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Via Virtual Meeting room
THE GOVERNING COUNCIL
MARCH 31, 2022
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE GOVERNING COUNCIL held on March 31, 2022 at 4:30 p.m. via virtual meeting.
Pursuant to section 28 (e) and 38 of By-Law Number 2,
consideration of items 12 and 13 took place in camera.
Present:
Brian D. Lawson (Chair), Janet L. Ecker (Vice-Chair), Meric S. Gertler, (President), Cheryl Regehr, (Vice-President and Provost), Harvey T. Botting, David N. Bowden, Vikram Sainadh Chadalawada, Janet Cloud, Ann Curran, Teodora Dechev, Stark Draper, Susan Froom, K. Sonu Gaind, Vina Goghari, Sandra Hanington, Maureen Harquail, Paul Huyer, Sarosh Jamal, Amin Kamaleddin, Shashi Kant, Evan Kanter, Anna Kennedy, Sameer Lal, Ernest W.N. Lam, Mark Lautens, Kikelomo Lawal, Jan K. Mahrt-Smith, Rajiv Mathur, Douglas E. McDougall, Joanne J. McNamara, Mozynah Nofal, Salvatore M. Spadafora, Ryan Teschner, Wisdom J. Tettey, Grace Ann Westcott, Geeta Yadav
Sheree Drummond (Secretary of the Governing Council)
Regrets: Rose M. Patten (Chancellor), Andrew Chen, Ron Levi, Karen Ng, Danielle Skipp, Nhung Tuyet Tran, Veronica Marie Wadey, Kenneth Javier Williams, Vishar Yaghoubian, Samra Zafar, Lara K. Zink
In Attendance:
Leah Cowen (Vice-President, Research, Innovation, and Strategic Initiatives),Alexandra Gillespie (Vice-President & Principal, University of Toronto Mississauga), Kelly Hannah-Moffat (Vice-President, People Strategy, Equity & Culture), Scott Mabury (Vice-President, University Operations and Real Estate Partnerships), David Palmer (Vice-President, University Advancement), Joe Wong (Vice-President, International), Jeff Lennon (Interim Assistant Vice-President, Planning & Budget), Bryn MacPherson (Assistant Vice-President, Office of the President & Chief of Protocol, Office of the President), Derek Newton (Assistant Vice-President, Innovation, Partnerships and Entrepreneurships), Willem Crispin-Frei (President, University of Toronto Students’ Law Society), Omar Gharbiyeh (Vice President, Public and University Affairs, University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU)), Nora Gillespie (Senior Legal Counsel, Office of the Vice-President and Provost), Anthony Gray (Director, Strategic Research, Office of the President), Nadina Jamison (Chief Strategy Officer, Office of the President), Jaime Kearns (President, Association of Part-Time Undergraduate Students (APUS)), Susan Mazza (Special Projects Officer, Office of the President), Nabanita Nawar (Student Entrepreneur),Trevor Rodgers (Chief Financial Officer), Archana Sridhar (Assistant Provost); Ali Syed (Advocacy Lead and General Executive of the Computer Science Students’ Union (CSSU)), Kristin Taylor (University Counsel and Chief Legal Officer, Office of the President)
Secretariat:
Anwar Kazimi, Kristi Gourlay, Samantha Frost, Tracey Gameiro, Patrick McNeill
- Chair’s Remarks
The Chair welcomed members and guests to the meeting. He opened his remarks by expressing deep regret for the death of Ms Joan Johnston, Alumni Governor and member of the Executive Committee, on March 4th.
The Chair advised members that seven speaking requests had been received from community members who had asked to address the Governing Council about Item 3, Tuition Fees and Budget. The requests from the three individuals who did not represent a student government were declined. The requests of Mr. Willem Crispin-Frei, President, University of Toronto Students’ Law Society, Mr. Omar Gharbiyeh, Vice President, Public and University Affairs, University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU), Ms Jamie Kearns, President, Association of Part-time Students’ Union (APUS), and Mr. Ali Syed, Advocacy Lead and General Executive of the Computer Science Students’ Union (CSSU) had been granted.
