Faculty on strike at Laurentian University, classes temporarily cancelled

Faculty, academic librarians and counsellors represented by the Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) in Sudbury, Ont. are on strike.

Union says mediated talks reached impasse Sunday afternoon

Martha Dillman, Gabrielle Huston · CBC News · Posted: Jan 19, 2026 6:05 AM EST | Last Updated: January 20

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people hold picket lines during a strike in Sudbury — Faculty represented by the Laurentian Universtiy Faculty Association are on strike at Laurentian University in Sudbury. (Frederic Projean/Radio-Canada)

Faculty, academic librarians and counsellors represented by the Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) in Sudbury, Ont. are on strike.

The strike took effect as of 12:01 AM on Monday morning, after the union said mediated talks reached an impasse Sunday afternoon.

“We made enormous sacrifices to keep Laurentian alive,” LUFA president, Fabrice Colin said in a media release.

“Throughout the insolvency process, we did our part to save this institution. Our members endured job losses, the dismantling of our pension plan, wage rollbacks and dramatically increased workloads. We did everything asked of us to help stabilize this university. Now that Laurentian is financially stable, it’s time for the Board of Governors to step up and do its part.”

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In a statement, the university said “this is not the outcome we had hoped for, and we understand these events will provoke a range of emotions.”

The university said the campus remains open, but all classes are suspended temporarily.

Young adults are seen sitting on large steps and holding signs proclaiming support of Laurentian University faculty. — Students at a rally in support of Laurentian University faculty are seen on Jan. 16, 2026. (Gabrielle Huston/CBC)

The university added it made an offer that is “fair, reasonable and sustainable in the circumstances.”

“We acknowledge the critical role that LUFA members play both inside and outside the classroom,” the university said.

“We recognize that the university community has been through a tremendously difficult few years. LUFA members have remained committed to Laurentian, and we have a deep appreciation for their efforts in restoring Laurentian to its current status and charting its future. We continue our commitment to negotiating in good faith to find an agreement that is fair to LUFA members while protecting the long-term financial sustainability of the university.”

Their working conditions are our learning conditions."- Kiandra Holmes, Laurentian University student

Students concerned

On Friday, before the strike officially began, some students at the university held a demonstration in support of the faculty.

"I have really great relationships with a lot of my professors and it's been very disheartening to see them treated unfairly by the board," said Kiandra Holmes, a student who organized the event.

A woman wearing black glasses with long black hair smiles at the camera. She is standing in front of other young adults holding signs. — Kiandra Holmes, a fourth-year student at Laurentian University, said she's worried that a placement she needs to complete to graduate could be affected by the strike. (Gabrielle Huston/CBC)

Holmes and other students referenced achieving "Laurentian 3.0" and moving on from "CCAA" (an acronym that stands for Companies Creditors' Arrangement Act, but which Holmes used to describe Laurentian's financial issues in 2021 and the fallout).

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"We want to move on from all the issues [since CCAA]. For me, [Laurentian 3.0] means fair compensation for our faculty," she said.

"[The faculty] is what inspires the students and they've made my experience here worth it. I think it's really important to have them fairly compensated because their working conditions are our learning conditions."

Another student attending the protest, Kailin Kohls, said she was motivated to come out because of how hard her professors have worked to support her learning at Laurentian.

"I can't even express the gratitude," she said. "I wanna help them in every way I can while they're helping me."

A woman wearing a fuzyzy purple hat smiles at the camera and holds up a sign reading 'students stand with LUFA'. Behind her, other young adults holding signs sit on a large staircase. — 'Within my first year here, I was so overwhelmed by how much the professors actually care so much about their students,' Kailin Kohls, a student at Laurentian University, said. (Gabrielle Huston/CBC)

Holmes and Kohls are both fourth-year students. How their semester is affected will depend on how long the strike lasts, but both students said they're worried it could affect their graduation plans.

As an education student, Holmes said she needs to do a placement that could be in jeopardy. And Kohls said she has a job lined up after graduation.

"Unfortunately [a strike] is gonna impact everything, not just me having to crunch at the end or having to push my semester back," Kohls said.

"It's going to affect my work, it's gonna affect where I'm living, it's going to affect future schooling that I want to pursue. So everything is just pushed back completely."