QUFA Digest: January 2026

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Hello QUFA Members,

Happy New Year. Please see the January 2026 edition of Digest below.

Bargaining Updates

  • Bargaining Town Halls: Save the date for bargaining town halls in the New Year! Most town halls will be held in a hybrid format. Please RVSP to Elizabeth Polnicky at ep43@queensu.ca for the room number or Zoom link to attend the meeting. 
    • January 12 – Law – Law Building 11:30am-1:00pm
    • January 19 – Health Sciences (excluding Nursing/Rehab) – Botterell Hall – 12:30-2:00pm
    • January 20 – Physical Sciences – Chernoff – 12:30-2:00pm
    • January 21 – Social Sciences – MacCorry – 1:30-3:00pm
    • January 26 – Library – MacCorry – 12:30-2:00pm
    • January 27 – Business – Goodes Hall – 2:30-4:00pm
    • January 28 – Adjuncts – Fully Remote – 12:30-2:00pm
    • February 2 – Smith Engineering – Jeffrey – 11:30-1:00pm
    • February 10 – Education – Duncan McArthur – 12:30-2:00pm
    • February 4 – New Faculty – Fully Remote – 12:30-2:00pm
    • February 9 – Nursing/Rehabilitation Therapy – Botterell – 12:30-2pm
    • February 11 – Humanities – MacCorry – 1:30-3:00pm

Get Involved

  • Nominations and Elections Committee: As per QUFA Bylaw No. 1, Section A(i), we are beginning to form our Nominations and Elections Committee for 2026. There are positions reserved for members who are on neither the Executive Committee nor on the Council of Representatives. The Nominations Committee does much of its work via email and virtual meetings. Committee members reach out to potential candidates for election (at the Spring General Meeting), to the Executive, or respond to those who want more information to self-nominate. The work is time-limited to the January-April period. If you are interested in joining this committee, please send an email to qufaed@queensu.ca
  • Standing Joint Committee on Technology (SJCT): Pursuant to the Endpoint Grievance arbitration award issued in November 2025, a new “Standing Joint Committee on Technology” with members from the Queen’s Administration and QUFA will be established. The first meeting of the Committee will occur in January 2026. Any faculty member interested in acting as one of the QUFA representatives is invited to submit a statement of interest, providing some information about any relevant background and/or expertise to qufa@queensu.ca The QUFA Executive will receive and consider all submitted statements of interest and vote to determine which QUFA members will be appointed to serve on the Committee. The arbitration decision contains information about the intended work of the Committee, and the Terms of Reference for the committee are forthcoming. 
  • QUFA Caucuses:
    • BIPOC Caucus: Supports and advocates for members who are Black, Indigenous, or racialized and/or visible minorities. It is organized to collectively discuss workplace matters specific to QUFA’s BIPOC members and work towards racial equity in our workplace. Contact Co-Chairs Ayca Tomac (ayca.tomac@queensu.ca) or Norma Möllers (norma.mollers@queensu.ca) for more info.
    • Caregivers Caucus: Connects members involved in care responsibilities (e.g., young children, seniors, family members with disabilities) to share experiences, concerns, and resources. Contact QUFA Political Action and Communications Committee (PACC) Chair Vanessa Thompson (vt25@queensu.ca) for more info.
    • New Faculty Caucus: Connects recently appointed faculty (up to 5 years) to share experiences and concerns pertinent to new faculty. Contact QUFA PACC Chair Vanessa Thompson (vt25@queensu.ca) for more info.

Deadlines and Notices

  • Childcare Support Plan: The Winter 2026 submission deadline is February 1, 2026. Please see Appendix M of the Collective Agreement and click here to access the application portal.
  • Tuition Support Plan: The Winter 2026 submission deadline is February 28, 2026. See Appendix N in the Collective Agreement and click here to access the application portal.
    • Note: Please read the application guidelines carefully, especially the Important Changes notices. If you have any trouble with the Queen’s Intranet, please contact HR as QUFA cannot assist you with those issues.
  • The Fund for Scholarly Research and Creative Work and Professional Development (Adjuncts): The Winter term deadline will probably be February 2. The application form is available here, but it might not be updated yet. We will keep you posted on updates and send more details soon.
  • Senators Tickets Draw: As per annual tradition, RavenLaw has generously donated 4 Ottawa Senators tickets to QUFA. If you are interested in entering the draw to win the tickets, please email qufa@queensu.ca by January 9th at 4pm. We will record a draw to determine the winner. You must be a QUFA member to enter. The tickets are for Saturday January 31 with the NJ Devils visiting the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Place. Parking is included with the tickets.

For Your Information

  • New Members: If you are a recent hire at Queen’s, you can fill out an Association Membership form here. To learn more about being a Member of the union Bargaining Unit and a Member of the Association, click here.
  • Please see QUFA Voices, Governance Watch, and Campus Conversations for updates on recent business and important issues.
  • Check our News & Events feed on the bottom of the website homepage for updates: www.qufa.ca
  • Visit QUFA on Facebook and Instagram.

Sincerely,

QUFA Staff