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...

If the University’s plan is to attract more students, choosing to invest in senior Administrators instead of student-facing faculty and academic staff is a mistake. Read the full article: www.tinyurl.com/OCAD-Budget

As a Certified Management Consultant, I read the December Board of Governors Report with great interest... A 3-prong strategy is proposed to prevent the accumulation of the deficit amount. [It's] assumptions are clearly not realistic. Here’s why... www.tinyurl.com/OCADU-3P

We encourage our members and community to take action by signing the parliamentary petition calling for Canada to stand with Cuba and other Latin American countries being aggressively targeted by the US government. Petition Link: 
www.tinyurl.com/CubaParlPet

This important piece was written by Jana Macalik (Fac of Design) whose ongoing PhD research examines how Canada’s specialized art & design universities have responded to the differentiation expectations associated with their past transitions to university status. www.linkedin.com/pulse/fundin...

We are posting the articles from the Special Financial Issue of the Dispatch one by one on our Linkedin. Check out the first article here: www.tinyurl.com/BeingDiff

The Deloitte report and last month’s financial townhall renewed anxiety about OCAD University’s financial sustainability. So much so that we have decided to release a special issue Dispatch to shed more light on OCAD’s financial picture. Download: www.tinyurl.com/Dispatch-22026

Our proposals will once again #RaisetheBar! for the over 600 members of OCADFA, & in doing so will improve student learning conditions. You can find more info on our proposals, & keep track of ongoing negotiations, on the updated Bargaining Section of our website. www.ocadfa.ca/bargaining-2026

Our proposals will once again #RaisetheBar! for the over 600 members of OCADFA, & in doing so will improve student learning conditions. You can find more information on our proposals, & keep track of ongoing negotiations, on the updated Bargaining Section of our website. ocadfa.ca/bargaining-2...

Our proposals will once again #RaisetheBar! for the over 600 members of OCADFA, & in doing so will improve student learning conditions. You can find more information on our proposals, & keep track of ongoing negotiations, on the updated Bargaining Section of our website. ocadfa.ca/bargaining-2...

The Canada Student Grant is currently $4200 but could be cut to $3000 for the next academic year. College and university students in Canada already struggle with the cost of tuition and day-to-day necessities. This cut would be devastating. Student support should be increasing, not decreasing.

Check out these two sabbatical presentations from two of our members tomorrow! ——— If you're an OCADFA member with events upcoming, please let us know at: [email protected]

OCADFA stands in solidarity with progressive Jewish groups & artists rejecting donor interference & the weaponization of antisemitism to silence political and artistic expression at the AGO. 🔗 Sign the petition: www.tinyurl.com/NIONpetition

If we teach our students to treat AI as a neutral tool, we are training them to become compliant operators inside privatized cognitive systems. Read the full article: www.tinyurl.com/AI-MinSook

OCADFA remains active on the grievance front, filing five grievances in December. Read about them here: www.tinyurl.com/Griev-2-2026

Kima Lenaghan shares art and discusses her journey from a student to an instructor at OCAD. Read it here: 
www.tinyurl.com/KimaLen

"The most charitable thing I can say about AI at OCAD U is that all of us – students, staff, and faculty – should have the right to not use it. But this is not a straightforward proposition." Read the full piece here: www.tinyurl.com/AI-RBullen #EdTech #aiart

For more information about how you can send your support to the Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) visit our website: ocadfa.ca/blog/2026/01... @ocufa.bsky.social

Meet the artist of the illustrated summary of the Memorandum of Agreement signed between the University and our union. OCADFA is deeply indebted to the hard work of OCAD University student and illustrator Ines Tang who spearheaded this project! Read the full article here www.tinyurl.com/InesTang

Read the detailed response on our newsletter or Linkedin: 
www.tinyurl.com/DG-jan2026 Do you have a question for OCADFA? Send them to: www.tinyurl.com/DearGraeme

OCADFA recognizes the funding crisis and the need to change. But sustainability must be built on clarity, principles, and protection of the public university — not on fear, vagueness, or permanent contraction. Read the full article here: www.tinyurl.com/OCADfunding

The latest OCADFA Newsletter is available for download: www.tinyurl.com/Dispatch-12026

Due to the incoming snow storm and what is sure to be a hectic day for many of our members tomorrow we have decided to postpone the OCADFA Town Hall. Stay tuned for the re-scheduling announcement.

Check out our LinkedIn page if you haven't yet: www.linkedin.com/company/ocadfa There we can post long form articles and news. We hope you will join us there!

Visit us online at: www.ocadfa.ca

If you are an OCADFA member and have something you want to promote that connects to your work please do get in touch!

Send us a message and we can include it in our newsletter and potentially share it on social media. Email Alex at: [email protected]

Monday, 26 January 2026 1-2:30pm | Room 230, 100 McCaul Light refreshments and pizza will be available.