With a shared goal of supporting social and economic development in Ontario’s Northern regions, delivering high-quality health-care services and providing students with an enriching education, Ontario’s universities welcome the opportunity to participate in the Standing Committee on General Government consultations regarding Bill 276 – Supporting Recovery and Competitiveness Act, 2021. Ontario’s universities are highlighting a number of critical issues in Bill 276 that would undermine Northern autonomy, quality assurance and financial sustainability. If the government wishes to proceed with the two standalone institutions, then the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) proposes a number of changes to the Bill to mitigate against these impacts and allow the province to strengthen French-language university education in the North, as well as expand medical education to communities throughout Northern Ontario.
COU Submission to Bill 276: Supporting Northern Ontario’s Students, Communities and Higher Learning
