year university entrants by 2002/3.
Refocusing and Restructuring: The 1980s
The expansion of Ontario’s post-secondary system came to a halt by the early 1980s. Runaway inflation that began in the mid-1970s (reaching 12.5 per cent by 1981) did not significantly decline until the early 1990s. The ensuing economic challenges, combined with governmental efforts to “rationalize” the system, ushered in a very different era for faculty by the beginning of the 1980s.
Government efforts to deal with the effects of high inflation included legislation such as 1982’s Inflation Restraint Act (Bill 179), which limited public sector wage increases to 5 per cent, eliminated the right to strike, and extended current collective agreements by one year. As well, Bill 213 allowed for direct government intervention in any university that ran an operating deficit.
A Renewed Focus on the System
A growing focus on the role of post-secondary education generally, and on Ontario’s post-secondary institutions in particular, resulted in the formation of a number of significant committees and research efforts. Major reports included 1981’s Report on the Committee of the Future Role of Universities in Ontario (the Fisher Report) and 1984’s Ontario Universities: Options and Futures (the Bovey Commission’s Report). As well, in 1984, the Education Minister announced a wholesale “restructuring” of Ontario’s university system.
As OCUFA’s Executive Director, Patrick Wesley, noted in his report to the Board of Directors in 1983, “It has been a year of very visible, amply reported, crises. They have come by the numbers: 179 and 213; and by alphabet soup: EPF, IRB, SERP, and so on.” (EPF is 1977’s Established Programs Financing Act; IRB was the Inflation Restraint Board, instituted in 1982; and SERP was 1978’s Secondary Education Review Project.)
OCUFA Responds
OCUFA responded to the new realities in new ways: large-scale advertising and lobbying campaigns and a number of research reports that spread the word about the crisis facing the post-secondary system.
OCUFA’s Bovey campaign, for example, was its largest outreach effort to date. Timed to coincide with the Bovey Commission hearings, the widely distributed advertisements warned that more than 50,000 qualified students could be turned away from Ontario’s universities in the next 10 years if the proposed rationalization plan took effect.
Special editions of OCUFA’s Forum focused on many of these issues as well, including the proposed restructuring of the system, the Bovey Report, and the crisis of access for students in Ontario.
Within OCUFA, change was ongoing too. Its staff complement grew to seven by the end of the 1980s. A new ad hoc committee was also struck: the Bill 179 Committee, which surveyed members on the status of their appeals under the Inflation Restraint Act, and assisted them where possible. This committee was the first of a number of such special committees. And, in 1984, the Status of Women Committee was re-formed. In 1985, it published its first major report, Employment Equity for Women Academics: A Positive Action Strategy.
Quotes
Media
Students and faculty rally at Queen’s Park to demand more funding for post-secondary education, March 10, 1988. From OCUFA Forum, March/April 1988.
OCUFA advertisement, 1984. Beginning in the 1980s, OCUFA launched a number of advertising and lobbying campaigns. From OCUFA Forum, June 1984.
OCUFA advertisement, 1984. Beginning in the 1980s, OCUFA launched a number of advertising and lobbying campaigns. From OCUFA Forum, November 1984.
Ontario Treasurer Robert Nixon (left) and OCUFA President John Starkey at a pre-budget meeting, March 1987. From OCUFA Forum, March 1987.
Striking community college teachers, November 1989. From OCUFA Forum, November 1989.
OCUFA staff members, 1982. From OCUFA Forum, December 1982.
OCUFA Forum editorial cartoon, December 1984.
Howard Epstein, Executive Director of OCUFA, in his office at 40 Sussex Avenue, 1988. Photo courtesy Howard Epstein.
Howard Epstein, Executive Director of OCUFA, in his office at 40 Sussex Avenue, 1988. Photo courtesy Howard Epstein.
OCUFA staff, 1988. Photo courtesy Howard Epstein.
Senior Research Officer Helen Breslauer in her office at 40 Sussex Avenue, 1988. Photo courtesy Helen Breslauer.
OCUFA advertisement, 1987. This print ad was part of OCUFA’s first multi-lingual campaign, designed to reach the parents of non-English-speaking high school students. From OCUFA Forum, June 1987.
OCUFA Forum editorial cartoon, January 1983.
Senior Research Officer Helen Breslauer, President Bill Jones, and Executive Director Patrick Wesley at a meeting of the Social Development Committee, Queen’s Park, September 1983. From OCUFA Forum, September 1983.
OCUFA holiday card, December 1989.
OCUFA President John Starkey speaking at a student rally, October 1988. From OCUFA Forum, June 1989.
Inside a university lecture hall, 1985. Faculty–student ratios increased significantly during the 1980s. From OCUFA Forum, October 1985.
