OCADFA acknowledges the sacred land on which we live and work. For over 15,000 years this land has been home to Indigenous people who have lived and continue to live in relation with the land in ways that have been proven to be ecologically sustainable and vital, and that deepen our humanity by honouring our relations.  

This land is the territory of the Mississauga of the Credit First Nation, Anishnaabe, Haudenosaunee, Wendat, and Huron Indigenous Peoples.

Today, this meeting place of Toronto is still home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to be here together, in conversation with Indigenous histories. We are committed to working in solidarity with Indigenous-led activism and to upholding the values and practices that protect the land, care for the people and make it possible to plan for a peaceable future.

The OCADFA Monthly Newsletter keeps you in the know with information about our Association’s activity, articles that address emerging membership issues, and details about our involvement in coalitions and broader campaigns. If there’s something you want covered in our newsletter, or you want to contribute a piece, please contact Mary Eileen Wennekers at ocadfavp@gmail.com.

In this issue: 

OCADFA MATTERS

  • Committee Activations
  • WE LOVE OUR LIBRARIANS: OCADFA grieves the loss of our librarians – legally.
  • OCADFA summer operations
  • Negotiations update (implementation of new MoA provisions)
  • OCADFA’s position on Right of Reappointment
  • OCADFA’s recommendations on new TA/RA contract language
  • OCADFA Stipend Review committee

NEWS YOU CAN USE

  • Sessional pay scale grievance outcome
  • Safe Reopening: Checklist and update on health and safety for in-person campus activity this Fall
  • Intellectual property memo from CAUT
  • Sustainability Committee initiative: OCADU Sustainability Course Inventory

SOLIDARITY WITH OUR COMMUNITIES

  • Anti-Asian Racism Undone: Watch the panels
  • On the Ford government’s use of the notwithstanding clause
  • Laurentian University update: Letter to Members of Parliament

OCADFA MATTERS

Information about our Association’s activity

Committee Activations

OCADFA is committed to advancing equity for our members. Part of this commitment means building, supporting and sustaining member-led committees and solidarity coalitions. Currently, OCADFA does not have an activated BIPOC caucus or an activated 2SLGBTQIA+ caucus. We are working to remedy this through the summer and into the fall, especially as we plan our orientation week events. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact OCADFA President Min Sook Lee (minsooklee@faculty.ocadu.ca) 

Library Policy Grievance

On June 3, 2021 OCADFA filed a policy grievance alleging the University administration has unreasonable overridden and/or interfered with collegial governance processes critical to the determination of education policy contrary to the Ontario College of Art & Design Act and our Memorandum of Agreement, in its restructuring of the library without meaningful consultation with the senate. Specifically, our position is that this move violated Section 7.6 of the Act, which prescribes to the Senate powers to determine and regulate educational policy including recommendation concerning the allocation of University resources for academic purposes as well as the staffing needs of academic departments. We’ve alleged that violating the Act is a violation of our MoA, specifically article 7.1.1.6 which specifies that the exercise of management rights must be consistent with the Act.

We also grieved that article 10.1.1 (Joint Committee) of our MOA was violated, in that the Joint Committee is supposed to explore issues regarding the delivery of curriculum and that the library is directly involved in supporting our members the delivery of curriculum, in addition to supporting our members with their research. There are parallels between this grievance and a similar grievance recently won by YUFA in arbitration, wherein Arbitrator Flaherty ruled in YUFA’s favour that the removal of Graduate Assistant supports for faculty breached their Collective Agreement as it resulted in a withdrawal of supports and infrastructure relied on by faculty, increased faculty workload, and breached collegial governance provisions.

On July 19 we met with members of the administration for a “step 2” grievance meeting. At this meeting we expressed our concerns with how the restructuring decisions were made and how the restructuring itself may have a negative impact on the workload of our members, on research, and ultimately on the student experience. It was a productive conversation and we’re hoping to have more to share with you in time for the next newsletter.

OCADFA Summer Operations

OCADFA will not be holding member drop-ins, workshops or general membership meetings throughout the summer. We’ll be focusing during this time on:

  • necessary policy work
  • preparing for our Fall orientation programming
  • supporting our Joint Health and Safety committee representatives in their work to ensure a safe return in the fall
  • and preparing information resources for specific labour categories and for our membership as a whole. 

We wish you a pleasant and thriving summer! 

