Georgian College to halt operations indefinitely at Collingwood campus

Georgian College announces it is halting operations at its Collingwood campus, citing declining enrolment.

Georgian College will pause operations indefinitely at its John Di Poce South Georgian Bay (SGB) Campus in Collingwood, effective Sept. 1.

Officials cite declining enrolment at the Collingwood campus and a provincial funding model that they say hasn’t kept pace with institutional needs for the decision.

Georgian College’s President and CEO Kevin Weaver said temporarily halting operations at the campus would allow them to reevaluate the situation.

“Part of our assessment will include considering local and regional demographic trends, industry and community employment opportunities, and plans for development and programming already offered at other Georgian campuses in proximity to SGB, balancing short-term needs and long-term possibilities,” Weaver stated in a Wednesday release.

According to the college’s most recent campus economic impact analysis from fiscal year 2022-23, the Collingwood campus reportedly added $7.2 million to the local economy. Georgian’s report states roughly a quarter of its student population came from outside the region, with some of those students relocating here, and adds that a number of local students would have potentially left the area if not for the SGB campus.

The pause on operations will impact roughly 90 full-and-part-time post secondary students, mainly in the Social Service Worker and Personal Support Worker programs. The College says a full transition plan is underway to support the impacted students and staff.

All programs offered at the Collingwood campus are available at other Georgian campuses should students choose to continue their studies with Georgian.

“We remain deeply committed to meeting the needs of the South Georgian Bay community through workforce development, industry partnerships and regional economic growth,” Weaver added.

No timeline is set for how long operations at SGB would be stalled.

In February, Georgian announced it mass layoffs of 229 positions of its workforce following an anticipated 45 per cent drop in international student enrolment for the upcoming academic year compared to 2023-24.

At the time, the College was projecting a $45 million deficit for the 2025-26 academic year, with an estimated financial gap of an additional $15 to $20 million for 2026-27.

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