About 2,500 part-time professors at University of Ottawa on strike, suspending courses and nursing placements

About 2,500 part-time teaching professors at the University of Ottawa went on strike at midnight on Saturday, 7 November, and began picketing on campus from Monday, 9 November. It is the first strike in the history of the Association of Teaching Professors of the University of Ottawa (ATPUO), after five months of negotiations failed to produce a new collective agreement.

Members teach more than half of all courses; suspended-course list updated daily

ATPUO says its members teach more than half of all courses, and the strike is suspending many classes, grading, academic support and practicum supervision; the list of suspended courses is posted on the university's Brightspace platform and changes daily, so students must check it before each class. The bachelor of science in nursing program is hit hardest: all clinical placements are suspended, while most other co-op, internship and experiential learning activities are not affected. Full-time professors are represented by a different union and are teaching as usual.

The dispute: class sizes, job security, pay and artificial intelligence

The union's issues include class sizes, job security, fair compensation, working conditions and recognition of the essential role teaching professors play; an October 23 bargaining bulletin also cited the threat of artificial intelligence to academic freedom, the exclusion of teaching professors from the university's board of governors, and a lack of parity in extended health benefits. Members voted overwhelmingly in early September to authorize a strike: 88.2% in the Main Unit, 73.1% in the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute Unit and 100% in the Toronto-Windsor Unit. Conciliation from 13 September failed, and the Ontario Ministry of Labour issued a No-Board report on 21 October; the 17-day cooling-off period expired on 7 November.

University: campus open, students will not be penalized for missed classes

The university says campus remains open, contingency plans are in place to minimize disruption, students will not be penalized for missed classes, and no changes to the academic calendar are planned; some part-time professors have chosen to keep teaching. The university also says study permit holders should not be affected by the labour disruption, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Sources: ATPUO, University of Ottawa, CTV Ottawa, CBC, 7-10 November 2026.