Université de l'Ontario français

Efforts to establish a Francophone university in central and southwestern Ontario emerged during the 2010s, with several Franco-Ontarian groups, including the Francophone Assembly of Ontario, releasing a report that recommended the creation of a Francophone university within that region on 3 October 2014.[4] A private member's bill to establish a Francophone university was later introduced in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on 26 May 2015. However, the bill failed to pass as the legislature was prorogued.[4] While the legislature was prorogued, a report released from the French Post-Secondary Education Advisory Committee in Central and Southwestern Ontario noted that post-secondary Francophone services were insufficient in central and southwestern Ontario, and recommended establishing a Francophone university within Greater Toronto to help rectify the issue.[4]

The private member's bill was reintroduced on 21 September 2016, after the legislature reconvened.[4] On 22 September, a planning committee was created to help establish the institution, and included the former federal Commissioner of Official Languages; members from other Toronto-based universities including Ryerson University and the University of Toronto; the president of the provincial French-language public broadcaster TFO; and members from other Ontario-based Francophone organizations.[4] The legislation to establish the institution, the Université de l’Ontario français Act, 2017 was passed in 14 December 2017, and formally went into effect on 9 April 2018.[5][4][6] Members of the university's board of governors were appointed shortly afterwards, on 31 December 2018.[7]

However, following the 2018 Ontario general election, the newly formed Progressive Conservative government had announced plans to cancel funding for the establishment of the institution.[6][8] The issue of funding became a major political issue for the new government among the province's Franco-Ontarian residents.[6] However, in September 2019, the governments of Ontario and Canada announced they had signed a memorandum of understanding, which would see both governments provide C$126 million to fund the institution over the following eight years.[6]

The university offered its first academic program in September 2019, a higher education pedagogy program offered to student teachers at Collège La Cité.[9] The university's first graduate certificates were issued for those who completed the program.[9] The institution plans to accept its first cohort of full-time students in fall 2021.[6]

The Université de l'Ontario français is situated in downtown Toronto, near the shoreline of Lake Ontario. The university plans to situate its first campus within 9 Lower Jarvis Street, a high-rise in the East Bayfront neighbourhood of downtown Toronto.[10] The university plans to lease 4,654 square metres (50,100 sq ft) of space within the building, with plans to open the campus to the public by June 2021.[10]

The governance of the university is conducted through the board of governors and the university senate, both of which were established in the Université de l'Ontario français Act, 2017.[1] The board of governors is responsible for governing and managing the university.[1] The board's members includes the university's administration, faculty, student body, and members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council for Ontario.[1] The senate is responsible for the university's academic and education policy, including standards for admission and qualifications for degrees, diplomas, and certificates issued by the university.[1]

The university's president and vice-chancellor serves as the university's chief executive officer,[1] with Normand Labrie named to the position on an interim basis on 4 July 2018.[2] The board of governors is also empowered to appoint a chancellor, who acts as the ceremonial head of the institution.[1] However, the university has not yet appointed a person to the position.

The official instructional language of the university is French.[8] The university is the province's first public university where French is the sole official language of the institution.[8][note 1]

• Higher education in Ontario
• List of universities in Canada

• Official website