On August 25, 2016 the Ontario Government’s Gender Wage Gap Steering Committee released its final report and recommendations to government on how to close the gender wage gap in the province. The recommendations target three root causes of the gender wage gap: women’s disproportionate responsibility for caregiving work and the absence of adequate public supports, systematic undervaluing of and lower rates of pay […]
ontario
Today, OCUFA is pleased to release its full analysis of the 2016 Ontario Budget. Access to What? recognizes the important changes that were made to student financial aid, but highlights how the lack of public investment in university operating budgets is undermining the student experience. As the report notes: While improving access to postsecondary education is a welcome […]
Professors and academic librarians across Ontario are welcoming changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) to make higher education more accessible to low-income students, announced in today’s Budget. At the same time, they are reminding the government that new investment in universities is urgently needed to ensure that that every student has access to […]
Fifty years ago, the Government of Ontario began to invest in the university sector, increasing the number of institutions and the spaces available to qualified students. This has allowed us to make huge gains in access and quality. But now, we’re on the precipice of undoing a half century of accomplishments. Ontario’s per-student funding for […]
OCUFA is busy planning a University Finance Workshop, to be held on November 13th in Toronto. The inaugural issue of the new Report on Ontario University Finances is set to be released later this month. With these events in mind, Data Check is taking a brief look at university revenues this week. Next week’s issue […]
Ontario’s professors and academic librarians are calling for a funding formula that builds on existing strengths, complemented by a new higher education data system for the province. The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) is also cautioning against adopting a performance funding regime that punishes students and makes continuous educational improvement impossible. The recommendations […]
TORONTO – The 2015 Ontario Budget repeatedly acknowledges that universities are vital to economic prosperity, yet does not make any new investments in public funding for higher education institutions. In fact, under the current plan, per-student university funding will reach its lowest level since the 1960s. This has professors and academic librarians questioning the government’s […]
This Op-Ed, by OCUFA President Kate Lawson, originally appeared in the Huffington Post . The ongoing strikes at York University and the University of Toronto have prompted a variety of thoughtful and insightful examinations of the state of university education in Ontario. In particular, the conversation around the changing nature of academic work and the plight of […]
On March 12, the government announced that it will be launching consultations to inform a review of the funding formula for universities , starting this spring. The process will be open, formal and transparent and will include students, administration, and faculty. The government has also indicated that employers, colleges, professional associations and the elementary and secondary education sector will be included […]
In anticipation of a government-led review of Ontario’s university funding formula, OCUFA Report is hosting a special series of articles examining the issues around the current funding formula. This is part four of six. You can also read parts one , two and three on OCUFA’s website. For most people, even those who work in the university sector, […]
The Government of Ontario is undertaking public consultations about the design of the proposed Ontario Retirement Pension Plan. OCUFA will be submitting a brief and participating in the consultations, and we also encourage faculty associations to participate. Upcoming locations for in-person consultations include Markham, Brampton, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, Etobicoke, Windsor, Woodstock and Stratford. These meetings […]
On Friday, January 30, 2015, OCUFA President Kate Lawson presented OCUFA’s 2015 Pre-Budget Brief to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs (SCFEA). The Brief, entitled Strong Universities for a Strong Ontario argues for renewed investment in higher education and increased faculty hiring. Every year, SCFEA conducts hearings in the run-up to the provincial budget. The committee then makes recommendations […]
On December 8, 2014, the Government of Ontario announced that it would index maximum student levels to inflation . The government also announced a new program – the Ontario Student Loan Rehabilitation Program – that will allow borrowers in default to bring their loans back into good standing. Under the student aid changes, the maximum loan package available to students will […]
Strategic mandate agreements grabbed some headlines this week: The Globe and Mail cites unnamed university administrators to suggest that attempts to reform Ontario’s university sector through the Strategic Mandate Agreements has so far been a slow process . The article features criticism from Harvey Weingarten, President of the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO), that the SMAs lack sufficient incentives […]
Last night, TVO’s The Agenda featured Kane Faucher, a contract faculty member at Western and Laurier, discussing the experience and challenges of precarious work . The segment was part of a program examining the rise of casual and part-time work in the Canadian economy. Precarious work is no longer just found in so-called low-skilled jobs- it now cuts across white collar and professional […]