Table of Contents
- Workday FIPPA Request – Lack of Transparency in Action
- Call for Members: APUO Disability Justice Working Group
- Protect Public Universities from CCAA and BIA
- APUO Annual General Meeting
- The APUO is Moving into Fully Accessible Offices
Workday FIPPA Request – Lack of Transparency in Action
On May 8th, the University of Ottawa will launch Workday, a cloud-based platform for human resource, financial, and faculty/student resource management. As per the uOttawa budget projections from 2019, the only information currently publicly available, the Central Administration allocated more than $40M over four years for licensing, implementing, operating, and contingencies with this Enterprise Management system.[1] During the Faculty of Social Sciences’ Town Hall held in February 2022, uOttawa President, Jacques Frémont, informed participants that the Workday project cost $45M.
In a year where Faculties and services saw their respective budgets cut by 5%, many members of the University community are questioning the Central Administration’s decision to allocate such a large sum for this software system. In response to these, and other related concerns, the APUO filed a Freedom of Information Request to learn more about the Central Administration’s contract with Workday, Inc.
As often is the case when the APUO files such requests, the documents received were almost completely redacted. This state of affairs stands in stark contrast to the claims repeatedly advanced by President Frémont at the April 17 and 18 Town Halls about the Central Administration operating in a transparent manner.
We will keep members updated about any further developments about this issue.
Call for Members: APUO Disability Justice Working Group
In September 2021, the APUO launched its Disability Justice Working Group (DJWG). It is comprised of APUO members tasked with:
- identifying priority areas for collective advocacy; and
- making recommendations to improve the APUO’s internal policies and practices relating to accessibility for all disabilities, visible and invisible, as well as individuals who identify as neurodivergent and members of Deaf and hard of hearing communities.
Throughout the past year, the DJWG has held quarterly, and more recently monthly, meetings. It is currently working toward organizing events about accessibility and compiling recommendations for the next round of Collective Bargaining.
The DJWG extends an open invitation to APUO members who wish to participate in this work.[2]
We invite members interested in joining the DJWG to contact Nicole Desnoyers (apuoco@uottawa.ca).
Protect public universities from CCAA and BIA
Some two years have passed since the Central Administration at Laurentian University filed for insolvency protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA), which resulted in the loss of 69 programs, 28 of which were French language offerings, and the termination of some 200 faculty and staff positions.
The decision of Laurentian University’s senior leadership to seek protection from its creditors by using federal legislation designed for private-sector corporations set a worrisome precedent. In response, the Ontario Confederation of Faculty Associations (OCUFA) and the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) launched campaigns demanding that the federal government protect our public universities and colleges by both exempting public institutions from the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) and reforming the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA).
In the lead up to the 2023 federal budget, many in the post-secondary sector were calling upon the federal government to uphold its election platform promise to amend legislation pertaining to corporate restructuring. It was very disappointing to see the federal government’s 2023 budget missed this opportunity to protect both public universities and other public institutions.
OCUFA and CAUT continue their advocacy for legislative reform and invite post-secondary workers to add their voices to this call for change. The APUO encourages members to join this advocacy and send a letter to the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry urging him to support changes to the CCAA.
APUO Annual General Meeting
The APUO will hold its Annual General Meeting via Zoom on Friday, April 21, 2023, from 11 am to 1 pm.
Please find attached the agenda and the related documents, as well as the details to access the Zoom meeting.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact apuo@uottawa.ca.
The APUO is Moving into Fully Accessible Offices
On April 26, 2023, the APUO will be moving from our current offices at 170 Waller St. S. into the fully accessible, Suite 1204 at 1 Nicolas St. The new offices should be ready in early May and we invite our Members to come and visit.
The APUO is planning an open-house event for the Fall.
[1] See, University of Ottawa (May 2019). Modernization of Finance and Human Resources Administrative Processes: Recommendations, p. 16. https://www.uottawa.ca/financial-resources/sites/www.uottawa.ca.financial-resources/files/administrative_processes_modernization_recommendations.pdf
[2] The Working Group’s membership is not made public in order to respect confidentiality.