Ontario's universities and colleges are vital spaces where a culture of rich academic debate and free expression should be fostered. Core to the mandate of our postsecondary institutions is the advancement of knowledge, and that requires our campuses to be places where all community members have the right to speak their minds and respectfully challenge each other intellectually. Faculty associations, labour unions, and student unions deeply believe in these rights, and will continue our collective work to uphold them.

On August 7, the Ontario Labour Relations Board agreed to consolidate the three bargaining units represented by the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Faculty Association (UOITFA) into a single unit, covered by one collective agreement.

In an effort to build stronger relationships with new and re-elected MPPs, OCUFA will be holding its annual Advocacy Day in the fall rather than the spring this year. On November 13, professors and academic librarians from across Ontario will converge on Queen's Park to share their priorities for the province's universities.