OCUFA has been working with the Ministry of Finance to ensure that the regulatory framework that will guide asset and liability transfers between single employer pension plans (SEPPs) and jointly sponsored pension plans (JSPPs) in Ontario’s broader public sector meets the needs of faculty associations across the province. On February 27, 2015, we submitted a written response to the government’s […]
government
Ontario’s Ministry of Labour has announced consultations on how the Labour Relations Act, 1995 and Employment Standards Act could be amended to “best protect workers while supporting businesses in our changing economy.” One of the key trends to be examined is “the increase in non-standard working relationships such as temporary jobs, part-time work, and self-employment.” As the […]
On July 24, 2014, the Liberal government passed their 2014 Budget. The new fiscal plan is identical to the budget that sparked the election. As reported in OR , this budget means declining per-student funding for Ontario’s universities. But it is not the only born-again legislation with implications for faculty. When the election was called in May, all Bills […]
The election of a majority Liberal government in the June 12, 2014 Ontario election has a number of important implications for professors and academic librarians in the province. During the election, OCUFA analyzed the higher education platforms of the Liberal Party as well as those of the other main parties , posted the response of the parties to the OCUFA party questionnaire , and […]
New data shows that the Ontario government operating funding to universities in 2012-13 did not keep up with enrolment increases. For the first time in a while, the level of funding also failed to keep up with inflation. The latest Financial Report of Ontario Universities from the Council of Finance Officers – Universities of Ontario shows that provincial operating funding was […]
On Sept. 18, 2013, a “confidential” proposed policy framework for the differentiation of Ontario’s universities was leaked to stakeholder groups and the media . OCUFA is concerned that the policy framework may lead to government intrusion into academic decision making, and could have damaging funding consequences for Ontario’s higher education institutions. The proposed framework suggests that Ontario’s universities should differentiate according to eight “components”: […]
At first glance, the 2013 Ontario Budget doesn’t say much at all about higher education. This silence obscures the austerity logic still working against the province’s universities. The 2013 Budget continues the slow cuts announced in 2012. Through so-called “policy levers”, some $121 million is being cut from university budgets in 2012-13 and 2013-14. The government will also begin clawing […]
It is not hard to imagine what will happen to student debt as governments scale back their funding for postsecondary education, causing institutions to increase tuition to cover the shortfall. The latest report on student debt in the United States shows that the average inflation-adjusted debt for first time bachelor’s degree graduates rose from $14,700 […]
Writing in the Toronto Star , Michael Mendelsohn of the Caledon Institute for Social Policy observes that the relative size of Ontario’s deficit is not because of spending. In 2009-10, the Ontario government spent the lowest amount of any province per capita – $9,030, seven per cent less than ninth place British Columbia. He cites the Drummond report and points out that 39 per cent […]
Linda Jeffrey (Brampton-Springdale) has been appointed the Ontario Government’s Minister of Labour and Seniors. Elected in 2003, she has served as Minister of Natural Resources. Randy Hillier (Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox-Addington), a former electrician, is the Progressive Conservative labour critic. The NDP labour critic is Taras Natyshak (Essex), who, before his election this year, was director of training […]