Newly created, the Université de l’Ontario français (UOF) has to build from the ground up so it can welcome its first cohort of students in September of 2020, in Toronto. With such a short deadline, which essential components should we prioritize in order to be ready in time? What have we accomplished so far? What actions are being taken, and what steps should we take next? The francophone community, which is at the centre of the UOF’s mission, is the foundation of all its work. Moreover, its contribution is essential to this major project’s stability and durability for the students of tomorrow.

Normand Labrie

Normand Labrie is acting president of the Université de l’Ontario français, the first autonomous francophone university in Ontario which will open its doors in 2020, in Toronto. A professor in Sociolinguistics at the University of Toronto, Mr. Labrie also taught as a Visiting Professor at the Free University of Berlin, at the University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle and at the University of Kiel. During his career, he was Director of the Centre de recherches en éducation franco-ontarienne, Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and Scientific Director of the Fonds de recherche du Québec — Société et culture. Mr. Labrie, who wrote more than 150 publications and over 300 scientific articles, was a consultant for the European Commission, the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie and UNESCO.