The Chair went on to announce the election results for the 2022-2023 governance year.
The following Alumni Governors had been elected by the College of Electors on February 23rd to serve three-year terms starting July 1st, 2022:- Indi Gopinathan (BASc, Civil Engineering, 1996)
- R. Scott MacKendrick (BASc, Civil Engineering, 1982)
- Eha Naylor (BLA, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, 1980)
- The following teaching staff members had been elected for three-year terms:
- Professor Glen Bandiera (Temerty Faculty of Medicine)
- Professor David Zingg (Institute for Aerospace Studies)
And the following teaching staff had been re-elected:
- Professor K. Sonu Gaind (Faculty of Arts & Science, Department of Psychiatry)
- Professor Mark Lautens (Faculty of Arts & Science, Department of Chemistry)
The following administrative staff member had been re-elected to serve a three-year term: = - Sarosh Jamal
The following student members had been elected to serve one-year terms:
- Annabelle Dravid (Full Time Undergraduate student – University of Toronto Scarborough)
- Jessica Johnson (Full Time Undergraduate student – Faculty of Arts & Science, Woodsworth College)
- Madeline Kalda (Full Time Undergraduate student – Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering)
- Dveeta Lal (Full Time Undergraduate student – Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education)
- Summer Hart (Graduate student – Temerty Faculty of Medicine).
- Arman Rasekh (Graduate student – Rotman School of Management)
In addition, Susan Froom (Part-Time Undergraduate student – Faculty of Arts & Science, Trinity College) had been re-elected by acclamation.
The Chair also noted the appointment of a new Lieutenant-Governor-in-Council (LGIC) member, Ms Mary-Agnes Wilson, and the reappointment of Ms Anna Kennedy and Ms Joanne McNamara for a second three-year term.
The Chair thanked members who were not returning for their service to governance. He also thanked the College of Electors, Chief Returning Officer, Deputy Returning Officers, and Elections Committee for their hard work overseeing the elections process.
- Report of the President
President Gertler opened his remarks by welcoming Dr. Derek Newton, Assistant Vice-President, Innovation, Partnerships and Entrepreneurship and Ms Nabanita Nawar, CEO and co-founder of HDAX Therapeutics (a drug discovery start-up) and a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemistry & Physical Sciences at the University of Toronto Mississauga.
Dr. Newton focussed his remarks on the growth and success of the University’s entrepreneurship programs, including the expansion of opportunities and resources to support entrepreneurial activity on all three campuses. He highlighted the many tri-campus engines of innovation, as well as the Intellectual Property Education Program, the annual Entrepreneurship Week, and the Black Founders Network. He noted that the University was Canada’s leading engine for research-based start-ups and a global leader in transforming ideas into products and services that impact the world. Ms Nawar spoke about her educational journey at the University and how she had interacted with, benefited from, and contributed to the University’s outstanding entrepreneurial initiatives. She shared her experience of founding her start-up company and how the resources and mentorship available at the University had supported her success.
President Gertler thanked Ms Nawar and Dr. Newton for their presentation and for sharing their insights and experiences.
The Chair thanked the presenters for their remarks and observed that they had provided an important opportunity for governors to learn about the growth and success of the University’s entrepreneurial eco-system.
Ukraine
The President continued his remarks by addressing the situation in Ukraine. He referenced his March 1st letter to the community in which he had expressed outrage and sorrow over the Russian government's decision to invade Ukraine. The letter had condemned the violence and offered support to the many members of the University’s Ukrainian community, as well as those individuals from across the region and beyond, who had been impacted by these tragic events. This included members of the Russian community who opposed the war and sought a peaceful resolution. He emphasized the unique responsibility and capacity of universities during challenging times like these to foster deeper understanding of complex issues through dialogue, discussion, and debate, and to advance the human condition globally through education, discovery, and outreach.