MoA Implementation Report

Though the language of our new MoA is finalized, the precise policies that will shape how we realize the goals we’ve achieved have not yet been hammered out in detail.  OCADFA will be having discussions with the University Administration around implementing new provisions, especially those that ensure equity initiatives, sessional Right of Reappointment, and changes to TA/RA hiring procedures and the nature of the paid training that TAs won in this round. There are several meetings scheduled throughout the summer where we will be working with the admin to turn this new contract language into policy. We hope that these discussions will be completed and we’ll have clarity on how they’re implemented by the early Fall.  

Right of Reappointment: What does it mean for the 2021-22 academic year?

One of the biggest and most important achievements from our recent bargaining round is the Right of Reappointment for Sessional faculty members.  What this means is that after teaching a course in four of the last fifteen terms (Article 16.1.6.1)* you can apply for the Right of Reappointment to be effective beginning in the following academic year by October 1 (Article 16.1.6.3). Your application will be successful upon demonstrating you fully meet Teaching & Teaching-Related Responsibilities (Article 16.1.6.4) via a teaching review conducted during your “Fourth Course Appointment” (Article 16.1.6.2). If no review is conducted, you will be conditionally granted the ability to exercise your Right of Reappointment (Article 16.1.6.2.1). Those with the Right of Reappointment to teach a course may exercise that right for one section per term, if available (Article 23.3.1.2).

While OCADFA is planning to conduct a Right of Reappointment workshop in the Fall of 2021 ahead of the above-mentioned October 1 application deadline, which should help clarify a lot of questions, we understand there is confusion about what this new job security provision means for the 2021-22 academic year.

The new Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) which contains the Right of Reappointment is effective retroactively to July 1, 2020, meaning the contractual language of the Right of Reappointment is already in force. However, the deadline to apply for this Right for the 2021-22 academic year passed before the language even existed. This means Sessional faculty members were not afforded the opportunity to apply for their long-awaited Right of Reappointment for the 2021-22 academic year, even though we’re already in the second year of the three-year MOA.

OCADFA’s position is that the employment conditions provided for in the MOA should be respected to the greatest extent possible. We believe the simplest and surest way to respect those rights for Sessional members would be as follows: anyone who would have been eligible to apply on October 1, 2020 for the Right of Reappointment to teach a course should have that right provisionally respected for the 2021-22 academic year. Going forward to 2022-23 and beyond, applications for the Right of Reappointment will be granted via what will become the normal application process beginning this coming October 1.

This would mean, for example, that if you have taught a course at least four times in the last five academic years you would be offered reappointment to teach that course at least once per term in the 2021-22 academic year, assuming that course is available to be appointed to a Sessional. You would then apply by October 1, 2021 to have the Right of Reappointment going forward.

We know that sessional appointments for the upcoming academic year are already being made, so we understand this is a highly time-sensitive issue.

We will be engaging with the Administration over the summer to discuss how to implement new provisions of the MOA, including the one above, as soon as possible, as well as to negotiate the finer details of a few remaining elements of the MOA which were remitted back to the parties by Kaplan’s Arbitration Award.  OCADFA will be taking the above position concerning the Right of Reappointment. Should we and the Administration be unable to agree on the implementation, Arbitrator Kaplan remains seized, meaning we can return to him to settle such disputes.

OCADFA Recommended Actions for TAs and RAs

These recommendations were initially drafted by and based on the work of OCADFA’s contract TA/RA organizer Elena Chung, who conducted a survey and gathered one-on-one feedback from TAs and RAs in the Spring of 2021. Many thanks to Kalina Nedelcheva, OCAD Student Union Executive Director of Graduate Studies, for their collaboration on this invaluable work

RECRUITMENT/HIRING

Observations: 

There appears to be a lack of a standardized or regularized process in terms of recruiting and hiring TAs and RAs. Some currently enrolled graduate students, in particular international students, have had to actively seek out TAships/RAships while others had these positions offered to them as part of their application package, or were asked to apply for available positions by faculty members teaching the course, the hiring department, or others at OCADU. A few members also reported being formally interviewed for a TA position – the overall sentiment about these interviews was that members were unsure about this practice given that this was questioned by their peers or others at OCADU.

There also appears to be a lack of clear communication to TAs/RAs about the number of contracted hours for some contracts from the hiring department. These TAs/RAs wanted the hours of the contract to either be more clearly indicated on the contract itself or to actually have this number listed on the contract as this was missing for some – perhaps this is not standardized on all contracts across all departments. This was especially the case for the 2 or 3 hour contracts and how these usually resulted in a lot of unpaid extra work for the TA beyond what was initially listed on the contract.

