The tsunami that hit Laurentian University continues to heat up. It’s hard news to digest for teachers and students who were deprived of their jobs and 69 courses, 58 undergraduate and 11 graduates respectively. Disappointment, sense of helplessness, frustration and anger is what those who no longer find a place in ‘their university’ feel.
The controversy triggered on Tuesday – the day of the feral news – by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) which even called for the resignation of Minister Romano for not intervening in aid of the university, is increasingly heated. The Minister for Colleges and Universities himself, spoke yesterday to make it clear why he did not intervene to help the University of Sudbury. Contacted by the CBC, the ministry said it had provided Laurentian with “substantial subsidies for operating costs… over the past five years, by nearly $80 million a year,” and that has allocated “much more funding to the school than other institutions.”
These subsidies accounted for more than 40% of Laurentian University’s total revenue in 2019-20, the ministry says, compared to an average of 23% for the university sector in general.
This being the case, the situation is even more complicated than it appears and calls into question the very management of the university, which over the years has sunk into a chasm – over 300 million dollars – of debt.
There therefore seems to be no window of opportunity for any aid for the university’s bailout. Just two days ago, Prime Minister Trudeau said that “the federal government is waiting to see what steps the provincial government takes before offering its support.”
NDP provincial MPs France Gélinas and Jamie West on Tuesday called on Premier Doug Ford to fund Laurentian and block layoffs. “Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano believe that the students, staff and community around Laurentian are not worth any investment,” West said. Gélinas added that Laurentian’s more than 8,000 full-time and part-time students are concerned and deserve answers. “Instead of focusing on their final projects and studying for year-end exams, Laurentian students are worried about their future,” he said. The MPP representing the Nickel Belt constituency also pointed out that Laurentian University is designated under Ontario’s French Language Services Act, meaning its French language programs are protected.
Meanwhile, NDP MP Charlie Angus, who represents Timmins-James Bay and who considers the cuts “an act of national vandalism,” is of the same opinion. “You can’t treat a public institution, like a university or a hospital or any other public institution, as if it were just a gold mine that failed and so you have to sell everything off,” he said.
