SUDBURY -- Reaction is coming in to news of widespread program and staffing cuts at Laurentian University in Sudbury.
Mayor Brian Bigger tweeted that, as a LU grad himself, he is "hugely disappointed" with Monday's news.
"I know this was a very difficult day for everyone at Laurentian University, including over 100 people who have lost their jobs. I am thinking of all of you during this very difficult time," Bigger said.
"I have and will continue to speak to government about the importance of Laurentian to our community, and to listen to all of you who have expressed concern to me."
And the provincial organization representing faculty in Ontario is calling for the resignation of Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano.
"These devastating cuts are the direct result of negligence on the part of the minister, who was well aware of the financial challenges Laurentian was facing at least six months before they became public," the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations said in a news release.
"Romano has not done the work needed to support Laurentian University and its students, faculty, or community. Ontario’s university faculty and academic librarians have lost confidence and trust in the minister’s commitment to the university sector."
“This news is devastating for the faculty and staff who have dedicated their lives to Laurentian University,” Rahul Sapra, president of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations, said in a news release.
“The impacts of these cuts will be felt well beyond the halls of Laurentian. They will reverberate throughout the Greater Sudbury area, hurting students, hard-working families, and the local economy.”
And the organization representing students in Ontario called for Romano to prove that he supports Laurentian.
"Communities and students in the north continue to ask, 'Where is MPP Ross Romano?'” said a release from the Canadian Federation of Students Ontario. "The Minister of Colleges and Universities has claimed that they are committed to Laurentian, that they will ensure students are protected, stating that no students will suffer in any way, that students will not be impacted and that students will not lose a year of study.
"But the reality of today’s announcements and the inaction from the minister and government has been nothing but broken promises ... It is time for Minister Romano and the Government of Ontario to provide adequate funding for Laurentian University."