Recommendations:

  1. TAships or RAships should automatically be offered as part of the funding package for all incoming OCADU graduate students, especially international students – this is standard practice at other institutions
  2. TAships or RAships should automatically be offered first to all enrolled OCADU graduate students for the entire duration of their programme ahead of non-OCADU students, with highest priority given to international students and enrolled graduate students not currently holding any TAships or RAships
  3. Having a current list or roster of enrolled OCADU graduate students made available each fall to keep track of who is being hired for TA/RA positions and who is being left out, along with an updated list of their research and/or teaching areas of interest and experience to better match TAs and RAs with available courses and research projects commensurate with their interests and experience; the list of OCADU graduate student areas of research and/or teaching interest and experience could be obtained through a combination from their proposal for admission to OCADU along with a follow-up questionnaire from [Graduate Studies? I’m not sure who would have this information]
  4. Having a formal application process for potential TAships where students submit an expression of interest to hiring units, with no CV, outlining why they think they are a good fit for a course or specific courses and any relevant experience (research, teaching, or otherwise)
  5. There should be some consistency or standardization in whether interviews are required in the hiring of TAs and RAs as some TAs/RAs have had interviews while many have not
  6. HR should address how TA/RA contracts are written up where relevant information about contracted hours, etc. is clearly communicated to members on contracts and standardized for everyone
  7. Restructuring or even eliminating 2 or 3 hour contracts – at the very least these should be restructured so that these contracts more accurately reflect the anticipated duties and associated hours for each in the course (such as including hours for course preparation time, meetings with students, etc.)

ONBOARDING

Observations: 

There appears to be inconsistency across hiring departments in informing incoming TAs about possible TA duties and associated hours in their contracts before they start their work. While many TAs were either given a list of possible TA duties along with associated hours for each by their hiring department after returning their signed contract, or were formally or informally told of possible TA duties and associated hours for each by their course instructor after starting their position, others were never made aware of any of this information and had no idea what was expected of them as TAs and so had to figure things out on their own.

Recommendations:

  1. All hiring departments should provide all contracted TAs with a list of possible TA duties and associated hours for each after the signed contract is returned; further, to provide further accountability, TAs must meet with their course instructor to complete and sign a TA workload form (see recommendations for #4 on Supervision)

TRAINING

Observations:

Overall, TAs/RAs who reported that they would like more TA training tended to be first year TAs at OCADU. The kind of training TAs desired leaned towards pedagogical issues such as how to grade assignments, lead tutorials, use the relevant technologies (Teams, Canvas, etc.), as well as information on dealing with students with SAS accommodations letters. A majority of respondents (59.5%) wanted paid training, though the remainder would still like TA training even if it were not paid. Some TA training is currently being offered in the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Arts & Science as well as by the Faculty & Curriculum Development Centre (FCDC).

Recommendations:

  1. As some TA training appears to be currently offered by the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Arts & Science, as well as FCDC, these departments should continue to offer and take on responsibility for the training of contracted TAs; other hiring departments should also be responsible for providing relevant training for their contracted TAs
  2.  Perhaps increase the amount of paid TA training hours in future MoAs from the current 5 hours to 10 hours, which will especially benefit first year TAs

SUPERVISION AND OVERWORK

Observations:

In terms of TA hours worked, going over contracted hours, and the relationship between TAs and their supervisors, a number of TAs expressed that they did not feel comfortable communicating with their course instructor or RA supervisor that they were close to or have exceeded their contracted hours, mainly because they didn’t want to damage their relationship with their TA/RA supervisor nor want to negatively affect their ability to get TA/RA positions in the future. This seems to indicate members ‘choosing’ to work beyond their contracted hours out of fear of losing future TA/RA positions, or justifying taking on this unpaid work as they feel it is for their own benefit or their personal development.

Recommendations:

  1. Having a TA workload form with the breakdown of duties with associated hours for each duty that the TA must complete and sign with their course supervisor, and then revisiting halfway during the term or the year to ensure that hours worked are on track with what was initially decided – this is fairly standard practice at most other universities with TAs, such as York, University of Toronto, Brock, Western
  2.  Responsibility for ensuring that TAs and RAs do not work over their contracted hours should fall on the hiring departments

EQUITY

Observations:

While 47% of TA and RA respondents reported that they felt OCADU has been an inclusive workplace in terms of ensuring that equity is met on multiple grounds, such as eliminating barriers based on race/ethnicity, gender/sexuality, age, disability, etc. 14% of respondents and written comments also reported that they had issues in accessing culturally appropriate mentorship and support at OCADU.

