Ontario’s faculties and universities say the federal authorities’s cap on worldwide college students is taking a toll on the upper training sector as some faculties face rising deficits, layoffs and, in at the least one case, a short lived campus closure.
St. Lawrence School in Kingston, Ont., mentioned it has eradicated 30 administrative and assist positions and warned of additional job cuts after its overseas pupil enrolment dropped by 50 per cent.
President and CEO Glenn Vollebregt mentioned the faculty is taking part in a provincewide effectivity overview that’s anticipated to conclude early subsequent yr and as that unfolds, “SLC cannot guarantee that there will be no further layoffs.”
Nonetheless, the varsity will “continue hiring positions of all types” — together with a director of Indigenous companies — to make sure it may nonetheless function “efficiently,” Vollebregt mentioned in a press release.
Mohawk School in Hamilton has additionally informed its employees that layoffs are on the horizon, whereas Seneca Polytechnic will briefly shutter one in every of its campuses north of Toronto by the tip of the autumn semester.
“Due to recent decisions by the federal government related to international students, we are expecting enrolment at Markham Campus to decline,” Seneca mentioned in a press release final month, including that college students displaced by the closure will probably be moved to 2 different campuses.
A number of universities say they’re additionally staring down cuts amid monetary uncertainty.
Teams representing post-secondary establishments say this may occasionally simply be the tip of the iceberg, as dramatic drops in worldwide pupil enrolment exacerbate some faculties’ current finances shortfalls.
The federal authorities has mentioned it would subject roughly 300,000 fewer worldwide pupil permits over the following three years — a transfer that particularly impacts Ontario because it had seen a bigger share of development in overseas college students.
Ottawa can also be limiting worldwide school college students’ work permits after commencement to areas which have labour-market shortages in Canada.
Whereas the total affect of those coverage modifications on faculties’ applications and staffing ranges is but to be identified, early indicators should not wanting good, mentioned Michael McDonald, director of presidency relations and coverage for Schools and Institutes Canada.
The group says worldwide college students contributed practically $31 billion to Canada’s economic system and supported greater than 360,000 jobs in 2022.
However round 70 per cent of applications faculties presently supply are deemed ineligible for post-graduation work permits, McDonald mentioned. Near $2 billion in income is probably in danger as worldwide pupil enrolment declined by 54 per cent throughout the nation, he added.
McDonald mentioned some faculties have already initiated “workforce adjustments,” whereas others are contemplating the identical.
“We know there’s a lot of … anxiety and concern in the system right now and unfortunately, there’s not a lot of clarity,” he mentioned.
Sean Coffey, director of communications and particular occasions at Mohawk School, mentioned the varsity is projecting a $50-million deficit for the 2025/26 educational yr, which makes job cuts inevitable.
“There will be layoffs, but we don’t have numbers at this point,” he mentioned. “The impact will be felt across the entire college and not limited to one area.”
Algonquin School, which has campuses in Ottawa and the Ottawa Valley, mentioned it’s going through a $32-million income loss attributable to a drop in worldwide pupil enrolment.
“We’ve projected that for this year, our actual enrolment will fall short of what we had projected about a year ago by about 2,400 students,” mentioned Claude Brulé, the faculty’s president and CEO.
“All institutions that have recruited internationally will have experienced an impact of some sort to a lesser or greater degree depending on how intently they were recruiting internationally,” he mentioned in a telephone interview.
He mentioned whereas Algonquin is within the midst of conversations about potential job cuts, no choices have but been made. However the school’s government workforce has been tasked with lowering company bills and reviewing all hiring and staffing choices, he mentioned.
The monetary challenges come amid ongoing negotiations between OPSEU, a union representing 15,000 professors, instructors, librarians and counsellors, and the School Employer Council over wages, workloads, and job stability. Union members voted final month in favour of a strike if bargaining fails.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada didn’t reply questions concerning the affect of declining worldwide pupil enrolment on faculties and universities. However it mentioned measures taken by the federal authorities have been crucial to scale back the variety of non permanent residents within the nation and to ensure faculties can adequately assist their overseas college students.
“The annual growth in the number of international students couldn’t be sustained while ensuring students receive the support they need,” mentioned IRCC spokesperson Isabelle Dubois.
Ontario’s universities are additionally feeling the consequences of the research allow cap, though fewer than 20 per cent of their college students come from abroad.
The College of Windsor mentioned it’s going through a $10-million shortfall this yr, which is projected to extend to $30 million subsequent yr partly attributable to worldwide pupil limits and a home tuition freeze that’s been in place since 2019.
“We can expect layoffs. They are going to be immediate, they are going to be ongoing, and they are going to affect every category of employees at the university,” Clinton Beckford, vice-president of individuals, fairness, and inclusion, informed college employees at a city corridor assembly final week.
In Ottawa, Carleton College mentioned it had initially estimated its 2024-25 working finances deficit could be $26 million, however the projection is now “significantly higher” because the variety of its worldwide undergraduate and graduate college students have declined by 55 and 35 per cent respectively.
Steve Orsini, president and CEO of the Council of Ontario Universities, mentioned universities are going through monetary losses of $300 million this yr, that are projected to double subsequent yr attributable to a declining worldwide pupil inhabitants.
“You’re going to see hiring freezes and layoffs as a result,” he mentioned in an interview. “You’re going to see programs and services becoming less frequent available to students, whether it’s coaching, mentoring, and the demand for mental health will be more difficult to meet in the future.”
Universities have been already struggling financially and they’re now seeing a “double whammy effect” with the lack of income overseas college students introduced, he mentioned.
Orsini referred to as on the province to extend working grants for universities and carry the funding cap for home college students to assist universities to confess extra highschool graduates.
“The sector is at a critical juncture, and without additional support, Ontario risks not having the vital talent and research needed to foster economic growth and prosperity,” he mentioned in assertion.
A spokesperson for the Minister of Schools and Universities Nolan Quinn mentioned funding for post-secondary establishments is “higher than it’s ever been,” pointing to $1.3 billion Ontario introduced earlier this yr to “stabilize” the sector.
Dayna Smockum additionally mentioned that choices associated to job cuts and staffing “lie solely” with faculties and universities and that the province “will not put additional costs on the backs of students and families by raising tuition.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Nov. 22, 2024.
Sharif Hassan, The Canadian Press
