Table of Contents
Read the full bulletin below or click on the sub-titles most pertinent to you to be brought to that specific section.
- Sign Up: Collective Bargaining Coffee Hours
- Join the Sectorial Occupational Health & Safety Committees
- Important Collective Agreement Reminders for the Fall 2026 Term
- Tuition Exemption Benefit Deadline (Article 40)
- Fall 2026 Course Syllabi (Articles 9 and 21)
- Unconventional Methods of Teaching (Article 22)
- Vacations, Holidays, Leaves and Absences (Article 28)
- Association of Professors Retired from the University of Ottawa
- Opportunities Offered by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI)
- A Fight for Bilingualism: Save Glendon College!
1) Sign Up: Collective Bargaining Coffee Hours
The APUO is organizing a series of virtual and in-person coffee hours to provide bargaining updates.
The first two will be held on Wednesday, September 30 (one virtual and one in-person) and will include an update from your Chief Negotiator, Dalie Giroux, and a Q&A period for you to ask questions you may have.
- In-person: Wednesday, September 30 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the APUO Officer (1 Nicholas Street, suite 1204).
- Virtual: Wednesday, September 30 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
If you are unable to attend either of these first two sessions, keep an eye out for future invitations to additional sessions in the upcoming weeks.
2) Join the Sectorial Occupational Health & Safety Committees
The new structure of the Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee (JOHSC) consists of a university-level JOHSC supported by seven sectoral occupational health and safety committees (SOHSC). The JOHSC is a collaborative committee made up of workers from each campus union and employer representatives who work together to enhance workplace health and safety.
The APUO is seeking members interested in making our workplace a healthier and safer environment. Members wishing to join and represent the APUO on one of its sub-committees can write to christine@apuo.ca. For more information on the health and safety committees and their terms of reference, click here.
The APUO is currently seeking members to fill the following vacancies, for a two (2) year mandate:
Sectoral Occupational Health and Safety Committee – Sector 1 Downtown Campus North
- Seeking two (2) APUO Members
- The committee meets at least once every three (3) months
Sectoral Occupational Health and Safety Committee – Sector 3 Facilities & Protection
- Seeking one (1) APUO Members
- The committee meets at least once every three (3) months
Sectoral Occupational Health and Safety Committee – Sector 5 Rideau River Campus (Lee)
- Seeking one (1) APUO Members
- The committee meets at least once every three (3) months
Sectoral Occupational Health and Safety Committee – Sector 6 Off Campus
- Seeking one (1) APUO Members
- The committee meets at least once every three (3) months
What are the sectoral occupational health and safety committees?
These 7 sub-committees represent different sectors of the university, as outlined below. They are predominantly concerned with local issues affecting their designated zones. They will focus on, and review matters arising more specifically from their respective areas of responsibility / sector, such as:
- New legislative requirements, University policies, procedures, guidelines or directives,
- Health and safety concerns and complaints,
- Investigations and review of accidents and/or incidents (including critical injuries and occupational illnesses),
- Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development orders and reports received,
- Inspections and review of their progress, and outstanding matters,
- Review and discussion of the minutes of the UJOHSC,
- New business or matters affecting the health and safety of workers in the committee’s area of responsibility, and
- Matters arising out of the activities conducted by the members.
Please click here to see a table outlining all seven (7) sectoral committees, their respective mandates, and the campus areas for which these committees are responsible.
If you would like to represent the APUO on any of these committees, or have any questions about the available positions, please write to christine@apuo.ca.
3) Important Reminders for the Fall 2026 Term
With the fall 2026 term in full swing, we wish to share important reminders regarding certain rights and benefits. To facilitate your reading, you can click on any of the topics most pertinent to you to be brought to that section.
- Tuition Exemption Benefit Deadline (Article 40)
- Fall 2026 Course Syllabi (Articles 9 and 21)
- Unconventional Methods of Teaching (Article 22)
- Vacations, Holidays, Leaves and Absences (Article 28)
- Association of Professors Retired from the University of Ottawa
a) Tuition Exemption Benefit Deadline (Article 40)
As per Article 40.6.2 of the Collective Agreement, any Member’s spouse, child or dependent registered in a government-funded regular program of study1 at the University of Ottawa is entitled to an exemption from tuition fees. The conditions for this benefit are outlined in article 40.6.2.2 to article 40.6.2.5.