Recommendations:

  1. Address lack of diversity amongst faculty at OCADU, such as the lack of racialized faculty

Communications Committee Chair Update

The OCADFA Communications Committee will be continuing to work on planning for Fall initiatives but won’t be as active on social media through the summer. That doesn’t mean we aren’t still interested in hearing from you. If you want to see your work featured on Members’ Monday, or if you want to share a moment with your animal companion for our Friday posts, or if you’ve got anything you’d like to see community solidarity actions promoted, please contact Communications Chair JJ Lee (jlee@faculty.ocadu.ca) and cc mwennekers@faculty.ocadu.ca

OCADFA Stipend Review Committee
As with all organizations, it’s important for OCADFA to periodically review its structure, and for this in particular we thought it was important to have input from members who do not currently hold a Board position. OCADFA has struck a Stipend Review Committee to do this work. 

As part of a periodic review and in light of recent changes structural changes to OCADFA, in particular the introduction of an Associate Grievance Chair and subsequent hiring of an Executive Director, the Stipend Review Committee will:

  • Evaluate the current structure of the Board and consider alternative structural options that will promote better representation of all labour categories
  • Advise on modifications to the distribution of stipends
  • Advise on bylaw changes that should be proposed for the Fall 2021 AGM


Many thanks to Beverly Dywan, Charles Reeve, Annie Tung and Amy Swartz for agreeing to do this important work.  

Call Out: Organizing for a September symposium on curriculum reform 

OCADFA is planning a festival/hackathon on curriculum where, as the people on the ground and in the classroom every day, we’ll put our heads together to answer the question: “What would FLOW look like if it was guided by the best possible pedagogical and equity frameworks and firmly committed to our University’s as a public institution and as Canada’s largest Art and Design University?” There has already been some planning around this event by the members of the sessional committee, and at this time we would like to invite all interested members to get in touch with OCADFA Vice President Mary Eileen Wennekers to share your ideas about (or to assist in putting on) this event. Her contact is mwennekers@faculty.ocadu.ca.

NEWS YOU CAN USE

Emerging membership issues

Sessional Pay Scale: Moving on up 

In August 2019 OCADFA grieved on behalf of a Sessional Faculty member alleging their placement on the sessional pay grid violated the MOA; specifically that the placement did not reflect the member’s experience and career achievement. OCADFA is happy to announce that we have settled the grievance after one day of mediation with Arbitrator Beatty. While we will not delve into the specific details about the individual member’s case, we recognize that many Sessional members are likely in the same situation and so we think it’s important to announce this settlement.

Article 19.1.1 of the MOA stipulates that Sessional Faculty be placed on the sessional pay grid (Appendix C) at a level “which reflects experience and career achievement.” OCADFA’s position is that this provision in the MOA has not been adequately respected. Of our 263 current Sessional members, only two are compensated at the Ses3 rate, and 24 at the Ses2 rate. Furthermore, only two Sessional Faculty members have moved up from one level to another in recent history.

The default position of the Administration has been to place new Sessional members at the Ses1 rate irrespective of the individual’s experience and career achievement, hence why Sessional appointments are advertised at the Ses1 rate before the successful candidate’s experience and career achievement is even known. Furthermore, once hired, there is no process in place for Sessionals to move up the grid.

OCADFA believes that this grievance settlement provides the impetus to: (1) no longer place new Sessional Faculty at the Ses1 rate by default, and (2) develop a process or guidelines by which Sessional Faculty can move up the pay grid. In other words, the language of the MOA needs to be respected. What this looks like remains to be determined. We are hopeful that this settlement will compel the Administration to enter fruitful dialogue with us on how to move forward, as we are steadfast in our resolve.

Sessional Faculty members should stay tuned for a follow-up email from our Executive Director over the summer.

Not Safe Enough

While the Government of Ontario is calling for a full return to in-person attendance for this coming Fall semester, OCADFA maintains that there are health and safety concerns that have not yet been fully resolved. In coalition with the University of Toronto, X/Ryerson University, and York University faculty associations and labour unions, we are launching a campaign to work with our communities to ensure a safe and confident return to campus. 

