OCADFA Bargaining Bulletin 5 – May 20, 2026 For more info about our bargaining: ocadfa.ca/bargaining-2...

According to data from the Council of Ontario Universities. This is the second consecutive year with record enrollment, despite decreased enrollment from international students. ontariosuniversities.ca/open-data/mu...

NEXT WEEK! Mon, 25 May 2026, 6pm - 9pm Taco Taco, 319 Augusta Ave. (Kensington Market) *OCADFA will provide a selection of menu items and one drink ticket each* Contact us to RSVP. Feel free to bring a friend! Email: [email protected]

Thanks for helping us reach 300 followers!!! www.linkedin.com/company/ocadfa

Join us for tacos, burritos and more. OCADFA will provide a selection of menu items and one drink ticket each. Contact us to RSVP. Feel free to bring a friend! Email: [email protected] When: Monday, 25 May 2026 | 6pm - 9pm Where: Taco Taco, 319 Augusta Ave. | Kensington Market

For more about bargaining: lnkd.in/ev2Q4TyM

"The presence of AI in the studio is not the central issue. The real question is whether we are willing to reconsider what it means to learn, to think, and to make—before those definitions are decided for us." www.linkedin.com/pulse/teachi...

"Our project, Caring Futures in Canadian Art and Design Education, brings our personal and theoretical commitments to bear on higher education... We ask a core question: What might a university look like if care were the central concern?" Read the full article: www.tinyurl.com/CaringFutures

“I was really excited to finally become a TA — a dream I looked forward to making a reality ever since my third year as an undergrad student…” “… I’ve come to discover a few things that have left me anxious and frustrated…” Read the full article here: www.tinyurl.com/TA-Fru

It’s the end of the year and it’s time to throw a party! When: Monday, 25 May 2026 | 6pm - 9pm Where: Taco Taco, 319 Augusta Ave. (Kensington Market) ***OCADFA will provide a selection of menu items and one drink ticket each***

Dear Graeme, I’m a non-Sessional faculty member and disagree with my course load for next year, what can I do Read in full: www.tinyurl.com/DG-April

Our work is material, stubbornly so... Injury is not exceptional. 
It is part of the conditions of our work. And yet we do not have coverage through the #WSIB. Read the article: www.tinyurl.com/WSIB-OCAD

The April 2026 issue of our newsletter is ready for download! www.tinyurl.com/Dispatch-Apr

In memoriam of faculty members recently passed... www.linkedin.com/pulse/ocadfa...

OCADFA AGM (TODAY!) Monday, 20 April 2026 | 2pm - 4pm | RHA 320 (or on Teams) OCADFA Social (SAVE THE DATE!) Monday, 25 May 2026 | 6pm - 9pm | Venue TBC

What: Annual General Meeting When: April 20, 2pm-4pm Where: Hybrid (Teams and RHA 320) Who: All OCADFA members Food and refreshments will be provided!

Are you a TA or RA at OCADU? Learn about your rights and how your union can help! www.tinyurl.com/TA-RA-OCAD

"Good leadership, and one that ostensibly values democracy, puts in the mechanisms for communication and dialogue, values dissent to inform decision making, and provides channels for feedback and creative problem solving, fiscal and academic." Read the full article: www.tinyurl.com/OCADUsenate

We started up LinkedIn account in December last year and we're now at 280 followers. Help us get to 300!!! www.linkedin.com/company/ocadfa There we post long form articles and news. We hope you will join us there!

There are 7 pillars to our bargaining mandate: A) Fair & Reasonable Compensation B) Job Security & Full Recognition of Contributions C) Efficiencies D) Sustainable Workloads E) Supporting Health & Wellness F) Indigenization G) LOUs, Housekeeping, & Labour Relations www.ocadfa.ca/bargaining-2026

Visit OCADFA.ca for detailed information about our current MoA, salary scales, benefits, and pension plan. If you have any thoughts about improvements you want to see, or if you want to get involved with your union, please do get in touch!

What: Annual General Meeting When: April 20, 2pm-4pm Where: Hybrid (Teams and RHA 320) Who: All OCADFA members Food and refreshments will be provided!

All OCADFA members have access to a small emergency fund created to assist with unexpected financial hardship. Members may apply for up to $250 in assistance. *Applications are confidential and reviewed as quickly as possible. To apply: www.tinyurl.com/OCADFAfund

Senators reflect on the Ph.D. in Creative Practice proposal and what a responsible path forward must address. Read the article: www.tinyurl.com/OCAD-PHD

Our articles on OCADU funding and finances: www.tinyurl.com/OCADArtEdu

Bargaining Bulletin 3 – April 1, 2026 For past updates: ocadfa.ca/bargaining-u...