The President reported on several specific actions the federal government had taken concerning the situation in Ukraine that had a direct impact on the higher education sector. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada had announced new immigration streams for Ukrainians who wanted to come to Canada temporarily or permanently. On March 11th, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, had issued a joint open letter to Canada's research granting councils in response to the Russian invasion. The letter had included a number of guidelines related to federally funded research collaboration with Russian research institutions and industry and had established a special response fund to support Ukrainian research trainees. He noted that the University would continue to monitor any new programs and announcements as the situation evolved.
The President announced that the University had substantially increased its investment in the Scholars-at-Risk Fund which supported refugee, asylum-seeking, or other students whose education had been impacted by unstable political environments. The University would match all donations to the Fund up to $1,000,000 from those wishing to support qualified students from Ukraine coming to U of T as a result of the war. He reported that the response had thus far been very strong. He noted that this support was in addition to the University’s Emergency Grant program which was available to support the urgent needs of current students whose financial circumstances had been affected by unforeseeable emergencies. The President also spoke to the University’s commitment to supporting the mental health of those who had been impacted by the war, noting a range of support services available to members of the community.
Federal Updates
President Gertler reported that on March 22nd, Prime Minister Trudeau and Mr. Jagmeet Singh had announced that a supply and confidence agreement had been reached by the Liberals and NDP. The arrangement would last until Parliament rises in June 2025, allowing four budgets to be presented by the government during this time. The two parties had agreed to focus on several priority actions including dental and pharma care, affordability, climate change, worker rights, and reconciliation. He noted that the Honourable Chrystia Freeland had announced that the next Federal Budget would be tabled on April 7th.
Provincial Updates
The President reported that the Government of Ontario had recently announced that the post-secondary tuition freeze they had implemented in 2019-20 would continue through 2022-23. He noted that this anticipated news had been built into the University’s proposed Budget and Tuition Fee Schedule that was to be considered by Governors in the current Council meeting. The Government had also recently announced their support for U of T’s Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health (SAMIH) as a part of their larger commitment to expand medical school education across the province. SAMIH would receive new funding for additional MD spaces, medical residencies, Physical Therapy spaces, and undergraduate life sciences students. These newly funded spaces would be complemented by the relocation of some Physician Assistant spaces and Nurse Practitioner spaces from the St. George campus to Scarborough, to fulfill the Integrated Health educational model. He noted that this project represented the culmination of several years of intensive advocacy on the University’s part and congratulated all of those involved.
Municipal Updates
President Gertler reported that City of Toronto Councillors and key staff had been invited to the St. George Campus for a presentation on the University’s Climate Positive Campus plan for which they had shown considerable interest. He also reported that on behalf of the University, he had been invited to join the Toronto Region Board of Trade’s Climate Economy Strategic Council, which aimed to help Toronto achieve its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, while also stimulating the growth of the promising local cleantech sector.
Anti-Asian Racism Task Force
The President reported that the formation of an Anti-Asian Racism Task Force would soon be announced. Following the model of the Antisemitism Working Group and the Anti-Black Racism Task Force, the Anti-Asian Racism Task Force would have the goal of combatting anti-Asian racism and promoting Asian inclusion and excellence within the University of Toronto tri-campus community.
Spring Convocation
President Gertler reported that plans were well underway for 32 in-person Spring Convocation ceremonies in June, subject to any changes in public health directives. He noted that there would be no Convocation Plaza marquee this year due to the ongoing construction of the Landmark Project, but that the University was working to replicate some of the notable features that the Plaza had added to Convocation. He also reported that celebrations were being planned in the fall and winter for the 41,000 students who had graduated virtually in 2020 and 2021 and had been unable to attend an in-person ceremony due to public health restrictions. He emphasized that the health and safety of the community remained the University’s top priorities, and public health directives and guidelines would be monitored closely.