We recognize that the OCADU administration has been taking steps to ensure a safe return to some in-person instruction in the Fall. We appreciate these steps, as we know that remote and hybrid curriculum delivery strategies exacerbate structural inequities and affect the quality of education that we are able to provide at a post-secondary institution with a distinct mission to provide studio-based education at Canada’s largest art and design University. 

It is also apparent that online curriculum delivery is generating significant occupational health and safety concerns for OCADFA members. It is a bit of an understatement to assert that we are all looking forward to returning to campus in person. But it would be irresponsible to take that step until we are sure it is safe enough. 

To that end, we have provided our administration with a checklist document compiled by public health experts at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health who serve on the University of Toronto Faculty Association side of the U of T Central Health and Safety Committee. While we recognize that there have been good intentions on the part of the Administration towards ensuring our students’ safety and the safety of our OCADFA, OPSEU and administrative colleagues, it is our hope that this checklist will provide a roadmap towards ensuring that concrete action is taken, and that all necessary mitigations are in place to safeguard our return to campus. 

The checklist can assist our planning for a safe return by asserting: 

  • While vaccines are an excellent way of mitigating the spread of COVID-19, they are not enough to ensure that everyone on campus is safe, and therefore we must use all of the means at our disposal to prevent viral spread at our campus
  • It is now broadly recognized that COVID-19 results from airborne viral transmission, and so we must make sure our physical spaces are as safe as possible for our students, our colleagues, and ourselves. 
  • To safeguard our community from COVID-19, optimal ventilation standards that mitigate viral accumulation in shared airpaces on our campuses must be achieved. When this is not possible, best-quality filtration systems must be installed.
  • While there have been excellent upgrades to some of the ventilation infrastructure at post-secondary campuses in the GTA in recent years, and OCAD has upgraded filters during COVID, it is still necessary to test that these systems are working and achieving their intended function.
  • It is important University Administrations maintain a collegial and fully transparent dialogue with everyone concerned about mitigation strategies so that we can return to campus without risking illness or death in our community. 
  • There is a significant risk of the transmission of Legionella, a bacteria that multiplies in unused water systems. It is important to test and flush all water systems to keep our community safe from contracting this bacterial infection, which can lead to serious illnesses. 

You can read the press release and full checklist here: http://ocadfa.ca/not-safe-enough/.

Protect your rights!: Post the CAUT statement on intellectual property to your Canvas page

With legal support CAUT developed this statement a year ago to assist faculty who are making their intellectual property available online to their students: 

“Intellectual Property and Copyright in these materials are owned by your instructor. Please be warned that although it may be easier to record or transcribe lectures and discussions through online platforms, it is your responsibility to refrain from distributing those recordings or transcriptions. Posting material online will violate the privacy and copyright interests of your instructor and fellow students. By sharing my teaching materials online, I do not relinquish copyright and ownership in the materials. Misuse or further distribution whether online or in hard copy without express permission is prohibited.”

UPCOMING PROJECT: OCADU Sustainability Course Inventory

The Sustainability Committee is continuing to support the Academic Plan 2017-2022 goal to “Systematically assess how sustainability is currently addressed within the curriculum and recommend a plan to enhance and further integrate this priority into the curriculum” (p.25).

This initial inventory will provide OCAD U with a baseline for understanding current offerings and to help identify opportunities for further collaboration and integration. The inventory will also help current and prospective students interested in sustainability find relevant courses, and for researchers and students to learn about OCAD U’s sustainability research community and identify opportunities for collaboration.

The Sustainability Committee welcomes all faculty to optionally share their thoughts on how sustainability is currently addressed in their courses, as well as any ideas towards further integrating sustainability content in the future. To get involved, contact Victoria Ho (Coordinator, Sustainability Initiatives, Diversity, Equity & Sustainability) at vho@ocadu.ca.

SOLIDARITY WITH OUR COMMUNITIES

Campaign and community organizing updates

Anti-Asian Racism Undone: Watch the panels!

On May 29 and 30th, Scholar Strike Canada held Anti-Asian Racism Undone. From the Scholar’s Strike website:

“Asians in the diaspora are being scapegoated for COVID-19, and as a byproduct of economic and geopolitical competition between China and Western powers. People who are read as Chinese are being physically attacked, verbally assaulted and stigmatized, even killed. We need a response that understands these current violences within a history of anti-Asian racism in Canada, in which we are pegged as perpetual foreigners: The Chinese head tax and exclusion act, the internment of Japanese Canadians, the Komagata Maru incident and the war on terror, to name some. The backdrop for these racist measures is Western colonialism and imperialism in Asia premised on the expendability of Asian lives.

