LAAUW stands with library colleagues at Ontario college libraries

LAAUW sent the below-copied letter to the office of the Premier of Ontario and the Ministry of Colleges and Universities in Ontario. 

Subject: Urgent Call to Support Ontario College Libraries 

As academic staff, we are writing to express our support for our professional colleagues across Ontario’s colleges and our deep concern about the future of college libraries in our province.  

The current acute budget crisis, worsened by decades of provincial financial neglect, is leading to widespread layoffs of librarians and library technicians. These cuts are dismantling the very infrastructure that supports student learning and success.  

By teaching students how to navigate information, libraries help develop critical thinking, information literacy, digital literacy, and independent learning skills. These are required both during and after college, especially for members of critical labour forces, such as nursing, technology, and engineering.  

Without immediate action, we risk the quality of education and workforce readiness of Ontario’s students. We urge the Ontario government to take the following actions:  

• Provide an emergency infusion of $1.4 billion to stabilize the college sector—an amount equal to the government’s own projected revenue loss for 2024–25.  
• Commit to an additional $1.34 billion in annual funding to bring Ontario in line with the national average for per-student investment.  

This funding is not a luxury—it is a necessity. The future of Ontario’s students, colleges, and economy depends on it.  

Respectfully, and on behalf of the Librarians’ and Archivists' Association of the University of Waterloo,   

Rebecca Hutchinson  

LAAUW President (2024-2026)  

N.B. This letter is not endorsed by, nor does it speak on behalf of the University of Waterloo Library.