Faculty anxious amid University of Winnipeg financial woes
Mention of collective agreement article has members 'nervous' about job security, union says
The union representing faculty at the University of Winnipeg says members are concerned about job security and the future of the institution amid a financial crush and talk of potential layoffs.
Last week, the University of Winnipeg warned it will be hard to maintain its current programs and services in the coming school year due to "serious financial pressures" from inflation, labour costs increases and federal cuts to international student enrolment.
Faculty members say university president Todd Mondor brought up during a meeting of the school's senate Thursday an article in the collective agreement that would establish a commission determining whether the school's financial situation requires layoffs, as well as the size of such cuts if they're warranted.
Peter Miller, president of the University of Winnipeg Faculty Association, said bringing that article up is "not taken lightly."
"Having people lose their jobs and/or affecting the type of programming we can offer at the university, of course, cuts to the core of what professors care about," Miller said, adding that it's hurting members' morale.
Earlier this year, the university announced it was shutting down its English Language Program and putting its women's soccer team on hiatus.
Last fall, it implemented a hiring freeze, also slashing its mid-year budget by seven per cent across all its departments.
"When you start to see things being cut at the edges and at the margins, you can't help but think that they might come down to the core at some point," Miller said.
"I think this kind of reference to layoffs or to the exigency clause has prompted some people to feel very nervous about that."
Schools struggling all across Canada: Teachers association
The "financial exigency" article states the university must have gone through or project at least two years of substantial and recurring financial deficits, putting its solvency "in serious jeopardy" before the board of regents can establish the commission.
The school has previously projected a deficit ranging from $4 million to as much as $18 million for its upcoming fiscal year, though the full impact will depend on enrolment and the province's operating grant.
On Thursday, the university announced the province's allocation would go up by two per cent or $1.56 million for the 2025-2026 year. That's in addition to $2.5 million meant to support deferred maintenance projects.
The Canadian Association of University Teachers said post-secondary institutions all across Canada are facing financial troubles, with cuts to international student enrolment and general underfunding resulting in program cuts.
WATCH | Faculty concerned as University of Winnipeg faces financial challenges:
Association president Peter McInnis said declaring financial exigency would put into question the school's viability as an institution.
"You're essentially saying … our business model is not working out," McInnis said.
"I still think that the U of W will continue to be an institution that's important for the City of Winnipeg," he added. "This is not the end of it, but it might be a new phase."
Miller said the financial exigency isn't needed yet and that he's "mildly optimistic" about the situation.
He said the university's projections are based around enrolment numbers and that "nobody knows what they will be" in the fall.
"What I'm sort of hopeful for is that we'll see provincial government step up now," Miller said.
"Perhaps with a new federal government in the coming weeks, we'll have some interest … in reinvesting and rebuilding Canada's economy. Well, Canada's economy starts with post-secondary institutions."
With files from Mike Arsenault