by Lexey Burns, Editor-in-Chief
With over 150 accredited media personnel in the meeting, a virtual press conference with Ontario’s Minister of Colleges and Universities, Ross Romano, was much anticipated.
Reporters were hoping Romano would answer questions about Laurentian University’s insolvency process and address the cancellation of almost 70 programs, affecting close to 100 faculty members and 900 students.
Instead, Romano, along with John Hepburn, CEO of Mitacs, made an announcement about a $39.5 million investment to create up to 8,000 paid internships postsecondary students, postdoctoral fellows and recent graduates.
Hepburn said “April showers, bring May flowers” and that Mitacs’ partnership with the government is “not only, creating honey, but growing the flowers initially.”
“We’re doing everything here. So the way we do this, is we connect businesses with post-secondary talent to help the businesses innovate, expand, create jobs,” Hepburn said.
Before the meeting even started, I became discouraged as reporters were only permitted one question with one follow up. But not every reporter had the opportunity to question the minister.
The first question was in regards to Laurentian University and its cancelled midwifery program.
Kristin Rushowy from the Toronto Star asked “what the government is doing, if anything to try and save this program?”
Romano dodged this comment by saying “clearly, we can’t get into the details of what is happening in a court process,” and said he would be happy to chat with Rushowy after “in a separate conversation.”
He then diverted participants’ attention back “to the great… partnership with Mitacs that we’re here to talk about today.”
Rushowy followed up with questioning if the possible personal bias between Alan Harrison and Laurentian’s President Robert Hache was considered when appointing Alan Harrison to report on Laurentian’s financial situation.
Romano did not acknowledge if the personal connection between Harrison and Hache was considered and once again diverted from the topic of Laurentian back to the pilot program, “but suffice is to say that there is actually a really strong connection, what we’re here to talk about today… and that is to be able to benefit a lot of those research projects, and a lot of the benefiting a lot of the good that it does for the region in terms of the mining, and so many other sectors that the North really relies on as a result of work.”
Three other questions were answered and Scott Clark, Romano’s press secretary, quickly wrapped up the meeting, “Thank you very much everybody for attending. That concludes our event. Thanks to all of our speakers today. And as always, if you have any questions, you can email me. Thank you so much.”
And with that the meeting ended.
I had sent in a question via the Zoom chat to be answered, and was not acknowledged. I also saw other participants with their “hands up” in the zoom call, waiting to ask questions.
Following the virtual meeting, Clark emailed me saying “My apologies that we were short on time and did not get to your question.”
I’m confused as to how they were short on time. The meeting itself was less than 40 minutes.
Wouldn’t it be safe to assume the Minister would allow more than a grand total of three people to ask questions?
Romano, despite claiming he cannot do anything during the CCAA, had an opportunity to intervene before this proceedings was initiated as the CCAA is being used inappropriately.
The CCAA is a legislation created for private sector corporations, not public universities.
He is now, admiring his May flowers while Laurentian faculty, staff and students are still dealing with April’s rain, as the looming CCAA deadline quickly approaches.