Colleagues,
We appreciate the stress LTA members are under right now and wanted to provide some clarification around end-of-contract notices from the Employer, as well as some information that will be useful in the event your contract is not renewed. We still do not know how many LTA members will be rehired. The process of filling positions for 2026/27 is underway, and we anticipate this will continue well into June. The University is still determining the use of any carry-forward funds from 2025/26 and revising staffing allocations based on new retirements.
Meantime, members whose contracts are ending this summer will likely have received email notice from the University confirming their end-of-employment date. The employer is required to send these notices in compliance with the Employment Standards Act. These notices do not preclude you from being renewed this year or hired again in future. If you are not rehired, your Trent email will remain available to you through September 30th. If you receive a sessional CUPE contract at Trent for Fall 2026, or hold a continuing adjunct appointment, your existing email account at Trent should not lapse.
Below you will find additional clarifications on the Professional Expenses, Employee Benefits, and the University Pension Plan. Please contact the TUFA office if you have questions or concerns.
Professional Expenses
The Collective Agreement provides every member with Professional Expenses Funds (PEF) that you may access up to the end of your contracted period of service. Members with outstanding (i.e. unclaimed) PEF-eligible expenses should submit a final claim on or before the expiry date of your contract. If you have a continuing appointment, or are renewed, your unspent PEF allowance will rollover to the 2026/27 year (with a maximum carry forward of $3,900). There is no cash surrender value for unspent PEFs.
University Pension Plan (UPP)
Members who are not continuing in a TUFA position this Fall will have a termination package uploaded to the UPP Member Portal within 8 weeks of their last pay. Please make sure that you have registered for the Portal and that your profile information includes a non-Trent email account – details on registering for the Portal are available on page 18 of the UPP Member Handbook. Note: the University Pension Plan is transportable across participating Ontario universities (currently Toronto, Guelph, Queen’s, and Wilfrid Laurier).
Employee Benefits
Under the Sunlife plan for TUFA members, insurance benefits end on the date you cease working, but other Plan benefits continue to the last day of the month following the month in which your employment ends. You will have a further 90-day window to file eligible claims to SunLife thereafter. Access to the Employee Assistance Program through Telus Health ends on your last day of active employment.
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Brent Bellamy, PhD
Member-at-Large (LTA)
Marcus Harvey,
Executive Director