UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS
Blue ribbon panel report misses the mark for francophones in Ontario

Some recommendations in the recent blue ribbon panel report, Ensuring Financial Sustainability for Ontario's Postsecondary Sector, were met with a chilly reception from the Franco-Ontarian university community. In particular, although members welcomed the proposed funding increases, they did not share the doubts raised about the financial sustainability of Ontario's two smallest French-language institutions.

Moreover, according to a note in an appendix of the report, the sole French-speaking member of the blue-ribbon panel, Maxim Jean-Louis, opposed two of its recommendations: exploring three options for making the smallest French-language universities financially sustainable and conducting a formal review of opportunities for consolidating small, northern Ontario institutions.

The first proposed option is federating Université de Hearst and Université de l'Ontario français (UOF) under the University of Ottawa, which, according to the panel, has the size and expertise to fulfill this role.

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