Warning sign on the horizon for universities
Ontario’s government is creating a working group last week in response to declining enrolment in the province’s primary and secondary schools. Declining enrolment is problem for Ontario school board due to a funding model based on a per-student formula. Without enough students, school boards are finding they do…
Thoughts on the alleged COU fraud
I spent many hours today working on the story of how the Council of Ontario Universities was defrauded of over $600,000 by one employees. The COU is not releasing any details at this point, which I found frustrating. However, I understand they not releasing details based on the…
$600,000 allegedly stolen from COU
A former chief information officer of the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) is accused of stealing over $600,000 from the organization. Janet Donio, who is alleged to have committed the fraud, committed suicide while she was being investigated. The COU is an umbrella organization for Ontario’s 19 public…
Another private institution shut-down – two years late
British Columbia is taking heat for acting slower than a tortoise (actually, that may be an insult to tortoises) in shutting down another illegally operated “university” in the province. You’d think BC might have learned from recent embarrassments which resulted in an newspaper warning its readers in India…
Seriously? Police arrest seven for cheering at high school grad
Associated Press: "When Rock Hill school officials tell commencement crowds to hold their applause until the end, they mean it. Police arrested seven people after they were accused of loud cheering during the ceremonies." Notes to self: Don’t cheer until the end Commit real crime next year in…
A civilian public service Regular Office Training Plan?
Michael Cotey Morgan, a Canadian who is a Ph.D candidate at Yale, suggests the Canadian public service should offer subsidized university education in exchange for a time-period of service after graduation. The civil service is preparing for a mass wave of retirements and is trying to recruit young…
Ontario’s part-time college staff to get bargaining rights
The Ontario government introduced legislation today which will allow the province’s over 17,000 part-time and sessional college workers to unionize. The changes to the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act (CCBA) will remove provision that forbid part-time college workers from unionizing. The bill will also allow colleges to use replacement…
McGill TAs to vote on tentative agreement
Striking Teaching Assistants at McGill University will vote Thursday on a tentative agreement put forth by a government appointed conciliator. The proposal could end the bitter nine week strike. The conciliator is recommending pay increases of 2.5 per cent in the first year, 3 per cent in the…
Ontario government “reviewing” ancillary fees — sometime
One year after the launch of a $200 million lawsuit against Ontario’s public colleges over disputed ancillary fees, Ontario’s Minister of Training, Colleges, and Universities John Milloy says his government is reviewing ancillary fees charged by colleges to make sure they comply with Ministry regulations. The disputed fees…
“End of the day” post
A couple of housekeeping items before I close the day. Expect an Ontario college ancillary fees story mid-afternoon tomorrow. I have to do an interview in the morning to round out the story. Ontario’s Minister of Training, Colleges, and Universities gave me some decent answers this afternoon. My…