Ford, Romano must listen to students, faculty, community and support Laurentian

SUDBURY – NDP MPP Jamie West said Doug Ford and Ross Romano should listen to students, faculty, and the community who are demonstrating on Tuesday to save Laurentian, while an emergency meeting of the university's senate takes place to determine plans for its future.

"Students do not deserve their programs to be cut, and their professors fired because of a lack of provincial funding," said West. "Doug Ford and Ross Romano should listen to students, their families, faculty and staff, and to the people of Sudbury who are all calling on the Ford government to stop the cuts, and to provide the funding Laurentian needs before it’s too late."

Students, faculty and community members demonstrating on Tuesday are calling on the government to step in and provide the funds the university needs now to prevent cuts to programs and jobs.

“Doug Ford and Ross Romano have failed for months to take action to save Laurentian. Instead, they went out of their way to exclude Laurentian from recent COVID funding for universities," said West. "Because Doug Ford and Ross Romano refused to act, Laurentian is on its way to dissolving its federation. Their action would have kept the university intact. Ford and Romano need to act now to save Laurentian's federation, and to prevent cuts that will devastate the university and our community.”

Late last week, Laurentian announced the termination of its federation agreement with Huntington University, Thorneloe University and the University of Sudbury, effective May 1.