The report confirmed that the instigation of CCAA restructuring was strategically planned by the administration on the advice of external counsel, thus bypassing the collective agreement provisions with the faculty union regarding financial exigency.
"[14] As part of restructuring, the university announced that it was considering the sale of some of its real estate, including the last undeveloped waterfront on Sudbury's Lake Nepahwin.
[32][33][34][35] In March, the university agreed, with reservations, to start responding to freedom-of-information requests effective May 1, following the intervention of the provincial information and privacy commissioner.
[40]) The filing revealed that over $38 million in restricted funds for scholarships, bursaries and other targeted donations was instead spent as general revenue during the university's spiral into insolvency.
[70] In May, the Ontario Midwifery Consortium announced that it had received temporary funding from the province for Ryerson and McMaster to train virtually the Laurentian transfer students and oversee their placements.
[87] A harbinger of the Laurentian crisis had been Thorneloe's abrupt shutdown in 2020 of its theatre and motion picture arts' programs due to financial pressures.
"[98][99] In April, the federal government gave $1.9 million for a feasibility study to be submitted in support of the institution's application to the province for funding toward that end.
[105] At a November town hall, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine stated that $14 million in bursary funds had been directed to Laurentian before the insolvency, but there was no indication as to their status.
[131] The Greater Sudbury City Council announced plans to provide assistance to Laurentian staff whose positions had been eliminated by helping their search for employment in the region.
[139] The crisis was characterised as a Black Monday for the Franco-Ontarian community, with Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario manager Marie-Pierre Proulx stating that "we don't have any other choice but to take it personally, as an attack on our culture and our situation.
"[140][141] Senator Josée Forest-Niesing stated that "the Francophone minority community in Northern Ontario depends on Laurentian University for its development, support and future.
Kelly Burke, the province's French Language Commissioner, released a statement in April that she was reviewing the situation after receiving criticism over her earlier silence.
"[145] The Regroupement étudiant Franco-ontarien announced that it would be fighting the cuts, stating that "francophone communities are always disproportionately affected by austerity measures in bilingual institutions.
[148][149][150][151] In November, a petition was read in the Ontario legislature urging that all Laurentian programs taught in the French language be transferred to the University of Sudbury.
[167][168] Media coverage and commentary on the crisis has been massive, with over 1,600 news reports, opinion pieces, articles, blog postings, and radio and television broadcasts, according to a listing that has been compiled.
[196] In a joint letter, the Canadian Historical Association and the Institut d'histoire de l'Amérique française condemned the cuts and underlined that Laurentian was "a driving force for regional development and the heart of the Franco-Ontarian community in Mid-Northern Ontario.
[201] Université de Moncton president Denis Prud'homme expressed concern that what had happened at Laurentian could occur elsewhere in Canada, putting minority groups at risk.
[206][207][208][209] The indefinite closure of the university's Jeno Tihanyi Olympic Gold Pool, which occurred in the weeks before the insolvency declaration, also raised concern regarding the future of community swimming programs.
[223] The Ford government and its policies on postsecondary education were a focus of criticism, particularly for its funding cuts and the appointment of Progressive Conservative party supporters to university boards.
[234] In April, the province's auditor general was asked to investigate the university's finances over the past decade following a motion passed by the provincial legislative assembly's standing committee on public accounts.
[237] While the court reserved a decision,[238] the Ontario legislature approved a speaker's warrant that ordered the university (over its protest) to hand over the documents to the public accounts committee.
[239] In speaking in favour of issuing the warrant, Paul Calandra, the government house leader, chastised Laurentian president Robert Haché and board of governors' chair Claude Lacroix, stating that their "utter disrespect for Parliament and the people of Ontario is shameful and we will not let it stand.
[245] Sudbury MPPs Jamie West and France Gélinas subsequently introduced (then reintroduced, following the June provincial election[246]) legislation that would prohibit public institutions from challenging the auditor general's power to access privileged or confidential documents.
[250] An interim board chair was appointed and, on the anniversary of the insolvency declaration, both the Laurentian president and the minister of college and universities published open letters.
[3] Although external factors were acknowledged, the primary cause of the crisis was found to be poorly planned capital expansions that were exacerbated by administrative bloat and weak board and provincial oversight.
The report confirmed that the instigation of CCAA restructuring was strategically planned by the administration on the advice of external counsel, thus bypassing the collective agreement provisions with the faculty union regarding financial exigency.
In addition to confirming the auditor general's findings, the documents shed further light on the factors and motivation that underpinned the university's application to the courts for CCAA restructuring as well as the consultation with the ministry.
[270][271][272][273] Mélanie Joly, who was then the federal minister of economic development and official languages, criticized the provincial government's inaction, stating that it was avoiding its responsibilities.
[275] In late April, the federal government indicated its willingness to provide funding to help resolve the situation, in particular to support French language and Francophone education in Ontario.
[278] Lindsay Mathyssen, federal New Democratic Party critic for women and gender equality, called for a study on the loss of the Laurentian midwifery program.