Dr. Sarita Verma is the Dean, President and CEO of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (file photo)
THUNDER BAY The dean of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine is speaking out for the first time about concerns about the school s future, saying NOSM has no plan to leave either Thunder Bay or Sudbury.
In statements issued Tuesday, Dr. Sarita Verma reacted to criticism – most notably coming from Thunder Bay – about the potential impact of making the school fully independent, as the provincial government proposes to do.
Verma said inaccuracy about the next steps regarding this legislation should be weighed carefully.
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Laurentian awakens to the real world
If history teaches us anything, it’s that social values change over time and retrospective vision is myopic. Laurentian University restructures to save itself: 70 programs are cut and 100 to 145 staff will lose their jobs (academics, plus administration and ancillary staff) and it’s as if the world has come to an end. A rude awakening to the real world, indeed.
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However, when Inco restructured (1978-1979) and 2,800 hourly rated employees lost their jobs and a strike ensued, the white collar community remained smug and barely noticed.
Thunder Bay campus of Northern Ontario School of Medicine - staff picture
Northern Ontario School of Medicine says it is committed to the north, and plans to strengthen ties to Thunder Bay and Sudbury.
The school’s President Sarita Verma pointed out on social media Thunder Bay city council has been “led by fear mongering” in the belief the school could be shutting down the local campus.
She also stated in a news release there is a health crisis in the north, which NOSM plans to fix, and inaccuracies about its next steps should be weighed carefully.
As for the provincial government, it says the school is ready to become a degree-granting post-secondary institution.
Northern Ontario School of Medicine (Staff Photo)
At Queen’s Park, there are accusations that making the Northern Ontario School of Medicine independent wasn’t completely above-board.
NDP member for Algoma-Manitoulin Michael Mantha claims the province fast-tracked the process just a week after former mayors of Thunder Bay and Sudbury asked for it to become a separate degree-granting institution.
He says the separation from Lakehead and Laurentian Universities happened too quickly and skipped important steps.
“Considering that the President of Lakehead University was not informed, it is safe to assume that the government probably did not consult with First Nation communities who have close ties with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine,” he argues.
THUNDER BAY – The City of Thunder Bay is formally backing Lakehead University in its fight to be heard in decisions over the future of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.
Mayor Bill Mauro said at a Monday night city council meeting that he had spoken several times with Lakehead University President Moira McPherson, and was particularly concerned over suggestions that NOSM could potentially depart its campus on Lakehead grounds, or even abandon the Northwest entirely.
Council unanimously passed a resolution put forward by Mauro, endorsing an April 15 letter from McPherson expressing concerns to the province over plans to make NOSM an independent institution.