Members wishing to apply for this benefit must do so by the end of the first month of each session. Upcoming deadlines are as follows:
- September 30 for the fall term
- January 31 for the winter term
- May 31 for the spring term
- July 31 for the summer term
If you are planning to apply for the fall session for your spouse, child or dependant, please be aware that the deadline of September 30 is fast approaching. Do not hesitate to reach out to apuo@apuo.ca should you have any questions.
b) Fall 2026 Course Syllabi (Articles 9 and 21)
Each term, the APUO is informed by Members that some faculties and units request that specific statements and timelines be included in course syllabi. Some faculties and units also send members course syllabi templates, claiming their use is mandatory. As the APUO has stated in previous communications, and in accordance with Article 9 and Article 21 of the Collective Agreement, imposing statements and templates for course syllabi constitutes an infringement on your academic freedom.
APUO members are certainly free to but are in no way obliged to use faculty or unit course syllabi templates or to include statements and/or any other information provided by their faculty or unit in these documents. Nor are they required to submit their course syllabi to their faculty or unit for approval or to adhere to submission deadlines for these documents. Article 21.1.2 (b) of the Collective Agreement is very clear about this matter. It specifies that members have the right and responsibility to:
“organize course content and classroom laboratory activities and employ methodology and didactic material, including textbooks for the courses assigned to her, in a manner appropriate to the course and consistent with relevant academic standards and course descriptions approved by the Senate, it being understood that in the case of a multi-section courses the Chair and the departmental assembly may jointly choose common didactic materials, including textbooks, where it can be shown that this choice is justified by valid academic reasons and does not impose ideological conformity on the members concerned.”
Furthermore, as per the applicable sections of Article 21.1.3, members shall:
“(b) determine a reasonable number of regularly scheduled office hours when she will be available to students for consultation, post these at her office door, and communicate them to the students and to her chair;
(c) inform her students, at the beginning of a course, regarding course requirements, instructional and evaluation methods, and the nature and timing of assignments, projects and examinations;
(d) not schedule final examinations outside the period designated for that purpose by the appropriate authority;”.
Put simply, members have the right both to choose whether to include information produced by their respective faculty or unit in their course syllabi, and/or whether to disseminate such information by other means. Should members have any questions, we encourage them to contact the APUO at apuo@apuo.ca or patrick@apuo.ca.
c) Unconventional Methods of Teaching (Article 22)
Article 22 of the Collective Agreement covers Workload and Methods of Teaching.
Article 22.2.3.1 specifies:
“courses which:
a. are taught by correspondence or at off-campus locations, or
b. are videotaped, recorded, broadcast or televised, or
c. call for unconventional methods such as teleconference teaching,
d. delivered entirely or partially via the Internet,
may be included in a member’s teaching load only with the prior consent of the member and, if applicable, once any special arrangements that may be required have been agreed upon.”
It is equally important that you be aware of the other rights afforded by Article 22:
Distribution of teaching duties
Article 22.2.2.1 states:
“A Faculty Member’s scheduled teaching duties shall be distributed over two (2) of the three (3) terms of an academic year, it being understood that:
a) the above provisions may be set aside with the prior consent of the Member concerned;
…
d) where a Member’s Dean requests that the Member accept the spring/summer term as one of the two (2) terms comprising scheduled teaching duties, the Member shall not unreasonably refuse.”
Furthermore, as per Article 22.2.2.2:
“As far as possible, the Employer shall not — unless the Member agrees otherwise — include in the Member’s workload more than one (1) course per term finishing after 7 p.m., it being understood that more than one (1) course will not be included without prior consultation with the Member, and unless justified by reasons related to the nature of the student clientele.”
Modifications to your workload assignment
As per Article 22.2.4.4:
“A Member’s workload shall not be changed after May 1, unless the change is made clearly necessary by the circumstances. Such change is to be made as far in advance as possible and shall always be preceded by consultation with the Member concerned.”
If your workload is modified and you do not agree to the changes, you may communicate with the APUO to activate the Faculty Workload Review Committee (FWRC) process detailed in Article 22.2.6.1.
