OPSEU locals representing faculty from Boréal, Cambrian, Canadore, Confederation, Northern and Sault Colleges stand united in our unwavering support for faculty, staff and students of Laurentian University.

Public post-secondary institutions are a vital part of our Northern communities. They are directly integrated to our economies, our cultural development and our general well-being. While chronic underfunding of these institutions have been the reality for decades now, it is inconceivable that Premier Ford and Minister Romano have allowed a corporate process to be utilized by Laurentian University, a public institution, to circumvent shared governance and collective agreement obligations. Education is not a business, it is the foundation of a healthy and properly functioning society.

We call on Premier Ford and Minister Romano to immediately step in and halt the CCAA proceedings, stop the job and program cuts and provide the required short-term funding to protect the institution. Further, we call on them to increase long term funding to provide stability and security in our Northern post-secondary institutions, and post-secondary institutions across the province.

In solidarity,

David Fasciano, President, Local 673, Collège Boréal

Neal Moss, President, Local 613, Sault College

John Patterson, President, Local 657, Canadore College

Neil Shyminsky, President, Local 655, Cambrian College

Rebecca Ward, President, Local 732, Confederation College