The President concluded his remarks by expressing his gratitude to Professor Sal Spadafora, whose term as Special Advisor to the President on COVID-19 had ended that day. He formally acknowledged Professor Spadafora’s contributions in helping the university adapt to the many challenges associated with the pandemic, and to help the University navigate a course toward recovery.
COVID-19 Update
The Provost provided a brief update on the changing campus health measures for the summer term. She reported that on March 29th, the University had announced that effective May 1st, individuals wishing to come to University premises would no longer be required to complete health screening via UCheck or be fully vaccinated for in-person campus activities and masks would become optional in most indoor University spaces. She noted that this announcement had been made with the understanding that some or all of these requirements might be reinstated on short notice should public health conditions or guidance change. Other safety measures such as the ventilation upgrades and improvements would remain in place.
The Provost also referred to the new University Resilience Project Team. The Team, under the guidance of Provostial Advisor Professor Nicholas Rule, would soon begin its work of considering longer-term decision-making and strategy based on what had been learned during the pandemic, with the goal of ensuring the resilience of the University in future times of challenge.
Professor Regehr concluded her remarks by echoing the President’s gratitude to Professor Spadafora for his leadership on COVID-19 over the past year.
A member expressed enthusiasm for the Students-at-Risk initiative and suggested that the University further promote this opportunity. The President thanked the member for the suggestion which he said would be considered.
The Chair thanked the President and Provost for their reports.
- Tuition Fees and Budget
The Provost provided an overview of the key priorities in the Budget Report 2022-23 and Long Range Budget Guidelines 2022-23 to 2026-27. She reported that the University continued to be in positive financial shape overall despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and noted that the Long Range Budget Guidelines planned for a balanced budget in each of the five years. Professor Regehr reported that the total budgeted operating revenue for 2022-23 of $3.23 billion was an increase of $110 million over the previous year. The Budget reflected a freeze in domestic tuition fees, increased diversified international enrolment, and a continued shift in the balance of funding between tuition and provincial operating grants. Key budget priorities were focused on students and included redesign of mental health services and expanded counselling options; increased experiential learning and research experiences; the Climate Positive Campus plan; renewal of academic spaces and creation of new non-academic spaces; increased spending on financial aid; investment in programs to support international students; and investment in equity, diversity, and inclusion supports and initiatives.
The Council received overviews from Professor Salvatore Spadafora, Chair of the Academic Board, on the discussion at the Academic Board meeting on March 10th and from the Chair of the Business Board, Ms Anna Kennedy, about the discussion at the Business Board’s meeting on March 15th. They noted that external speakers had been granted speaking privileges at their respective meetings.
The Chair then asked the external speakers to address the Council.
Mr. Ali Syed spoke on behalf of the Computer Science Students’ Union regarding differential tuition for Computer Science, Bioinformatics, and Data Science programs, noting that it was unfair for some to pay more for the same degree. He noted that some graduates may not make higher incomes and added that higher tuition had an impact on student mental health.
Mr. Omar Gharbiyeh, speaking on behalf of the University of Toronto Students’ Union, recommended that the University allocate an additional $1.5 million to the Sexual Violence and Prevention Support Centre (SVPSC), review its financial aid programs for international students with a shift to needs-based funding, and adopt 21st century pedagogy with the installation of classroom technology and additional IT support for instructors.
Mr. Crispin-Frei, speaking on behalf of the University of Toronto Law Students’ Society, spoke against the introduction of a two-tiered tuition structure for domestic students. He suggested that it would damage the reputation and prestige of the Faculty of Law and send the message that the University did not value talented out-of-province students, which would have an impact on diversity.
Ms Kearns, speaking on behalf of the Association of Part-Time Undergraduate Students, also spoke against the proposal to introduce differential fees for in- and out-of-province students, commenting that it would have a detrimental impact on Indigenous students. She asked that the University consider plans to support those students.
In response to the issues raised by the external speakers, the Provost responded that with regard to the Budget the University was committed to:- considering additional funding for the SVPSC for next year’s budget;
- making continued investments in technology to enhance teaching and learning; and
- providing financial support for international students through the international scholars and other programs.
