OCAD Faculty Association

08/04/2026

"AUFA is taking the unprecedented step of publishing details of a personal grievance, and calling on all members and supporters for their help – AU is forcing a member to choose between her job and her child's legs.

Dr. Sabine Graf’s son was born in 2020. She is a Professor of Computing and Information Systems at Athabasca University, and one of the top-cited scholars in the country. Her son was born with a fibular hemimelia, a congenital defect affecting the legs. His particular form of fibular hemimelia is highly complex and difficult to treat. Sabine learned that the only treatment available to her son in Canada was to amputate both of his legs.

However, a more advanced treatment is available in other medical systems. In Austria, he could receive regular pediatric surgeries as he grows, which would save his legs and allow him to run, jump, and do sports like every other child with his legs. Dr. Graf and her spouse are Austrian citizens. Since Athabasca University employs its faculty remotely, and universities commonly have faculty work overseas, AU is particularly well-equipped to help Sabine.
..What happened instead is Human Resources refused to deal with the matter."

https://aufa.ca/blog/2026/7/23/athabasca-university-forces-professor-to-choose-between-her-job-her-family-or-her-childs-legs

07/28/2026

—— REMINDER ——

Annual Reports are due on August 1, 2026 for all non-Sessional faculty members.

Read our article at:�www.tinyurl.com/AnnRep2026

07/16/2026

Members asked to list activities between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. We understand all three faculties now have closely aligned, if not identical, forms.

One question we’ve heard from several members, from all faculties, is what should you put under Graduate Supervision if you did not supervise any graduate students over the year?

Read our article at:
www.tinyurl.com/AnnRep2026

07/09/2026

Are you a Sessional Instructor at OCADU? Check out this pdf to learn more about your rights in that role and how we as a your union can help you.

PDF: https://lnkd.in/gwRrQA4i

07/01/2026

We are in the process of updating our TA/RA handbook so it has the most up-to-date information.

Other than updating the numbers, is there anything you would like us to include that isn't already in the book?

Let us know!

www.ocadfa.ca/ocadfa-ta-ra-members-handbook

06/25/2026

Bulletin 6 – June 24, 2026

OCADFA’s Negotiations Committee met with the Employer’s representatives for the 7th full day of bargaining on June 24. We inched closer to agreements on a number of outstanding non-monetary issues, including the definition of course load, conflict of commitment, and service articles.

The bulk of the day, however, was spent discussing the University’s financial outlook, with a presentation that echoed what was presented to the community in last week’s townhalls, followed by a lengthy Q&A and discussion. The university has been sounding alarms about a structural deficit for a long time, its certainly not a new scare tactic, but it’s important to note that in the last decade, OCAD’s revenue growth has actually outpaced expenses by 11%.

We understand the financial challenges all universities in Ontario face, especially with the chronic underfunding our sector receives from the provincial government (still the worst in Canada, despite recent funding announcements), but our Negotiations Committee is still committed to getting a fair deal for our members, including compensatory improvements. Academic compensation used to be slightly over 50% of total expenses as recent as 2020, and is now projected to be only 38% next year. That trend needs to reverse.

Learn more about our bargaining:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/bargaining-ocadfa-obkuc/

06/23/2026

This is your one-stop shop for all information concerning OCADFA’s efforts to negotiate a new MoA with the OCAD University Administration.

The OCAD University Faculty Association (OCADFA) represents all faculty and academic staff at OCAD, with over 600 members. Our collective agreement (referred to as a Memorandum of Agreement, or MoA), expired on June 30, 2025.

06/19/2026

A grievance is an allegation made by OCADFA, generally on behalf of itself and one of its members, that the Employer has violated the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) or an applicable policy or legislation. Such a violation may follow from the Employer’s interpretation, application, or administration of the policy in question.

If you have a concern, you should contact us.
www.ocadfa.ca/about/grievance-faqs

06/15/2026

OCADFA stands in solidarity with cleaning workers at OCAD University who are on strike for fair wages and dignity on the job. The workers are employed by Dexterra and represented by LiUNA Local 183. Although Dexterra, not OCAD University is the employer in this dispute, we encourage the university to use its influence to help facilitate a fair resolution.

"OCAD University runs on the labour of many. We teach in classrooms others clean. We work in spaces others maintain. When one group of workers is in struggle, none of our work stands alone”.
— Min Sook Lee, OCADFA President

Read the full statement:
www.tinyurl.com/SolidarityDCW

06/11/2026

This is the final step in a painful 5-year journey. The CCAA process caused deep harm to Laurentian faculty, staff, and Sudbury. Thanks to strong advocacy, inappropriate corporate restructuring can no longer be used at public universities.

https://lnkd.in/gJMYypik