Anti-Asian racism in Canada and Asia is rooted in white supremacy linked to the enslavement of Africans and to European settler colonialism in Canada and elsewhere. Nevertheless, Asians are often positioned as a wedge against Black and Indigenous people, framed as a model minority and simultaneously celebrated and resented for it. To effectively counter anti-Asian racism we reject racial hierarchies that serve colonial and capitalist interests and invest in a profound transformation of society: disrupting white supremacy in all its guises, settler colonialism, ethnic and religious nationalisms, capitalism, patriarchy and heteronormativity.”

The panels from the event were recorded and if you missed them, you can watch them here: 

https://www.scholarstrikecanada.ca/watch-aaru-panels

Defend Ontario’s Democracy: Bulletin from OCUFA 

On June 14, 2021, the Ford government invoked the notwithstanding clause of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to bypass the Ontario Superior Court ruling that struck down many of the new changes to the Ontario Election Finances Act introduced under Bill 254. The government recalled the Ontario Legislative Assembly (the Legislature had risen for the summer on June 3rd) to reconvene in order to pass this legislation. This was the first time in Ontario’s history that the Constitution’s notwithstanding clause is used.This is a very concerning development and we will continue to keep you updated. In the meantime, we encourage you to be cautious regarding your political advocacy or advertising and seek legal advice if you have particular concerns or questions. For more information and to join Ontario Federation of Labour’s campaign to Defend Ontario’s Democracy: https://bit.ly/3gsQvH3

Defend Laurentian U: Sign the letter to Prime Minister Trudeau and the Members of Parliament

Mobilization on the national level continues as Canada’s post-secondary community seeks accountability and justice for our colleagues at Laurentian U. A petition to the House of Parliament has been generated. You can find the link to sign here and the text of the letter below:

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau:

I am writing to express my shock and anger about Laurentian University’s decision to seek protection from creditors through the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) process.

As a result of this decision, an extensive number of critical programs are being undermined and terminated at Laurentian. In addition, the university’s tri-cultural mandate to support French, English, and Indigenous communities is being permanently damaged.

The impact of Laurentian’s decision is devastating for faculty, staff, students, families and communities. In particular, the attack on francophone and Indigenous language rights and opportunities will have devastating impacts for decades to come. Laurentian provides the direct means for hundreds of jobs in Northern Ontario, while also being a vital source of research that contributes to the economic, environmental, medical and cultural advancement of northern Ontario communities – all of this is at risk with the CCAA protection process.

As you know, Laurentian is a publicly funded institution, not a for-profit corporation. Publicly funded institutions should never be permitted to seek protection from creditors through the CCAA or the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA). I urge you to immediately bring forward legislation that excludes publicly funded institutions from seeking protection under the CCAA and the BIA. The federal government must take action now to ensure the CCAA and BIA is never again used to destroy a university.

Universities and their faculty associations have negotiated procedures to deal with financial exigency matters, procedures that are collegial and respectful of the principles of academic freedom and tenure. These procedures – not legislation designed for private companies – should have been followed in Laurentian’s case.

The root source of Laurentian’s financial problems is a lack of transparent and accountable institutional governance that has resulted in irresponsible financial decisions. The Laurentian University Faculty Association has repeatedly raised concerns about the secretive and non-consultative approach of the university administration when it comes to financial decisions.

These decisions, combined with the steady erosion of public funding exacerbated by the impact of the pandemic, have put the future of Laurentian – its programs, good jobs, and students’ education – at risk. These root sources must be dealt with instead of allowing Laurentian to seek protection through the CCAA and punishing faculty, staff, and students for the poor governance of an underfunded public institution.

Once again, I call on the federal government to introduce legislation that will exclude public institutions from seeking protection under the CCAA and BIA in the future. And I urge the federal government to work with the provincial government to provide the long-term operational funding needed to secure the future of universities in Ontario – especially Laurentian which plays a vital role in the francophone and Indigenous communities of Northern Ontario – and stop these CCAA insolvency proceedings.

THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS

Min Sook Lee, Graeme Reniers, Mary Eileen Wennekers, Elena Cho, Victoria Ho

Your OCADFA Monthly Newsletter is edited by OCADFA VP Mary Eileen Wennekers. Feedback, editorials and other contributions are welcome at ocadfavp@gmail.com.