The Vanier College Teachers’ Association
News Bulletin #3 – 2025/2026, April 1, 2026
📌 VCTA Elections Are Underway!
The VCTA elections have now begun, and we warmly encourage all members to take part. The union is you, and it can only function with your participation. Vote. Ask questions. Get involved.
The election timeline is as follows:
Nomination Period: April 1–9
Withdrawal Date: April 10
Campaign Period: April 13–16
Voting Period: April 17–21
Results Announced: April 22
Positions open for election include:
VCTA Executive
The Executive consists of five teachers who receive release time to handle the day-to-day work of the union. Its work includes protecting individual teachers’ rights under the Collective Agreement and advancing broader political positions through FNEEQ and the CSN.
Association Council
The Association Council consists of 12 teachers, in addition to the Executive. It is responsible for VCTA policy between General Assemblies and serves as a forum for faculty perspectives and guidance to the Executive.
Academic Council
Academic Council is the College’s main advisory body on academic matters. It includes representation from faculty, non-teaching professionals, support staff, students, and administration. Faculty hold the majority of seats.
CRT
The CRT is responsible for the local application of the Collective Agreement. It includes representatives from both faculty and College administration.
We warmly encourage colleagues to consider putting their names forward. Completed nomination forms (see attached) may be sent to vcta@vaniercollege.qc.ca.
To stay up to date on who is running for the various positions, please feel free to stop by the VCTA office in C-101.
Voting will take place online using the Belinos system.
Only VCTA members may be candidates, nominate or support candidates, and vote in the election. If you are not yet a member and would like to join, please stop by the union office in C-101. It only takes a one-time fee of $2 and a minute to join.
We look forward to strong faculty participation throughout this year’s elections.
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| 29 | 30 | 30 | 1 Nomination 🖐️ | 2 Nomination 🖐️ | 3 Nomination 🖐️ | 4 Nomination 🖐️ |
| 5 Nomination 🖐️ | 6 Nomination 🖐️ | 7 Nomination 🖐️ | 8 Nomination 🖐️ | 9 Nomination 🖐️ | 10 Withdrawal 😱 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 Campaign 🙋 | 14 Campaign 🙋 | 15 Campaign 🙋 | 16 Campaign 🙋 | 17 Voting 🖋️ | 18 Voting 🖋️ |
| 19 Voting 🖋️ | 20 Voting 🖋️ | 21 Voting 🖋️ | 22 Results 🎉 |
♥️A Message from the VCTA President: Thank you and Looking Ahead
Dear colleagues,
As many of you already know, I ‘ve decided some time ago not to seek re-election this April. After almost a decade on the Executive, first as VP Internal and now as President, I feel that I can no longer carry out this work with the same level of energy that I have given it over the years.
When I decided to run for President, a friend and colleague remarked that it was a courageous step. At the time, I saw it simply as the right moment to take on a new responsibility in service of the union. Now, as I near the end of my fifth year as President, I have a deeper appreciation for what the role demands and for the privilege it has been to serve in it. I am grateful for the opportunity to have contributed in this way, and I feel that the time has come to pass the torch.
My departure will create an opening on the Executive, and I would warmly encourage colleagues to consider putting their names forward in the upcoming VCTA elections. Serving on the Executive is an important way to contribute to the life of the union and to the collective work we do on behalf of our members. I hope some of you will consider taking on that role.
Although there are still a few weeks left in my mandate, I want to thank you now for your support over the years. Thank you for your votes, for your interventions and contributions at GAs, on committees, in actions, and in all the work we do together as a union. I would especially like to thank my colleagues on the Executive: Estelle, Eric, Jacques, Sandi, Hakim, Anne, Katie, and, of course, Sheree. I have been fortunate to work with such wonderful teams.
Long live the VCTA.
Hugo
🚨Requests for Leaves – Fall 2026 / 2026–2027
A friendly reminder to faculty that requests for leaves for the Fall 2026 semester and the 2026–2027 academic year must be submitted by April 15, 2026.