Picket line at York University, October 1985. It was the first strike by faculty members at the 25-year-old institution. From OCUFA Forum, October 1985.
OCUFA President John Starkey speaks to students at an Ontario Federation of Students rally at Queen’s Park, October 1988. From OCUFA Forum, November 1988.
Bob Rae, OCUFA President Bill Jones (1983–86), and OCUFA Executive Director (1978–84), circa 1984.
Bob Rae, OCUFA President Bill Jones (1983–86), and OCUFA Executive Director (1978–84), circa 1984.
Teaching and Academic Librarianship Awards winners, circa 1987.
Timeline
1980
OCUFA incorporates (August 28).
OCUFA’s standing committees now include Academic Affairs, Internal Affairs, Collective Bargaining Caucus, Salary, Teaching Awards, and Redundancy/Stringency.
1981
Ministry of Colleges and Universities publishes Report of the Committee on the Future Role of Universities in Ontario (also known as The Fisher Report).
Report of the Minister’s Task Force on College Growth published: Growth in Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology.
1982
Inflation Restraint Board (IRB) created; Bill 179 (public sector wage control legislation) enacted. Approximately 500,000 public service workers are affected by maximum wage increases of 5%, the elimination of the right to strike, and the extension of all collective agreements for one year.
1983
Bill 213 introduced; allows for direct government intervention in any university that incurs a deficit in excess of 2% of its operating budget.
National Universities Week held (October 2–8).
OCUFA staff organize under CUPE Local 1281.
UTFA rejoins OCUFA (July 1).
Staff now comprises Executive Director Patrick Wesley; Senior Research Officer Helen Breslauer; Research Officer Trish McAdie; Communications Co-ordinator Doreen Brown; Organizations Co-ordinator Maureen Davies; and secretaries Heather McKenzie and Willow McDonald.
OCUFA now represents 10,000 professors and academic librarians.
Provincial grants to universities increase by 7.5%; also a one-time grant of $12 million for equipment and books is announced.
1984
Major report from the Bovey Commission published: Ontario Universities: Options and Futures (Commission on the Future Development of the Universities of Ontario, 1984). The Commission recommends policy changes to increase competitiveness and differentiation in Ontario universities, including separating the funding of research from that of teaching.
Employment Equity Incentive Fund established; provides $4.3 million over a two-year period for equity programs in school boards, hospitals, municipalities, and universities.
University Research Incentive Fund announced; awards grants based on the advice of an independent board and with a requirement that research be supported in part by private-sector investors.
Howard Epstein takes over as Executive Director.
Status of Women Committee re-formed.
1985
David Peterson (Liberals) comes to power (to 1990), with a slight minority, and agrees to a formal Accord whereby the Liberals agree to introduce a series of progressive measures, including pay equity, in exchange for support from Bob Rae’s NDP MPPs.
New University Excellence Fund announced; provides an extra $50 million in special grants to the universities in 1986/7: $10 million for faculty renewal, $15 million for research resources, and $25 million for library acquisitions.
OCUFA and CAUT agree to sponsor two test cases to establish whether universities can force employees to retire at 65.
Ontario government begins creating Ontario Centres of Excellence; federal government follows suit in 1988 with a similar program nationally.
Provincial employment equity funding extended to the university sector: “the fund is intended to assist institutions in developing and implementing employment equity/affirmative action programs for women employees.”
1986
Ontario Court of Appeal decision: mandatory retirement is justifiable discrimination; OCUFA and CAUT fight the ruling.
The Premier’s Council, a 28-member advisory group of business, labour, and academic leaders set up to develop strategies for economic development issues, publishes its report, Competing in the New Global Economy.
COU report on the financial position of universities confirms that Ontario comes in last in terms of per-student funding; the province provides $5,618.55 per student, while the Canadian average is $6,178.98.
OCUFA hires its first female Executive Director, Marion Perrin.
OCUFA moves to 27 Carlton Street, Suite 400.
Access to higher education becoming a major concern, as funding levels drop and fees rise.
1987
New funding formula for universities announced; basic operating grants will be separated from a special $50 million research and accessibility fund.
National Forum on Post-Secondary Education held (October) in Saskatoon.
October 19 is Black Monday, the biggest stock market crash since 1929.
Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement (CUSFTA) comes into effect.
OCUFA launches its first multi-language advertising campaign, noting that qualified students are being turned away from Ontario universities and “to make parents aware of the fact that it is much more difficult now to get their children into any of our post-secondary institutions.”
1988
Ontario Court of Appeal decision: mandatory retirement is justifiable discrimination; OCUFA and CAUT fight the ruling.
The Premier’s Council, a 28-member advisory group of business, labour, and academic leaders set up to develop strategies for economic development issues, publishes its report, Competing in the New Global Economy.
