With more than 30 years dedicated to educating and furthering the lives, dreams, and future careers of local students, it is difficult for me to witness the crisis happening in our city and community surrounding Laurentian University.
The problems that our city’s major educational institution is facing will no doubt have a severe, long-term emotional and financial impact, not only on Sudbury, but on Northern Ontario as well.
The truth is we should no longer be looking to the current provincial government for assistance. Instead of demonstrating true leadership, Minister Ross Romano and the Ford government have stood idly by while Laurentian University filed for CCAA protection from its creditors.
This process led to the closure of dozens of valued academic programs and the dismissal of more than 100 faculty and staff, leaving families struggling during a pandemic.
The indifference of the Ford government to the plight of the Laurentian and Sudbury communities as they endure this destructive process has been devastating to Northern Ontario and left no option for a made-in-Sudbury solution.
No one should be surprised. From day one, Doug Ford’s Conservative government has proved it is no friend of Ontario’s world-class network of universities or the students who depend on them.
A month ago, Minister Romano hastily announced a $44 million bailout of Ontario’s COVID beleaguered universities and $62 million for colleges. As is all too common with this provincial government, it was too little and too late.
The funds allocated to universities fall well short of the $500 million in funding Ontario universities required to survive the pandemic.
The previous Liberal government strengthened the Ontario Student Assistant Program (OSAP) and provided much-needed funding to make tuition more affordable for middle-class families, as well as making tuition free for families earning less than $50,000 per year.
More than 180,000 post-secondary students took advantage of these improved supports until Doug Ford made his reckless cuts to OSAP in 2019. His actions added barriers to accessing post-secondary education and put it out of reach for thousands of Ontario students.
Another part of the crisis: Sudbury does not have a leader with the means or ability to stand up to the Conservative government and produce results for Sudburians.
As Laurentian University is gutted, now more than ever, we realize the consequences of not having effective representation in the provincial legislature.
The Ford government has demonstrated little interest in the importance of the Indigenous or Franco-Ontarian culture to our community.
Their lack of respect for Indigenous culture is unspeakable. Indigenous studies were cut so extensively that the robust programming previously offered by Laurentian will be a shell of what it once was.
With 40 percent further reductions made to French language programming in comparison to English language programming, these cuts disproportionately affect the Francophone population. The Ford government has shown a fundamental lack of understanding for the significance of Francophone culture in Ontario.
Slashing these programmes illustrates how entirely tone deaf this government is to the culture we share in Northern Ontario.
If elected, one of my main priorities will be to push for a sustainable funding model for Laurentian, which benefits our many diverse voices. This will help to ensure that no one gets left behind.
Anecdotally, we know that if our youth leave, they rarely come back to live and work in the area. I will commit to building a stronger Laurentian, as a sought-after institution for its quality educational programs and experienced professors.
We must work to safeguard the survival of a major cornerstone of our community. Ontario, and especially Sudbury, deserves better than this, and I intend to fight for it.
David G. Farrow
Sudbury provincial Liberal candidate