With respect to the tuition structure for Computer Science, Bioinformatics, and Data Science programs and the proposed differentiated tuition structure, Professor Regehr advised that:
- students in high-demand programs benefited from the same Student Access Guarantee as students in other programs and together with other forms of financial aid;
- considerable effort had been made at the Faculty of Law to ensure that students had access to financial aid programs;
- the University was committed to ensuring the access and success of Indigenous students – in addition to regular funding programs, there were specialized scholarship programs and bursaries; and
- the University would address issues of access to mental health services through the redesign process underway.
During the discussion that followed, members raised the following questions:
- whether the diversity of the University would be affected if students from other provinces facing higher costs;
- how the Faculty of Law had responded to the arguments raised by students
- had there been any exploration of divisional approaches to the bifurcated domestic tuition proposal that would reflect the different impacts this change might have across divisions;
- was the decision to apply the same tuition structure to all divisions based on data and evidence, or rather around fairness and ease of implementation;
- was there a difference in public funding for in- and out-of-province students;
- was there an opportunity to do more early consultation with students regarding tuition fees;
- whether differential tuition would become unjustified should the trend towards integrating data science and computational science throughout the curriculum continue; and
- whether the impact of differentiated domestic tuition fees on student accessibility and recruitment had been assessed by other provinces that utilized this fees structure.
In response, the Provost advised that:
- the University would review data to consider the impact over time of differential out-of-province tuition and would report back to governance;
- the decision on out-of-province fees had been made with fairness in mind and would apply to all undergraduate programs across the board;
- academic planning occurred at the divisional level – any significant changes would be reviewed by the University;
- the Provincial Government provided the same funding for all domestic students;
- Nova Scotia and Quebec have had differential fees for a long period, efforts would be made to see if there had been any analysis done in Quebec or Nova Scotia on this issue, and;
- there were other forms of education differentiation that occurred across other provinces.
A member then addressed the Council to explain their intention to vote against the Tuition Fee Schedule for Publicly-Funded Programs, 2022-23. The member indicated that they shared many of the concerns expressed by the external presenters regarding the fee structure for Computer Science, Bioinformatics, and Data Science programs and that as the Chair had advised that the option to divide the motion would not be in order they were left with voting against the motion. The member indicated that they supported the remainder of the Fee Schedule.
- Annual Report on Student Financial Support 2020-21: Vice-Provost, Students
The Annual Report was received for information.
- Tuition Fee Schedules for Publicly Funded Programs, 2022-23
On motion duly made, seconded, and carried
IT WAS RESOLVED
THAT the 2022-23 tuition fees as described in the Tuition Fee Schedule for Publicly-Funded Programs 2022-23 (March 1, 2022) be approved.
- Tuition Fee Schedule for Self-Funded Programs, 2022-23
On motion duly made, seconded, and carried
IT WAS RESOLVED
THAT the Tuition Fee Schedule for Self-Funded Programs for 2022-23 be approved.
- Budget Report 2022-23 and Long-Range Budget Guidelines 2022-23 to 2026-27
On motion duly made, seconded, and carried
IT WAS RESOLVED
THAT the Budget Report 2022-23 be approved, and
THAT the Long-Range Budget Guidelines 2022-23 to 2026-27 be approved in principle
- Annual Report on Student Financial Support 2020-21: Vice-Provost, Students
- Capital Project (Level 3): Report of the Project Planning Committee for the Harbord Residence, A New Graduate Residence on Harbord Street -- Project Scope and Sources of Funding
Professor Mabury provided a brief overview of the project highlighting the following points:- the new residence would provide 182 new spots;
- the structure would be physically connected to and integrated with the existing Graduate Residence; and
- the project grew out of a joint planning exercise with the Huron-Sussex Neighbourhood Association which had given strong support for the project.
Professor Spadafora reported that there had been no discussion of the item at the Academic Board meeting.
