Calls increasing for provincial funding to save Sudbury's insolvent Laurentian University

A growing chorus of voices is calling on the Ontario government to provide additional funding to Laurentian University; to allow the institution to survive now, and be sustainable into the future. 

This week, a group of faculty, students, alumni and other community members held a Zoom meeting, to discuss how they will advocate for the university, in a bid to keep it viable in the years ahead. 

"I'd like to do anything I can to help save our university," said Liana Holm, a member of the Sudbury and District Labour Council, and a Laurentian graduate. 

"I'm very afraid that if we don't step in now and ask Ross Romano to come to the table to talk about government funding, then we're going to lose that opportunity."

'Government has a role to play'

Sudbury MPP Jamie West also attended the Zoom meeting this week, and said he was glad to see more than 80 people in attendance. 

West said he was "shocked" by the university's news, and in reading court documents and hearing reports in the days since, he has concerns about how the university had managed its finances.

"It's concerning to hear the stories about what's happened with the money.  I think it's also important to recognize that the government has a role to play."

West said cuts to provincial post-secondary funding in 2019 have hurt colleges and universities. He said when speaking with student group and faculty associations throughout the province he hears "continually" that programing is not sustainable at current funding levels. 

"I know the conversation is about Laurentian university, but this could easily be a conversation about any of our northern colleges and universities," West said.

Ross Romano, Ontario's minister of training, colleges and universities, has declined CBC's requests for interviews since the news that Laurentian was granted creditor protection came out. However last week, a ministry spokesperson said the province does not believe other universities are currently in the same situation. 

Romano responded to questions from reporters during an unrelated press conference this week, saying he is "committed to ensuring the best possible result for Laurentian and their students coming out of this situation." He did not make any commitments for additional funding. 

Faculty association

The Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) is also calling on the provincial and federal governments to step in and provide more funding to the university.

Secretary and treasurer Jean-Charles Cachon said the importance of the university to Sudbury and northern Ontario goes beyond job numbers or it's total budget.  

"LUFA's position has been to ask that the province be involved and that the province step in, in order to stop this process. And basically to start funding Laurentian to the required level to make it viable in the future. And in particular with respect to the fact that this institution is a tri-cultural institution which is fairly unique in the university system," Cachon said.

"We're talking about programs that are training teachers, social workers, nurses … can the north afford losing such basic programs?" he asked.