“Of course there’s a lot of fear right now. Everybody’s afraid for their jobs and we’re not gonna ask members to do something that they’re not comfortable doing. But we are encouraging members to seriously consider what they can do to support these efforts.”
She spoke about the Skills Development Fund, something she says is taking money away from community colleges.
“We’re just starting to scrape the surface of the Skills Development Fund now and through our research we’re discovering that hundreds of millions of dollars are going to the Skills Development Fund to fund private companies to deliver training programs with absolutely no oversight, reporting mechanisms, etc.”
“It’s about us actually saving the college and college system because Mr. Ford has been siphoning off monies that would have gone to the colleges and setting up private schools. So we want to get the money back so we can support our college and support our community.”
Tim Prewer:
“We haven’t had a real good, new contract in several years. We haven’t kept up with the cost of living but what we’re really going for is job security. Right now job security is paramount because people are losing their jobs left, right and centre.”
The College Employer Council says the union’s demands would expose colleges to more than $900 million in additional costs, however, the union disputes that figure.
Over the last two weeks Quinte News has written several stories on Loyalist College and the current challenges.
Through that, we have made requests via email, text, and phone calls to get their perspective.
We have been told officials are “unavailable” to speak with us, however, the offer is a welcome and open one to provide further perspective on the challenges being faced.
We requested an interview with Bay of Quinte MPP Tyler Allsopp and received the following statement:
“Loyalist College plays a vital role in our community, and our government will continue to work with the college to ensure Bay of Quinte has access to a strong workforce and local students can get an excellent education close to home. Our government is currently working with all Ontario colleges and universities to review the funding model to support the post-secondary sector’s long-term success and sustainability.”
OPSEU 421 support staff members prepare signs for demonstrating (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
