The Vanier College Teachers’ Association
🎉 Wishing You a Wonderful Winter Break!
As the semester winds down, we want to thank you for your hard work and dedication throughout the year. We hope you have a safe, restful, and well-deserved winter holiday and return refreshed for the new year. We look forward to seeing you in the new year!
✒️ The Staffing of French Courses
As the implementation of Law 14 moves forward, many departments began offering courses in French in Fall 2024. Staffing plans for these courses will be prepared next semester, and the VCTA is actively collaborating with the College to ensure that departments are well-informed and prepared to plan effectively.
Our new Collective Agreement includes provisions to support a smooth transition. These measures are designed to protect teachers’ employment and working conditions, facilitate francization, and promote the equitable implementation of the law.
The agreement specifies how French courses will be allocated within departments, emphasizing that teaching these courses is a collective responsibility shared by all teachers in a department. To maintain fairness, teaching loads will be distributed equitably, taking into account teachers’ language proficiency. The goal is to minimize situations where teachers might face reduced teaching loads due to insufficient French proficiency.
In the short term, this may mean that teachers with sufficient French proficiency will be required to teach French courses. However, temporary measures are in place to protect the seniority and priority of teachers who are assigned French courses but lack the necessary language proficiency. These provisions demonstrate a commitment to balancing the implementation of the law with the protection of teachers’ rights and working conditions.
The College recently issued a memo on December 2 titled “GUIDELINES CONCERNING LOI 14 AND THE ASSIGNING OF COURSES IN FRENCH (For the Winter 2025 Semester and Beyond)”. The memo details important information about who qualifies for francization and what it entails. It highlights that:
Teachers can self-assess their ability to teach courses in French using three criteria: fluency in French, completion of post-secondary studies in French, or prior experience teaching in French.
Departments are responsible for assigning French courses equitably, ensuring the best-suited teachers take on these courses while respecting hiring priorities.
Teachers who meet the criteria but would benefit from additional preparation for teaching in French may request release time. Examples of eligible activities include enrolling in a recognized French course or shadowing a teacher offering a similar course in French.
The memo also explains that resources are available to help teachers refine their French language skills but are not designed for beginners. Teachers whose proficiency is not yet sufficient to teach in French are encouraged to explore other professional development resources with their Dean or HRS.
If you have questions or need further information about accessing these resources, please feel free to contact the VCTA at vcta@vaniercollege.qc.ca.
🚨 Investigation into Campus Climate at Vanier and Dawson College
Quebec’s Higher Education Minister, Pascale Déry, recently announced an investigation into the campus climates at Vanier and Dawson Colleges. The administrations of both institutions have expressed surprise at the announcement, noting that it does not align with their current understanding of their campus environments. At this time, details regarding how the investigation will be conducted have not been disclosed.
Nevertheless, the VCTA remains committed to ensuring that teachers’ rights are safeguarded throughout any investigation process. We will work to protect their professional autonomy and academic freedom while emphasizing the importance of fostering a safe, inclusive, and dynamic learning environment for all.
The VCTA has issued the following statement to the media:
“The mission of a higher education institution such as Vanier College is to provide its students with a rich learning experience that prepares them for academic and professional success as engaged global citizens. This mission is also embraced by the Vanier College Teachers’ Association. To this end, the union ensures respect for the professional autonomy of its members and the exercise of their academic freedom, aiming to establish the conditions necessary for delivering high-quality education to the student community. In this regard, maintaining a safe environment for everyone on campus is essential and must align with the need to address any issue or current topic freely and respectfully, taking into account the diversity of our community members and allowing students to express themselves, exchange ideas, and engage with these issues.
We believe that the current regulations under which colleges operate allow them to fulfill their mission effectively. Therefore, given the surprise expressed by the administrations of the colleges targeted by this announcement, the union questions the relevance of the investigation commissioned by Minister Déry and the motives suggested for its initiation, which seem disconnected from the observed reality of campus life. In our view, the challenges that currently need addressing are the ones related to the financing of programs and infrastructure across the CEGEP network.