Thanks to everyone who came out to our Negotiations Committee member Ross Bullen’s book launch and social. And thanks to @ocadu_liberalstudies for the photo! You can find information on the book—How to Succeed in Academia (While Failing at Everything Else)— here: www.tinyurl.com/HSA-Bullen

Ourt first MoA as a union carried forward several provisions, including how to resolve impasses in bargaining—which is through interest arbitration. Should we obtain the ability to strike things would change. So… what’s the difference? Read the article: www.tinyurl.com/Strike-Arb

It is possible for universities to request an exemption from the WSIB. OCADU appears to be the only university that has an exemption, and all other universities are enrolled. Read the article: www.tinyurl.com/OCAD-WSIB

On Wednesday, April 1, join faculty members Michelle Miller and Lori Riva from 11am-1pm in MCA 544 for a Caring Futures workshop. Collaboratively reimagine the possibilities for art and design education! Contribute to pedagogical research! Snacks provided!

For those who are not aware of it, the Respectful Work and Learning Environment Policy (RWLEP) is OCAD’s human rights policy, principally administered by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Sustainability Initiatives (ODESI). Read the article: www.tinyurl.com/OCADFA-RWLEP

Our negotiations chair gives us a bargaining update. Read it here: www.tinyurl.com/AT-Mar26

Senators reflect on the Ph.D. in Creative Practice proposal and what a responsible path forward must address. Read the article: www.tinyurl.com/OCAD-PHD

The March 2026 Dispatch is out! www.tinyurl.com/Dispatch-March CONTENTS: - An OCAD PhD Program? - Book Launch & Social - Bargaining Updates - On RWLEP complaints - OCADU isn’t registered with the WSIB - Right to Strike vs Interest Arbitration

Click below to view our collected archive of articles analyzing the financials of OCADU. We will update this list as new pieces are released. www.tinyurl.com/FinanceArt

OCADFA invites you to a book launch and social! You can find information on the book from our Dispatch from December 2025 (page 12) or here: www.tinyurl.com/HSA-Bullen We’ll have copies of the book on hand for purchase, as well as pizza and light refreshments. Looking forward to see you there!

Apply or nominate by Friday March 20 for awards recognizing: - Journalism - Graduate student research - Equity and social justice - Teaching and academic librarianship - Collective Bargaining

Click below to view our collected archive of articles analyzing the financials of OCADU, as well as our thoughts on their announced plans. We will update this as new pieces are released. www.tinyurl.com/FinanceArt

This important article was written by Jana Macalik examines how Canada’s specialized art and design universities have responded to the differentiation expectations associated with their past transitions to university status. Read it in full here: www.tinyurl.com/OCADArtEdu

Bulletin 2 – March 11, 2026 OCADFA’s Negotiations Committee met with the Administration for the second time today, the first meeting since exchanging proposals on Feb. 18. For more information about this current round of bargaining: www.ocadfa.ca/bargaining-2026

June Pak, Sessional Representative on the Negotiations Committee, reflects on what we achieved in previous rounds for our Sessional members and considers how we can strengthen our ultimate goal of establishing job security. www.tinyurl.com/OCADFA-BNS #Fairness4CF

Too many contract faculty are hired term-to-term, paid less than their peers for the same teaching, & denied benefits. That instability affects faculty and students. Read the op-ed and join the call for #Fairness4CF ➡️ www.tinyurl.com/cfsmdoa @ocufa.bsky.social

How do you feel about the right to strike? Are you an OCADFA member with a strong opinion one way or the other? Send us an email with your thoughts! [email protected] www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

All OCADFA members are invited to attend and participate in our upcoming town hall: should we have the right to strike? Light refreshments and pizza will be available. This will be an in-person meeting, but we will be organizing another Townhall shortly, which will be online.

Here you will find a collection of the articles we've written in 2026 about the financial situation at OCAD U: www.linkedin.com/pulse/ocadfa...

Read about what Premier Ford’s funding announcement really means for studio education at OCAD U: www.tinyurl.com/FordOSAP #OSAP #CFS

OCADFA members are the backbone of the institution. You’re not just a budget line, you’re the primary long-term stakeholders of OCADU. Read the article: www.tinyurl.com/OCADFA-RTB

All OCADFA members are invited to attend and participate in our upcoming town hall: Mon, 9 March @ 1pm | 100 McCaul St, Room #230 Light refreshments and pizza will be available. This will be an in-person meeting, but we will be organizing another Townhall shortly, which will be online.

There are 23 public universities in Ontario, and a third of them are running deficits as of last year — OCAD is not one of them. www.linkedin.com/pulse/compar...