OPSEU Local 242

We will likely be hearing more and more about microcredentials. This is a worthy read.

"Funding per student in Ontario has been on the decline since 2008. Colleges and universities in Ontario receive the lowest per-student funding of any province in Canada. The funding crisis has been years in the making and is the fault of governments of all political stripes."

"RM Kennedy, chair of the union’s College Faculty Division, says the way to ensure a sustainable future for the colleges is good jobs. If you want to have a rapid recovery, you can’t exclude international students. They’re a key element in the economic landscape, and they enrich our colleges, said Kennedy. The real solution to the crisis in our colleges is decent work for all, good jobs, vaccines and sick pay. The rest is nothing but distractions."

"International students are not the problem, said David Simao, Chair of CUPE Ontario’s University Sector. If people who are deemed ‘Canadian’ with permanent residency can return to their homes in Ontario, so should international students. Any form of targeting is simply trying to divert attention from the reality that Minister Ross Romano has not funded post-secondary institutions to ensure they’re safe for all. It is just blatant inequality and, frankly, racism."

Laurentian University is a cautionary tale for the entire post-secondary education system in this province. This can happen when education is treated like a business, first and foremost, instead of the public service that it should be.