COU report on the financial position of universities confirms that Ontario comes in last in terms of per-student funding; the province provides $5,618.55 per student, while the Canadian average is $6,178.98.
OCUFA hires its first female Executive Director, Marion Perrin.
OCUFA moves to 27 Carlton Street, Suite 400.
Access to higher education becoming a major concern, as funding levels drop and fees rise.
1989
December 6: Marc Lepine kills 14 women at École Polytechnique in Montreal.
Pay Equity Act proclaimed (January 1).
Employment Equity Committee is struck.
The “Golden Years” and Expansion of the University System
The late 1960s and the 1970s are often fondly remembered as the “golden years” of post-secondary education in Ontario, because the largest expansion of the province’s university system to date took place during this period. In the new Ministry of Colleges and Universities, more than 900 government employees now focused on the needs of the higher-education sector.
The expansion of the post-secondary educational system occurred under Premier John Robarts’s Progressive Conservative government, aided by his Education Minister, Bill Davis. Davis, in turn, was Ontario’s Premier from 1971 to 1985.
Financing the expansion
A new provincial system to finance the expansion was established: For every registered student, a university would receive funding corresponding to a formula designed around the “basic income unit,” or BIU. As well, additional funding envelopes were distributed to help account for the unique needs of parts of the system, such as the higher costs of running universities in the north, or the requirements of bilingual institutions.
OCUFA expands its role
As the post-secondary sector expanded, so too did OCUFA’s role. Although CAUT — the Canadian Association of University Teachers — was already an active organization focused on the federal arena, education was a provincial responsibility, and it became increasingly clear that a strong provincial advocate was needed to help Ontario’s faculty associations lobby effectively.
More staff were hired for management, research, and administrative positions. And, in 1968, Charles Hanly came on board as OCUFA’s first Executive Vice-Chair. He was succeeded by Greg Bennett in 1973, Graham Murray in 1976, and Patrick Wesley in 1979.
OCUFA also responded to these changes through an internal restructuring process that began in 1979. A “Statement of the Rationale for Change in OCUFA” laid out the organization’s focus moving forward:
OCUFA should serve as an intelligence source , passing information on relevant events and inchoate developments to local associations …. Secondly, it should serve as a conduit of communication and influence from representatives of local faculty constituencies to appointed officials , politicians and the media…. Thirdly, it should be — and be seen to be — a central voice for the professoriate of Ontario …. Fourthly, it should — through advice and example — strengthen the will and capability of its constituent associations in identifying and coping with problems at the local level. Finally, OCUFA should protect the well-being of the professoriate….
A number of new (and a few longer-standing) committees were also struck during this time, including Teaching Awards (1973), Salaries (1967), Pensions (1967), and Status of Women (1972; disbanded in 1974; re-formed in 1984). A few other committees were shorter-lived, including Teacher Evaluation (1971–73), and Educational TV (1970–72).
Quotes
Media
Construction of Robarts Library, 1968. There was an enormous expansion of the university system in the late 1960s. University of Toronto Archives
Charles Hanly, OCUFA’s first Executive Vice-Chair.
Timeline
1970
Teacher Evaluation Committee is established.
1971
William Davis becomes Premier of Ontario; he remains in office until 1985.
Ministry of Colleges and Universities is established, bringing both sectors under a single ministry.
OCUFA conference on the role of faculty as teachers is held.
Professional Ethics Committee is struck.
1972
CAUT board members from Ontario become “corresponding members” of OCUFA.
The Commission on Post-Secondary Education in Ontario
publishes its report, The Learning Society.
Greg Bennett takes over from Charles Hanly as Executive Vice-Chair.
Status of Women Committee formed (October); disbanded in 1974.
1973
Teacher Evaluation Committee publishes a teacher evaluation guide.
OCUFA Teaching Awards established.
1974
Ontario Council on University Affairs (OCUA) created; buffer body to advise on allocation of resources among institutions.
1975
Norma Bowen becomes first female president of OCUFA.
Public Relations Committee is struck.
1976
Algoma and Nipissing faculty associations join OCUFA.
1977
Established Programs Financing (EPF) introduced; federal contributions to provincial programs tied to increases in the gross national product.
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees: $725 ($2,873 in 2014 dollars).
1978
University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA) notifies OCUFA of its intent to withdraw; issues include its level of influence in the organization, and the desire to have OCUFA play a greater role in provincial bargaining.
OCUA issues white paper, “The Ontario University System: A Statement of Issues.”
1979
Internal restructuring process begins at OCUFA in response to UTFA action and concerns from other members; goal is to refine its mandate and focus.
OCUFA publishes faculty mobility study.
