TORONTO – On July 30, 2010, representatives of Ontario’s faculty associations met to discuss the Government of Ontario’s request for a voluntary compensation freeze and the upcoming compensation consultations. Also in attendance were the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), several unions who represent sessional faculty, and the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA), who also organized the meeting. Stephen Barrett, of the law firm Sack Goldblatt Mitchell, made a presentation on the legal implications of the government’s wage restraint initiative. After a productive discussion, the assembled faculty representatives unanimously agreed that protecting quality of education is their primary concern, and that the government’s proposals may compromise the learning experience of Ontario’s students. While we are willing to listen to the government on this issue, faculty will oppose any compensation policy that harms postsecondary education in Ontario and proves inequitable for our members. It was also decided that a delegation will be sent to the upcoming consultations, to be held in Toronto from August 9-22, with a mandate to learn more about the government’s proposed structure for the consultation and their desired outcome. Once the delegation has received this information, they will confer with faculty associations across Ontario to decide whether to continue their participation. The meeting also indicated their desire to see true sector-wide discussions take place during the consultations. At present, several unions that represent contract faculty, post-doctoral students and graduate assistants are not invited to the August 9-22 consultations. While these unions are invited to subsequent consultations, university faculty feel strongly that all university stakeholders be represented at the table. Throughout the consultations, OCUFA will be providing regular updates on the proceedings. These will be emailed to our member associations for distribution to their members. Graeme Stewart Communication and Government Relations Manager Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations 300-83 Yonge St. ~ Toronto, ON ~ M5C 1S8 416 979 2117 x232 (Office) | 647 280 3175 (Mobile) [email protected] | www.ocufa.on.ca | www.twitter.com/ocufa