1. Reminder All-Candidates Meeting
The TUFA sponsored all-candidates event is this Thursday evening 7:00-8:30 via Zoom. The topic is Health Care and Higher Education. RSVP to [email protected] and we will send you the zoom link. Dr. Tom Miller, emergency physician and President of the Professional Staff Association at PRHC and I are co-chairing the event. You may find the following resources helpful, and a source of potential questions to ask at the event:
OCUFA has released a party platform survey to provide helpful background information about where the political parties stand on issues facing public universities.
OCUFA’s own advocacy platform is also available online.
We hope many of you will join us on Thursday!!!!!
2. TUFA Officer on “The Agenda.”
Susan Wurtele is scheduled to join Steve Paikin this Wednesday evening (8:00pm/11:00pm EST) for a discussion of Higher Education priorities and party platforms on TVO’s “The Agenda.” Sue will be introduced as OCUFA’s President, but we all know she was our Chief Negotiator first.
3. Equity Toolkits
I have attached OCUFA’s Employment Equity Toolkit, hot off the press. It contains helpful explanations and a checklist to augment EDI work at Ontario Universities. There is also, of course, the Equity Toolkit rolled out this Winter by CAUT and spearheaded by Momin Rahman who has just completed two terms as Equity Co-Chair for our national affiliate. I believe you will find both resources helpful for your departments and programs, and further support for TUFA’s ongoing work for and commitment to EDI.
4. Laurentian – unfolding disaster
Following OCUFA’s successful call for the resignation of Ross Romano as Minister of Colleges and Universities in April 2021, this weekend the OCUFA Board of Directors unanimously passed a motion calling for the immediate resignations of President Robert Hache, Marie-Josee Berger, and Serge Demers from their administrative positions. The recent Auditor General’s report on the fiasco at Laurentian provides fertile ground from which this call for the resignations may bloom. It is spring, after all.
5. Upcoming GMM
We are finalizing the date and time for the Bargaining Mandate Meeting in early June and will send the meeting call shortly.
6. Congratulations
Finally, I would like to recognize TUFA Executive Member, David Newhouse, and Executive Director, Marcus Harvey, both of whom received very well-deserved awards at the Heart of Trent Appreciation Event last week. David was recognized for 30 years of service at Trent, a recognition of achievement that nips on the heels of the 3M National Teaching Fellowship Award announced May 3! Marcus received the 2022 Trent Community Leadership Award for his longstanding and exemplary community work for the United Way, the Peterborough Labour Council, and beyond.
Congratulations, David and Marcus on these outstanding awards!
In Solidarity,
Moira
—
Moira Howes,
President