And the funding for the research that allowed for this invention was paid for by? The inventor? Or the government?
It is also notable that in Canada (almost?) all large research universities are public institutions: University of Toronto, McGill, Queen's, University of British Columbia, University of Alberta, etc. I imagine the calculus would have been different if the university was itself a private corporation.
Some professors have “hard money” jobs where the university covers most/all of their salary; startup packages that are meant to help you get a grant are pretty common, as are fellowships or TAships for students.
However, I don’t think most universities cover much of the actual research expenses.
As for the patent, most places offer a split with the inventor, and may not patent everything; they have a right of first refusal though.