On Dec. 20, just four days after Ontario's Advisory Panel on Post-Secondary Education tabled its report the Minister of Education and Training announced a funding "freeze" in transfer payments for universities and colleges. He stated that "universities will receive approximately $1.5 billion and transfers to the colleges will be $686 million." He also announced a funding freeze for transfers to school boards pending the restructuring of the elementary and secondary school system.

The Minister stated that he is studying the recommendations of the advisory panel and "may have further announcements to make early in the new year." One of the announcements will likely be about tuition fees. He specifically referred to the Panel's recommendation that more money be directed to university research as one "that makes a lot of sense to me."

OCUFA notes that the funding "freeze" does not address the continuous underfunding of the university. "Last year, the government cut funding for post-secondary education by $400 million. The government has neither reversed this trend nor made any effort to move funding to the national average. Next year's "freeze" on transfers does not take into account the cost of inflation. In real terms, the government has again cut funding for higher education," said OCUFA President Michael Piva.

OCUFA is a provincial lobbying association representing approximately 11,000 academic staff.