Job and program cuts on the way at Conestoga as enrolment numbers dwindle

The union that represents full-time faculty at Conestoga College says the school is planning to cut jobs and programs. CTV’s Heather Senoran reports.

The union that represents full-time faculty at Conestoga College says 75 faculty members will lose their job by the end of the year and 80 programs will be cut by next fall.

Leopold Koff, the president of OPSEU Local 237, which represents full-time faculty, librarians and counsellors at Conestoga College, said staff first learned about the impending job cuts in September.

Koff said of the 75, 15 are being laid off, 37 are taking early retirement, four resigned and 19 are taking voluntary exit packages.

“It’s never good,” Koff said. “For the individuals, it’s of course devastating, especially since people who come to become a full-time faculty or counsellor, [or] librarian at the college or any category, they’re doing it out of commitment to doing it, not as a as a job, as a calling.”

Conestoga College did not confirm or deny any layoffs when CTV News reached out.

Koff said 80 programs will be cut by the fall of 2026, including the supply chain program he teaches.

“And they will be taught out, which means those students that are currently in the program will be able to continue and finish their courses and programs. But once that cohort is gone, then that will be the end of the program,” Koff said.

The college confirmed ‘several’ programs next fall will be suspended but said an exact number has not yet been determined.

“Despite efforts to promote and sustain these programs, enrolment number trends are not sufficient to continue offering them in a way that meets our academic and operational standards,” Conestoga College’s corporate communications department said, in part, in a statement to CTV News.

The college said the program cuts are due to declining international student enrolment. The college said international student enrolment is down 77 per cent from 2023. In January 2024, the federal government put a cap on international student enrolment.

Conestoga said domestic enrolment is up 16 per cent compared to 2023.

“Unfortunately, while international students were the number one focus, they technically, I guess they turned their back on domestic students. And then, as we know, it’s easier to retain a customer if you do the right things than it is to try to recover customers you’ve lost,” Koff said.

Koff said it all boils down to funding and said the province should be doing more to help.

The office of the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security said their government has stepped up with the highest amount of funding for the post-secondary sector in Ontario’s history.

“Investing nearly a billion dollars to expand labour-market driven programs in the last 6 months alone,” said the statement, in part. “Due to the changes in the federal government’s international student visa permitting process, the postsecondary sector, including Conestoga College, are making some difficult decisions to ensure their long-term success and sustainability.”