Mr. Vikram Chadalawada, Chair of the University Affairs Board, reported that at the Board’s meeting on March 3rd, the administration had responded to questions from members noting that the new residence would address some of the current graduate accommodation needs, ventilation had been a significant part of the discussion and planning process, and that there was a self-contained HVAC for the building.
Members had no questions or comments about this item.
On a motion duly moved, seconded, and carried
IT WAS RESOLVED
THAT the project scope of the Harbord Residence, as identified in the Report of the Project Planning Committee for Harbord Residence, A New Graduate Residence on Harbord Street, dated January 14, 2022, be approved in principle; and,
THAT the project totaling 9,415.77 gross square metres (gsm), be approved in principle, to be funded by financing.
- Capital Project (Level 3): Report of the Project Planning Committee for the University of Toronto Emerging and Pandemic Infections Centre (EPIC) Facility (St George) -- Project Scope and Sources of Funding
Professor Mabury provided a brief overview of the project. He advised that the current containment Level 3 facility housed in the west wing of the medical science building was nearing the end of its lifespan and needed to be replaced. The new EPIC facility would address space constraints with a larger facility.
Professor Spadafora reported that there had been no discussion of the item at the Academic Board meeting.
Members had no comments or questions about this item.
On a motion duly moved, seconded, and carried
IT WAS RESOLVED
THAT the project scope of the Emerging and Pandemic Infections Centre (EPIC) Facility as identified in the Report of the Project Planning Committee for the University of Toronto Emerging and Pandemic Infections Centre (EPIC) Facility, dated February 10, 2022, be approved in principle; and,
THAT the project totaling 1,124 net assignable square metres (nasm) 2,138 gross square metres (gsm), be approved in principle, to be funded by Temerty Faculty of Medicine (TFoM) Operating Funds, TFoM Dean’s Covid Priority Fund, Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) / Ontario Research Fund (ORF) and Fundraising.
CONSENT AGENDA
On motion duly made, seconded, and carried
IT WAS RESOLVED
THAT the consent agenda be adopted and Item 6 approved.
- Minutes of the Previous Meeting of the Governing Council, February 15, 2022
The minutes of the previous meeting were approved.
- Business arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting.
There was no business arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting.
- Reports for Information
The following reports were received for information.- Report Number 52 of the University of Toronto Mississauga Campus Council (March 8, 2022)
- Report Number 52 of the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus Council (March 9, 2022)
- Report Number 238 of the Academic Board (March 10, 2022)
- Report Number 227 of the University Affairs Board (March 3, 2022)
- Report Number 263 of the Business Board (March 15, 2022)
- Report Number 529 of the Executive Committee (March 22, 2022)
END OF CONSENT AGENDA
- Date of Next Meeting – Thursday, May 19, 2022 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
The Chair noted that the date of the next meeting was Thursday, May 19 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. and would be held in person.
- Question Period
There were no questions from members.
- Other Business
In Camera Session
The Governing Council moved in camera.
- Capital Project (Level 3): Report of the Project Planning Committee for the Harbord Residence, A New Graduate Residence on Harbord Street -- Project Cost and Sources of Funding
On motion duly made, seconded. and carried
IT WAS RESOLVED
THAT the Total Project Cost and Sources of Funding for the Harbord Residence -- A New Graduate Residence on Harbord Street as outlined in the memorandum from Professor Scott Mabury, dated March 24, 2022, be approved in principle.
- Capital Project (Level 3): Report of the Project Planning Committee for the University of Toronto Emerging and Pandemic Infections Centre (EPIC) Facility (St George) -- Project Cost and Sources of Funding
On motion duly made, seconded. and carried
IT WAS RESOLVED
THAT the Total Project Cost and Sources of Funding of the Emerging and Pandemic Infections Centre (EPIC) Facility as outlined in the memorandum from Professor Scott Mabury, dated March 24, 2022, be approved in principle.
The meeting returned to open session.
The meeting adjourned at 6:49 p.m.
April 22, 2022