Attached to this bulletin are the memo from HR and the fillable forms for the various leave options, including:
- Voluntary Working Time Reduction
- Professional Development Leave
- Full-Time Leave
- Half-Time Leave
- Progressive Retirement
- Leaves with Deferred or Anticipated Salary
The forms can also be found on Human Resource Services SharePoint page through Omnivox.
In keeping with the College’s paperless process, faculty are asked to complete their request electronically and send it to Claudia Menard at menardc@vaniercollege.qc.ca by the end of the day on April 15, 2026. Please also remember to copy your Dean and department coordinator on your submission.
If you are thinking about applying for a leave, it may be helpful to begin reviewing the forms and requirements soon so that you have enough time to prepare your request before the deadline.
If you have questions about leaves, please feel free to drop by the union office or send us an email, and we will be happy to arrange for someone to meet with you.
🚨General Offer of Service (GOS) – Deadline April 30
A reminder to all non-permanent faculty that if you wish to benefit from hiring priority for the 2026–2027 academic year, you must submit a General Offer of Service (GOS) to Human Resources within the month of April.
The GOS applies to the Regular Day Program, Continuing Education, and Summer School (2027) courses. Submitting a GOS allows you to declare your availability for teaching work in your discipline for the coming year, without having to apply to each individual posting. While it remains possible to apply to postings one by one, the GOS is generally the more convenient option.
By submitting a GOS, you are declaring yourself available for all available teaching duties, up to the level of full employment for the academic year. The College will then offer the maximum teaching duties available according to order of priority.
The GOS form must be submitted electronically to TeacherGOS@vaniercollege.qc.ca no later than the end of the day on April 30, 2026.
A few practical reminders:
- the form will be available on the Human Resources SharePoint page as of April 1, 2026
- please open the form using Adobe and save it before attaching it to your email
- if you are unable to set up an electronic signature, you may print the form, sign it by hand, and scan it back
- once you submit your form by email, you should receive an electronic confirmation of receipt
GOS and Double Employment
Many early-career teachers work at more than one institution, or in another field as well. Under the Collective Agreement, teachers must inform the College if they hold employment elsewhere.
If you have another job that amounts to full-time work for the entire semester for which you are applying, you are required to declare this as double employment on the same form as the GOS. This other work may include teaching at another institution, self-employment, or work in another sector.
If your other job or jobs do not amount to a full workload, or do not continue for the full duration of the semester, then you do not need to declare double employment.
Please also note that you are required to declare your employment status for the coming academic year when completing the GOS. If your employment situation changes at any point during the year, you must complete a new Declaration of Employment form and submit it to Human Resources immediately.
Got questions about the GOS, double employment? Come by the union.
💸Reminder: PD Rollover Requests Due June 1
A friendly reminder to faculty that PD rollover requests are due by June 1.
Tenured and non-tenured faculty who wish to roll over their 2025–2026 professional development funds to the following academic year must submit their request by that date.
To request a rollover, simply complete the standard PD request form and write “Please roll over” in the description box. No additional explanation is required. Once the request is submitted, we will take care of the rest.
What is a PD rollover?
A rollover allows you to combine two consecutive years of PD funds to support one larger professional development activity, most commonly a conference or event that would exceed the budget available in a single year.
For tenured faculty, the rolled-over funds must be used for a single event, and the request must be submitted before that event takes place. The activity may occur in either of the two years, but no other PD funding will be available during that same two-year period. This type of rollover may only be used once and cannot be used to support multiple separate activities.
Non-tenured faculty may also request a rollover. However, the request can only be finalized once workload for the second year has been confirmed. At that point, PD funds are prorated according to the confirmed workload. If you think you may not have a workload next year, it may be worth considering whether to use your current year’s funds before they expire.
If you have questions about the rollover process or would like to talk through whether your intended use would qualify, please feel free to reach out to the VCTA.
📆Dates of Upcoming Meetings
- General Assembly (Amphitheatre)
- Wednesday, April 8
- CRT (Thursdays, 2:00 – 4:00; on TEAMS)
- April 9
- April 23
- April 30
- May 7
- Academic Council (Fridays, 1:00-4:00; F-216)
- April 24
- May 29
- Board of Governors (Tuesday, 6:30; F-216)
- May 19
- June 16