OPSEU President asks Algonquin College to leave Saudi Arabia

The president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, Warren Thomas, has criticized Algonquin College’s institutional presence in Saudi Arabia, particularly in the wake of the state's execution of 47 prisoners on January 2nd. OPSEU Vice-President and Algonquin Professor Jack Wilson added that Algonquin’s presence in Saudi Arabia is “completely unacceptable,” although he acknowledged that a lack of sufficient government funding was a significant factor in the situation. Ontario colleges “offer the specialized skills that today’s employers seek, and encourage new investment in the province,” according to Thomas; yet he insisted that “Algonquin College needs to get out of Saudi Arabia, and the Liberals need to give colleges the means to do their job: providing the education that will bring jobs and prosperity to the province.” OPSEU