Launch of OCUFA Forum news bulletin (later a magazine).
OCUFA at 50: The Beginning
In late 1962, delegates from Ontario’s 15 universities met to discuss the formation of a committee of faculty associations. It was a period of growing optimism and economic expansion in Ontario, and in Canada.
The Committee of Faculty Associations of Universities and Colleges in Ontario, as it was then known, held its first meeting on September 14, 1963, and adopted a new name, The Ontario Council of University Faculty Associations. It adopted a constitution on June 16, 1964.
During its first few years, this new organization responded to the dramatic expansion of the higher-education system and the issues it created, including effective governance, the changing relationship between the universities and the government, and adequate remuneration for faculty. The Committee’s formation also coincided with new financial arrangements between the federal and provincial governments. These changes gave the province greater influence over the development of its post-secondary institutions.
Post-Secondary Education in Post-War Ontario
After the war, and aided by federal initiatives, veterans poured into the universities — 53,000 between 1944 and 1951 — straining Ontario’s small higher-education system. By the mid-1950s, as the baby boom children began to grow up, the need to expand the educational system was clear.
A 1956 Royal Commission report on Canada’s economic prospects highlighted the country’s growing need for better educational opportunities, and for more university graduates.
Between the early 1950s and 1963, the university population in Canada more than doubled. New universities received their charters and older ones expanded. And thousands of new faculty members were recruited during this expansionary period.
Early Years at OCUFA
The Ontario Council of University Faculty Association’s initial mandate was to formulate policies and negotiate on behalf of the faculty of Ontario’s universities. Its first major research initiative was the preparation of a 1963 brief to the premier of Ontario, University Education in Ontario, which it wrote together with the Committee of Presidents of the Universities of Ontario (CPUO). The Council and CPUO (which later became COU, the Council of Ontario Universities) worked closely together on a number of initiatives. These included joint pensions, salary, and taxation committees. The two organizations also co-sponsored a conference on university affairs in 1964.
In 1967, Charles Hebdon became the Council’s Director of Research and Financial Planning, and its first full-time staff person. And in 1969, the Council moved into permanent offices, at 40 Sussex Avenue, which it leased from the University of Toronto.
Quotes
Media
From minutes of the December 15, 1962, meeting of delegates of Ontario university faculty associations.
University of Toronto pamphlet outlining evening classes for returning servicemen, 1945. After the war, many veterans took advantage of special federal government incentives to attend university. Stewart Collection Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies – Wilfrid Laurier University – Waterloo, Ontario.
C.B. Macpherson, President of OCUFA, 1965–66.
Timeline
1962
First meeting of delegates to form what was initially called the Committee of Faculty Associations of Universities and Colleges in Ontario (December 15). Provisional Chairman is D.W. Slater (Queen’s University); Provisional Secretary is A. de Vos (Ontario Agricultural College). Faculty associations from all 15 public universities in Ontario are members of the Committee.
1963
The Committee adopts a new name, the Ontario Council of University Faculty Associations.
The Council publishes its first brief, University Education in Ontario.
1964
Higher education now falls under the newly created Department of University Affairs, within the Ministry of Education.
The Council adopts its first constitution.
The Council helps formulate a joint list of members for the Advisory Committee on University Affairs (ACUA), the predecessor to the Committee on University Affairs (CUA).
1965
OCUFA submits a brief to the Bladen Commission, which examined and made recommendations vis-à-vis the funding needs of Canadian universities.
1966
The community college system is established in Ontario. Centennial College is the first such institution.
The Ontario government establishes its first student aid system; assistance was allocated through a formula combining loans and grants, and a ceiling of $600 was placed on the amount a student could borrow.
Commission to Study the Development of Graduate Programs in Ontario Universities (John Spinks, Chair) created.
1967
Average Ontario university undergraduate tuition fees: $522 ($3,643 in 2014 dollars).
Decision to establish an office and paid executive position made by the Council’s Board of Directors.
W. C. (Charles) Hebdon becomes the Council’s Director of Research and Financial Planning; one-year contract.
Salary Committee established.
Taxation Committee established.
1968
Ontario Council of University Faculty Associations changes its name to the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations.
Spinks Report on graduate education published; Ontario Council of Graduate Studies set up in response to the report’s recommendations.
Joint Pensions Committee of OCUFA and CPUO (Committee Presidents of the Universities of Ontario) struck to study the feasibility of a single pension plan and pension fund for all Ontario universities.
1969
OCUFA moves its offices to 40 Sussex Avenue; the building is leased from the University of Toronto.
Educational Policy Committee struck; its main function is to set up terms of reference and direct research efforts for OCUFA.
Charles Hanly becomes OCUFA’s first Executive Director (then known as the Executive Vice-Chair).