Laurentian University marks two years since significant layoffs
It was two years ago that close to 200 staff including tenured faculty at Greater Sudbury’s Laurentian University lost their jobs, as more than 60 programs were discontinued.
On April 12, 2021, 195 staff were informed via a prompt Zoom call that they no longer had jobs after the semester ended.
Two months prior, Laurentian had declared insolvency.
In November 2022, the university exited insolvency, and with a new interim president, it’s been looking to rebuild.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Sheila Embleton, interim university president, says she acknowledges it was a painful time for many.
“I think we look back on that no matter where we are, I think more so in the Laurentian community but even outside people are looking that this was two years ago,” said Embleton.
Eduardo Galiano-Riveros worked in the physics department at Laurentian for 18 years, and said it was a painful day for his colleagues.
He told CTV News he has since been fortunate to find work at another university, but some of his colleagues are still out of work.
“Most of my former colleagues, in particular, those in the humanities and the social sciences, have had a much, much tougher time resuming or somehow re-establishing or recovering their career,” he said.
He is a member of the Terminated Faculty Committee, which consists of most of the employees who were let go.
Galiano-Riveros said the group is calling to be paid their full severances, of which he adds they haven’t received a penny.
He said the group also wants to see the programs and jobs reinstated.
“It’s going to take generations to rebuild what was once there, and in the end, the north loses, students lose, parents lose out, businesses lose out, society in the north loses out,” said Galiano-Riveros.
Additionally, he said there should be a public inquiry to address unanswered questions.
“We’re calling for a public inquiry into the whole story, the whole fiasco, to answer once and for all the big question a lot of us have which is ‘is criminal conduct involved here or not?’” said Galiano-Riveros.
Officials with the Terminated Faculty Committee said it will likely take generations for the school to rebuild, with the loss of faculty and programs.
“Normally when something is broken, you still have pieces you can pick up and attempt to somehow apoxy or glue together,” said Galiano-Riveros.
“But in this case you don’t have the pieces of a broken asset. The pieces are gone. The physics department is gone. The mathematics department is gone.”
Embleton told CTV News the goal is not to rebuild the university to what it once was – rather, to see what the community needs from the university and move forward.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Lyon-bound Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Montreal turns back midflight due to pressurization alert
Passengers heading from Montreal to Lyon, France on Friday were forced to return home and depart the next day after a pressurization indication was detected in flight.
Oilers dominate Canucks, win to force deciding Game 7
The Edmonton Oilers avoided elimination from the NHL playoffs Saturday night, beating the visiting Vancouver Canucks 5-1 in Game 6 of their second-round series.
The eight most expensive homes for sale in Ottawa this spring
Ottawa's ultra luxury housing market is blooming like the tulips this spring, with a significant increase in the number of homes sold worth more than $2 million.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Usyk beats Fury by split decision, becomes undisputed heavyweight champion
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years.
To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.