News

Members of the Ontario Universities and Colleges Coalition (OUCC), which represents over 435,000 faculty, staff, and students from every public postsecondary education institution in Ontario, support the Decent Work and Health Network’s call for seven (7) permanent, paid sick days for all workers and an additional fourteen (14) paid sick days during public health outbreaks.

58 per cent of workers in Canada do not have access to any paid sick days. For workers in low-wage jobs, that number rises to over 70 per cent. These staggering statistics are particularly alarming given that we have been dealing with a global pandemic and one of Canada’s worst public health crises for over a year, during which thousands have died. Yet, no government in Canada has legislated adequate paid sick days for workers.

The Ford government recently announced its plans to steamroll ahead with a reckless “performance” based funding plan. Postsecondary faculty, academic librarians, staff, and students are opposed to this flawed funding experiment and give the government a failing grade for its approach.

The government, which already provides the lowest postsecondary per-student funding in Canada, has now announced that it will allow per-student funding to drop by more than 10 per cent. This negligence will starve Ontario universities and colleges of vital resources required to ensure students receive a high-quality education. The plan will almost certainly lead to larger class sizes.

In a letter to Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano, the OUCC has raised concerns about the privatization of postsecondary education in Ontario and the government’s efforts to grant university status to the controversial Canada Christian College.

---

Hon. Ross Romano
Minister of Colleges and Universities
Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities
5th Floor, 438 University Ave
Toronto, ON M7A 2A5
ross.romano@pc.ola.org

November 2, 2020

Dear Minister Romano,

We write as representatives of the Ontario Universities and Colleges Coalition (OUCC)—which represents over 435,000 faculty, staff, and students from every public postsecondary institution in Ontario.

Today, the Ontario Universities and Colleges Coalition sent the following letter expressing our solidarity with the support staff at the University of Ottawa. These workers, who are members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, went on strike today as they continue their efforts to resist cuts being demanded by the university administration.

---

Jacques Frémont
President and Vice-Chancellor
University of Ottawa
550 Cumberland, Room 212
Ottawa ON K1N 6N5
president@uOttawa.ca

October 19, 2020

The Canadian Federation of Students–Ontario has launched a campaign called Education for All.

Access to post secondary education is a critical part of responding to the COVID-19 crisis and ensuring a successful social and economic recovery. Unfortunately, decades of government funding shortfalls have created barriers to accessing education. Ontario students pay some of the highest tuition fees in the country and graduate with an average $28,000 in debt.

Click the image below to learn more about the campaign.

Members of the Ontario Universities and Colleges Coalition (OUCC), which represents over 435,000 faculty, staff, and students from every public postsecondary institution in Ontario, stand in solidarity with students, educators, and parents in their demand for adequate public funding to allow for a safe reopening of schools in September.

As students, educators, and workers in the postsecondary sector, we know the value of a well-funded public education system. We also know the dangers of an underfunded one, as it marginalizes already disadvantaged children and jeopardizes our collective future.

Today, the Ontario Universities and Colleges Coalition sent the following letter to Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano and Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton.

---

Dear Minister Romano,

First and foremost, we hope that you and your family are doing well during these difficult times.

We write as representatives of the Ontario Universities and Colleges Coalition (OUCC)—which represents over 435,000 faculty, staff, and students from every public postsecondary institution in Ontario. We are alarmed by the growing use of invasive proctoring technologies during the forced shift to Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) at our institutions. In particular, we are deeply concerned that the Ministry, through eCampusOntario and without consultation with sector stakeholders, is funding Proctortrack—a private, for-profit US-based company—on our campuses without any consultation.

Today, the Ontario Universities and Colleges Coalition sent the following letter to Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano and Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton.

---

Dear Ministers Romano and McNaughton,

First and foremost, we hope that you and your families are doing well during these difficult times.

We write as representatives of the Ontario Universities and Colleges Coalition (OUCC)—which represents over 435,000 faculty, staff, and students from every public postsecondary institution in Ontario—to request that your ministries ensure that unions and campus Joint Health and Safety Committees (JHSC) are integrally involved in return-to-work planning and decisions regarding on-campus operations this fall. Union representation and JHSC inclusion are essential for ensuring campus workers’ voices are adequately heard and best practices for protecting the safety and health of our campus communities are followed as preparations are made for reopening Ontario’s university and college campuses.

Originally published by the CFS Ontario

Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) applications for the 2020-2021 academic year opened on May 20. The application now requires students to complete a mandatory “information module” that purports to highlight financial literacy. Students are disappointed in this addition to the OSAP application process, which is both patronizing and does not address the true financial barriers to post-secondary education.

“Students face barriers repaying student debt because of the high cost of education, not because of a lack of financial literacy,” said Kayla Weiler, Ontario Representative of the Canadian Federation of Students, “what students really need is more grants instead of loans, and greater public investment into post-secondary education to reduce and ultimately eliminate tuition fees.”

Addressed to Federal Government, Provincial Governments, Canada’s Research Funding Councils, and University senior administrators:

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges to graduate students across the country. We recognize the steps taken by both the federal and provincial governments, and post-secondary institutions, to protect not just graduate students, but all students, faculty, and staff. These measures include the six-month suspension of student loan repayment and the expansion of the Canada Summer Jobs program. These measures are important steps towards redressing the financial burden on students. However, we would like to emphasize that graduate students are facing additional challenges that have not been addressed.