Student requests to have in-person sessions recorded and made available online
The APUO is aware of ongoing demands from students to have in-person class sessions recorded and made available online. With the exception of formal accommodation requests issued through SASS, the choice of what to make accessible, and how, is entirely at your discretion.
If you are considering disputing your workload assignment or have questions about teaching obligations, do not hesitate to communicate with the APUO at apuo@apuo.ca or patrick@apuo.ca.
d) Vacations, Holidays, Leaves and Absences (Article 28)
Article 28 of the Collective Agreement covers vacation leave for all Professors and language teachers (article 28.1), vacation leave for librarians (article 28.2), holidays (article 28.3) and availability and authorized absences (article 28.4).
In actuality, article 28.4 covers a few different subjects under the umbrella of authorized absences:
- Article 28.4.1 specifies that a member’s residence must not be so far from uOttawa as to limit the carrying out of their workload duties.
- Article 28.4.3 specifies that a member who is not on academic leave or other leave is required to be present on campus:
- when their presence is necessary for the performance of scheduled or teaching duties, which are included in their workload pursuant to article 22.1.2.2(a) or for the guidance of graduate students whose work they supervise; and
- for a reasonable number of regularly scheduled office hours in accordance with article 21.1.3(b); and
- to assume a fair share of academic service activities required for the proper functioning of their academic unit and the University of Ottawa; and
- when the Dean or Chair gives them reasonable notice that, for good and valid reasons, their presence on campus is required.
- Article 28.4.4 specifies that a member is not required to be present on campus to fulfill their workload obligations, whenever another location is more appropriate for that purpose and when their absence from campus does not interfere with the application of article 28.4.3.
- The APUO wishes to remind members that librarians are included in the application of article 28.4 (just like article 28.3 and other sections of article 28.4).
- The APUO encourages librarians who believe they have been put in a position that contradicts article 28.4 to contact us directly or through your APUO Board Representatives.
- Article 28.4.5 specifies that, except when on vacation, a Member shall ensure that her chair is aware of how and where the Member can be contacted without delay.
- Article 28.4.6 details the concept of an authorized absence. During an authorized absence, all rights, privileges, duties and responsibilities of Members remain unchanged except for the added right to be absent without being subject to recall to the campus.
e) Association of Professors Retired from the University of Ottawa
To those retiring from uOttawa in coming weeks or months, we remind you that the Association of Professors Retired from the University of Ottawa (APRUO) is the official representative of retired professors, librarians, counsellors at uOttawa. It offers retiring and retired APUO Members valuable support regarding pension- and benefits-related questions, as well as other useful resources. Do not hesitate to get in touch with the APRUO.
The APRUO also maintains a close relationship with the APUO. As we head into collective bargaining, the ARPUO and the APUO have been working together to ensure the voices and interests of retired members are included in our demands.
4) Opportunities Offered by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI)
The Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI) is offering the following opportunities during the fall 2026 term:
a) Get ready for the fall term!
Invest a few hours in your own language development!
The Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI) offers free lunchtime French or English language courses for support staff and professors.
Courses are often open to family members as well.
New! The Participating in a Meeting Held in Your Second Language course is now available for all staff.
Take a placement test and then register for a fall term language course.
b) Represent bilingualism at the University of Ottawa
The Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI) offers services tailored to professors (APUO and APEUO) who wish to become bilingual.
Are you at an intermediate to advanced level in French or English as a second language?
Discover our free online courses and workshops.
As well, APUO members can also receive customized support from a tutor.
Register for a language support course for this fall!
5) A Fight for Bilingualism: Save Glendon College!
Glendon College has a long history as York University’s founding campus and one of its 11 faculties and is one of the few bilingual post-secondary options available in Ontario. The college is under threat as the York University Administration targets Glendon Campus for what they have vaguely described as “repurposing”. This move would result in the relocation of Glendon to York’s main campus and the dispersal of its community.
York students and workers swiftly expressed opposition to this relocation and call on the wider academic community to act in solidarity. Sign their petition to save Glendon!
1. This excludes certain professional programs, e.g. the Executive MBA offered by the Telfer School of Management.