The downtown campus and job creation
Despite all the excitement surrounding
the new downtown arts
campus slated to open next year,
some staff members are regarding
it with caution.
Darryl Bedford, president of OPSEU Local 110, the faculty union, said he is concerned with the creation of full-time positions within the college. "The business plan had indicated 75 positions (would be available downtown). It said full-time staff, so it wasn't clear whether that was all faculty, or whether it was faculty, support staff and administration."
"Some of the programs that they identified (that will reside in the downtown campus) already exist," he continued. "We were wondering if there were faculty being transferred from other campuses, whether it be Citi Plaza or from London campus. A problem we've had in the past is that there will be a promise of job creation — and I don't necessarily blame the college for this; the politicians will promise that jobs will be created — and it doesn't happen."
Dr. Howard Rundle, president of Fanshawe College, said this was not a solid number but an estimation.
"All we do is estimate the number of students (at the new campus), then use a formula, which is just based on the past. That's where the 75 comes from. It's not necessarily 75 full-time staff."
As part of a move to raise awareness about the union's stance on this issue, Bedford and other union members sent letters to local politicians and Fanshawe College officials, urging them to find or provide the funding to hire 75 fulltime staff members.
According to Bedford, the only politician who responded was London West MPP Chris Bentley, who agreed with the union that funding was needed to create fulltime positions.
"We just want to make sure that that money is there; that this just strictly isn't a renovation for a number of downtown buildings, but without the support needed to make it successful," said Bedford.
"In order for Fanshawe College to grow ... we need capital funding, and we need operating funding," explained Rundle. "Those two never come together — they're always separate. Operating comes when the government creates its own budget for the year, and that gives us our operating funding. That's what we use to hire staff, and we need that in order to grow significantly."
"Fanshawe's situation right now is that, even if there were more operating money, right now, today, we couldn't grow our enrolment by any significant amount because we don't have space," he continued. "We have a need for space, and therefore, capital funding."
"You can't just create a building overnight. You can hire staff pretty quickly, but you can't create facilities quickly."
The city of London is considering providing the college with up to $20 million in capital funding to renovate heritage buildings downtown. The union is looking to the province to fund the operating budget.
Bedford said that in a meeting with representatives from the city of London and Fanshawe College on March 14, the union's concerns were echoed. He said that the representatives had indicated that they had wanted to see jobs created, not just moved from one campus to another. "The city did share that concern in that they wanted to see the jobs created (within the college)."
According to Janette MacDonald, manager of the Downtown London organization, the downtown arts campus has the potential to rejuvenate the core of the city and create lots of job opportunities in the downtown district.
"It is absolutely going to increase jobs in the college, and I think the union reps have every right to take care of that, but we have to look at the entire city," she said. "We feel that, not only will it create new jobs within the college, it will definitely create other jobs as well."
"We already have people (coming to us) to say, 'With Fanshawe coming, I have this great business idea,'" she said, adding that many of the businesses are art-themed, including art supply and fabric stores. "People are already speculating on how good it will be."
Darryl Bedford, president of OPSEU Local 110, the faculty union, said he is concerned with the creation of full-time positions within the college. "The business plan had indicated 75 positions (would be available downtown). It said full-time staff, so it wasn't clear whether that was all faculty, or whether it was faculty, support staff and administration."
"Some of the programs that they identified (that will reside in the downtown campus) already exist," he continued. "We were wondering if there were faculty being transferred from other campuses, whether it be Citi Plaza or from London campus. A problem we've had in the past is that there will be a promise of job creation — and I don't necessarily blame the college for this; the politicians will promise that jobs will be created — and it doesn't happen."
Dr. Howard Rundle, president of Fanshawe College, said this was not a solid number but an estimation.
"All we do is estimate the number of students (at the new campus), then use a formula, which is just based on the past. That's where the 75 comes from. It's not necessarily 75 full-time staff."
As part of a move to raise awareness about the union's stance on this issue, Bedford and other union members sent letters to local politicians and Fanshawe College officials, urging them to find or provide the funding to hire 75 fulltime staff members.
According to Bedford, the only politician who responded was London West MPP Chris Bentley, who agreed with the union that funding was needed to create fulltime positions.
"We just want to make sure that that money is there; that this just strictly isn't a renovation for a number of downtown buildings, but without the support needed to make it successful," said Bedford.
"In order for Fanshawe College to grow ... we need capital funding, and we need operating funding," explained Rundle. "Those two never come together — they're always separate. Operating comes when the government creates its own budget for the year, and that gives us our operating funding. That's what we use to hire staff, and we need that in order to grow significantly."
"Fanshawe's situation right now is that, even if there were more operating money, right now, today, we couldn't grow our enrolment by any significant amount because we don't have space," he continued. "We have a need for space, and therefore, capital funding."
"You can't just create a building overnight. You can hire staff pretty quickly, but you can't create facilities quickly."
The city of London is considering providing the college with up to $20 million in capital funding to renovate heritage buildings downtown. The union is looking to the province to fund the operating budget.
Bedford said that in a meeting with representatives from the city of London and Fanshawe College on March 14, the union's concerns were echoed. He said that the representatives had indicated that they had wanted to see jobs created, not just moved from one campus to another. "The city did share that concern in that they wanted to see the jobs created (within the college)."
According to Janette MacDonald, manager of the Downtown London organization, the downtown arts campus has the potential to rejuvenate the core of the city and create lots of job opportunities in the downtown district.
"It is absolutely going to increase jobs in the college, and I think the union reps have every right to take care of that, but we have to look at the entire city," she said. "We feel that, not only will it create new jobs within the college, it will definitely create other jobs as well."
"We already have people (coming to us) to say, 'With Fanshawe coming, I have this great business idea,'" she said, adding that many of the businesses are art-themed, including art supply and fabric stores. "People are already speculating on how good it will be."
