Students and laid off professor respond to more cuts at Conestoga College

CTV’s Spencer Turcotte hears from those affected by recent layoffs at Conestoga College.

Students of laid off instructors at Conestoga College are coming to the defence of their teachers after 181 full-time faculty members were given layoff notices just days before Christmas.

Most were based in Kitchener, but there were also some from campuses in Waterloo, Cambridge, Brantford and Guelph.

Students said the cuts are causing a ripple effect on their learning.

“I always try to keep my grades A-plus. But this semester, they dropped because I couldn’t focus on my studying,” said Mansi Orjalipoor.

In September, hundreds of full-time faculty members were offered voluntary exit packages and some students said they were further disrupted by a support staff strike at Ontario colleges, including Conestoga College. That strike ended in October.

Orjalipoor and Ugochi Taylor are both biotechnology students at Conestoga College. They said they were heartbroken to hear the news about the layoffs Tuesday.

“I was shocked, confused, angry because it just doesn’t make any sense,” said Taylor.

Taylor created a petition to try and save her beloved professor’s job.

“His name is Reza Roushan,” Taylor said. “He’s like a pillar in this program. When I’m gone from the program, I don’t want to look back and then be it doesn’t exist anymore.”

It is not just the future of the program that students are worried about - it’s their own futures as well.

“I feel it’s destroying my future because I have planned to continue my education here for [a] Bachelor of Biotechnology,” said Orjalipoor.

Orjalipoor said the college as a whole could be in trouble.

“The name of Conestoga College has no value for the future because most people now know Conestoga College doesn’t care about education,” Orjalipoor said.

Laid off professor speaks out

James Siew received a layoff notice Tuesday. He is a global business management professor at the college.

He said he’s seen far too many cuts recently. In April, 180 support staff were laid off at Conestoga College. On Thursday, CTV News learned more support staff will be laid off, but it is unclear how many people were involved in that round.

“The college is going to suffer serious reputational damage,” Siew said.

The cuts could also impact who will be teaching some of the courses in the winter semester.

“There are courses running. But they just decided to save costs and not assign it to full-time staff,” Siew said.

Conestoga College told CTV News on Wednesday that fiscal challenges and a major drop in international students is to blame.

“At Conestoga, international enrolment dropped nearly 80 per cent in 2025, compared to 2023. Winter 2026 total enrolment is projected at just over 15,000 students – down from nearly 29,000 in winter 2025 and approximately 43,000 in 2024. The situation remains evolving as the college and the sector navigate the impact of external factors shaping international enrolment beyond our control. Further declines remain possible,” an emailed statement from the college said, in part.

The college went onto say the decisions were difficult but necessary reflecting the school’s responsibility to align resources and ensure long-term sustainability.

The terminations are effective March 16.

“They still have benefits for 90 days,” Leopold Koff, the president of Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 237, told CTV News on Wednesday. “At which point then they’ll be in layoff mode, which means they could be recalled. But if they choose to take the severance package available, then they lose the recall rights for two years.”

The college said it is fully complying with the layoff procedures set out in the union’s collective agreement.