That said, if the conduct of such an investigation were to be confirmed, the union would cooperate with it, with the aim of maintaining an environment that is both safe and conducive to fulfilling the educational mission of CEGEPs. It would also strive to ensure that the entire community can participate and express itself in all its diversity.”
🗓️ Changes to Processing Times of Professional Development Expense Reports
Please be advised that there will be a change to the timeline for processing Professional Development (PD) Expense Reports. Starting in January 2025, reports will be sent to Finance for processing once a month, rather than every two weeks.
With this adjustment, reimbursements, which previously appeared on your pay cheque within 2-4 weeks, may now take approximately 4-6 weeks to process and reflect.
To help keep things running smoothly and ensure the shortest possible turnaround time, we’ll be sending out friendly reminders to submit Expense Reports on time. Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated in helping us make this process as efficient as possible.
📣 Call for Auditors
We’re looking for several awesome volunteers to help review our financial statements, documents, and accounting entries for the past two years. No experience? No problem! We’ll provide all the training you need—it’s easy, and you’ll learn something new!
This task will only take about 4-6 hours of your time, and to make it even better, we’ll treat you to a meal while you work. Want to make it more fun? Bring a friend or colleague to team up—it goes faster and is way more enjoyable when you tackle it together!
Your help makes a big difference in ensuring our association stays transparent and accountable. If you’d like to join or have any questions, please contact us at vcta@vaniercollege.qc.ca.
📣 Call for Volunteers – Association Council Subcommittee on AI
In May 2023, the Conseil supérieur de l’éducation (CSE) and the Commission de l’éthique en science et en technologie (CEST) formed a joint committee of experts to examine the pedagogical and ethical implications of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in Quebec’s higher education system. Their report highlights both the opportunities and challenges posed by this technology, emphasizing the importance of aligning AI with learning objectives, maintaining academic integrity, and addressing ethical concerns like privacy and misinformation. Recommendations include promoting digital literacy, equitable resource access, and institutional collaboration, with the Ministry of Higher Education urged to lead efforts in responsible AI integration while respecting academic freedom.
To engage with these critical issues, we are forming a subcommittee of Association Council to explore the impact of generative AI on teaching and learning. The committee will address topics such as support for educators, strategies to uphold academic integrity, and long-term goals for responsible AI use.
We invite all interested faculty members to join this important initiative. For more information or to participate, please send us an email at vcta@vaniercollege.qc.ca by January 10th, 2025 . Your contributions will be invaluable as we shape an inclusive and ethical academic approach to this transformative technology.
📅 Save the Date – General Assembly & Happy Hour
Please join us for the last General Assembly of the semester on Wednesday, December 18 at 3pm in the Amphitheatre, to be followed by a Happy Hour celebration in Jake’s Mall.
More information and GA agenda to come.
We hope to see you in large numbers to share in syndical solidarity and good cheer!
👉 How it Works
On occasion we will be adding a “How it Works” column as an attachment to the News Bulletin. In this edition, we are taking a look at how to read your contract.
How to Read Your Contract
Your employment contract contains essential details about your pay, workload, and recognized qualifications, and understanding it ensures you receive the compensation and benefits you’re entitled to. To help you verify key values like your scholarity, seniority, and pay scale, we’ve prepared a guide that includes a detailed breakdown and a table for quick reference.
The attached guide will make it easy for you to confirm that your pay accurately reflects your qualifications and experience. Whether you’re new to teaching or just want to double-check your details, the guide provides clear explanations of each contract value and how they impact your salary and workload.
For your convenience, we’ve also included a table that allows you to cross-reference your scholarity and echelon with the correct pay scale. If you have questions or notice discrepancies, we encourage you to reach out to us for assistance at vcta@vaniercollege.qc.ca
📅 Dates of Upcoming
- General Assembly (Amphitheatre)
- Wednesday, December 18 (3:00)
- CRT (Thursdays, 2:00 – 4:00; on TEAMS)
- February 20
- April 10
- April 17
- April 24
- May 1
- May 8