Table of Contents
- Department of Communication Denounces Bernadette Closure
- Laurentian University Faculty Association Ends Strike, Decries “Ghost at the Table”
1) Department of Communication Denounces Bernadette Closure
In response to the University of Ottawa’s abandonment of campus parents, the Department of Communication passed a motion on February 5th affirming the need for on-campus child care services and support for uOttawa parents.
The motion, which passed unanimously, asserts the Department of Communication’s support for maintaining a daycare on campus, asks the University to suspend “any steps leading to the closure [of Bernadette]” and requests an urgent meeting involving uOttawa administration, Bernadette management, union representatives and student associations with the goal of supporting the affected families.
The wider APUO membership passed a similar motion at our April 2025 Annual General Meeting. During its February 12 meeting, the APUO Board of Directors passed a motion reaffirming support for Bernadette and the need for the daycare to remain on campus. Full-time professors and librarians are loud and clear: healthy campuses include child care services. This is why every other U15 university offers campus-based or campus-affiliated child care. Sylvestre and her administration must return to the table with the Bernadette Child Care Centre and honour their Fall 2025 commitment to find an alternative space on campus.
Take Action:
We encourage members to propose similar motions within their own schools, departments and faculties. We also urge members to write to the University’s leadership about their inequitable decision to abruptly end discussions for a new daycare space on campus and demonstrate a strong opposition to the elimination of 49 bilingual and subsidized child care spots.
- Marie-Ève Sylvestre, President and Vice-Chancellor: msylvest@uottawa.ca
- Éric Bercier, Interim Vice-President, Finance and Administration: vpfa@uottawa.ca
- Annick Bergeron, Secretary-General: UOSecretariat@uOttawa.ca
2) Laurentian University Faculty Association Ends Strike, Decries “Ghost at the Table”
Members of the Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) ratified a new collective agreement in early February 2026 that ended a three-week strike, but the deal is still heavily influenced by the university’s recent history of financial crisis and insolvency.
LUFA represents professors, librarians, and instructors at Laurentian University. Their collective agreement expired in 2025 and the union entered negotiations hoping to address the damage caused by bankruptcy proceedings in 2021-2022. As you may recall, in 2021 and 2022 Laurentian University became the first publicly funded institution to seek creditor protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA). The decision by the university’s central administration to pursue this course of action resulted financial restructuring leading to some 60 programs being cut along with the positions of more than 100 faculty and staff members. These cuts were followed by three years of a wage freeze and increases limited to one per cent and the decimation of the university’s pension plan all while workloads were continuously increased.
In the face of the university’s refusal to meet their demands for fairer wages and workloads, LUFA began a strike on January 19, backed by the strength of a 98% strike mandate. However, during their third strike week, the union learned that a loan agreement with Ontario government during the university’s insolvency limited the compensation the university could negotiate.
The provincial loan agreement had already significantly impeded negotiations on pension, to the point that LUFA filed a Charter challenge against the Ontario government in November 2025 for interference in the collective bargaining process. LUFA President Fabrice Colin shared with media that the provincial government was a “ghost at the table” throughout negotiations.
On February 8, LUFA members voted 74% in favour of accepting Laurentian University’s latest offer, but also agreed to organize a vote of no confidence against Laurentian’s Board of Governors and senior administration. The APUO sent a strike fund donation to the Laurentian University Faculty Association and continues to stand in solidarity with their members as they prepare for the vote of no confidence. We will keep members updated on any developments