ManitobaTodd Mondor has been ousted as president and vice-chancellor of the University of Winnipeg.Todd Mondor’s departure from role effective immediately, board chair saysArturo Chang · CBC News · Posted: Nov 25, 2025 12:21 PM EST | Last Updated: 7 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Todd Mondor’s term as 10th president and vice-chancellor of the University of Winnipeg began in 2022. (Submitted by University of Winnipeg)Todd Mondor has been ousted as president and vice-chancellor of the University of Winnipeg.The departure is effective immediately, the chair of the school’s board of regents said in a statement Tuesday. His term was originally set to run until June 30, 2027.Chair Michelle Pereira told CBC News the board voted unanimously to part ways with Mondor on Monday, after the issue of whether to recommend his reappointment came to a review.”It’s common when you aren’t going to renew someone that you just move on from each other, because it would be difficult for him to know that we aren’t going to recommend appointment,” she said Tuesday.”We’re starting a new strategic plan, and I believe that we need to refocus our leadership,” Pereira said. “We wanted to make things seamless for the university, and we thought it was best for everyone to move on and part ways and wish him all the best.”Michelle Pereira, chair of the University of Winnipeg’s board of regents, said the board voted out Todd Mondor after the issue of whether to recommend him for another term as president came up for review. (Parbhjot Singh Lotey/CBC)Pereira declined to comment on the specifics of what led to the decision but said it was not related to a whistleblower complaint filed with the Manitoba ombudsman.Peter Miller, president of the University of Winnipeg Faculty Association, said the announcement took him by surprise.”I’m not sure what the exact circumstances of this are, except that it’s effective immediately,” he said.”It’s a big change. I mean, I don’t like to overemphasize the impact that a president can have on university.… That said, in any organization, when there’s a change of leadership, it’s a period of transition that can be a period of anxiety for people.”The university released its five-year strategic plan last month, which includes commitments to advance reconciliation and strengthen research through partnerships, among five other “pillars.”‘Business as usual’The university’s board of regents — which includes Mondor as president — held one of its six annual meetings the evening before the announcement.Pereira said Mondor was at that meeting.”Human resource matters always appear sudden for people who aren’t involved in them,” she said.Pereira said she will meet the school’s student association to help “calm the waters” following the announcement.”Our goal is to keep things tight,” she said. “No interruptions to faculty, no interruptions to students. It’s business as usual.”Mondor became the university’s 10th president and vice-chancellor in 2022 to steer the institution following the COVID-19 pandemic.In 2024, the school had to deal with one of the many pro-Palestinian encampments set up at Canadian universities amid the Israeli-Hamas war.Last fall, the university implemented a hiring freeze and slashed its mid-year budget across all departments by seven per cent. Its English language program shut down this past winter.The board has already started looking for an interim leader, Pereira said. The school will put out a request for proposals for a firm to help with the search.Pavlina Radia — provost and vice-president of academics — will be the university’s leader while that unfolds in the coming weeks.Self-governing institutionManitoba Premier Wab Kinew said in his throne speech last month that his government was committed to modernizing board governance in post-secondary institutions.When asked about Mondor, Kinew said the government’s push was “totally separate” from the departure.”Universities are a self-governing institution,” he said. “I got a lot of thoughts on universities but, you know, they govern themselves. This is an issue that I hope they’re able to handle.”The board is in charge of the university’s overall policies, including financial oversight.As per provincial legislation, there are 36 seats on the board, including the president, chancellor and provost as well as students, staff, faculty and people elected by alumni.Ten members are appointed by the lieutenant-governor as advised by the province, with another 10 appointed by the United Church of Canada.”Can you imagine trying to get anything done with [36] people on the board?” Kinew said. “That’s just one example. A lot of the other post-secondaries are in a similar situation.”Pereira said the university has the second-largest board in the country, and she’s in favour of making it smaller.ABOUT THE AUTHORArturo Chang is a reporter with CBC Manitoba. Before that, he worked for CBC P.E.I. and BNN Bloomberg. You can reach him at arturo.chang@cbc.ca.With files from Ian Froese
University of Winnipeg board votes president out
