What a strike by support staff at Ontario colleges means for Conestoga College students

Support staff at Conestoga College have joined their counterparts throughout the province in a strike. CTV’s Spencer Turcotte explains what it means for student

Support staff at Ontario’s 24 colleges went on strike Thursday, including all of Conestoga College’s campuses.

The more than 10,000 full-time workers, represented by Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), failed to reach a new contract agreement with the College Employer Council (CEC) before its midnight deadline.

They include library technologists, student success coordinators and co-op placement coordinators, as well as staff members in disability services, financial aid, employment services, IT services, facilities, trades and food services.

Conestoga College said approximately 600 support staff workers are employed by the Kitchener school.

“Nobody wants to strike. Nobody wants to be out here,” Vikki Poirier, president of OPSEU Local 238, said. “We’re all struggling as it is.”

“All this work is still there and my members are burnt out,” she said.

Workers are seeking better wages, benefits and job security.

OPSEU said nearly 10,000 college faculty and staff have either been laid off, or are expected to lose their jobs, as colleges cancel or suspend programs in response to inadequate provincial funding, a tuition freeze and the federal cap on international student enrolment.

According to the CEC, the two sides were at an impasse.

“At a time when college enrollments and revenues are down by as much as 50 per cent, OPSEU continues to insist on demands that are fiscally impossible,” they said in a media release.

Meanwhile, wages and the cost of living remain a key issue for union members.

“Two per cent? That’s for milk,” Poirier said. “That’s for milk, not for your support staff or your people that are actually doing the work.”

The CEC also argued the union’s requirements could precipitate a college crisis.

“A complete ban on campus closures, college mergers and staff reductions could force colleges into bankruptcy,” Graham Lloyd, CEC’s CEO, said in the release. “CEC has repeatedly advised OPSEU that these types of demands simply can never be agreed to. They are more about broader political campaigns than the benefits we have proposed at the table for their members.”

OPSEU questioned what the future holds for post-secondary education amid the cuts to faculty, support staff and programs.

“It’s no longer a question of if there is money,” said JP Hornick, president of OPSEU/SEFPO, in a media release. “It’s a question of where it’s going. As this fight heats up, there are going to be a lot of questions Ontario taxpayers need answered – especially as jobs disappear and options for students shrink before our eyes.”

Conestoga College’s finances

Conestoga College reported a $121 surplus for its fiscal year ending March 1 – a huge drop from the $252 surplus it posted in 2024. They also said revenue from tuition decreased to $563 million, while it spent $436 million on salaries and benefits.

• International enrolment falls by 62 per cent at Conestoga College
• Several senior administrators no longer with Conestoga College
• Conestoga College staff facing uncertain future amid cuts
• Conestoga College offering 160 employees early retirement

Another expense was the salary of Conestoga College’s president which, according to the Ontario Sunshine List, rose significantly over the last few years. John Tibbits earned $409,900 in 2022 and, the following year, it jumped 20.7 per cent to $494,716. His 2024 salary was listed as $636,107, a year-over-year increase of 28.6 per cent.

Tibbits was the highest-paid public sector worker in Waterloo Region and earned more than the presidents of Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Waterloo and the University of Guelph.

Earlier this month, Conestoga College’s board of directors announced it had begun its search for a new president and CEO. They hoped to have role filled by March 2026.

The move would mark the school’s first leadership change in nearly 40 years.

Campus changes

Campuses remain open, and most classes will not be impacted by the strike.

Conestoga College said the full-time and part-time professors, instructors, librarians and counsellors, as well as administrative employees and part-time staff, will continue working.

Some services are affected by the job action. A detailed list can be found on the school’s website.

Any course changes will be communicated through the eConestoga site. Students are encouraged to check in each day before heading to campus.

Transit changes

Grand River Transit buses will continue their regular routes to and from Conestoga College but will not make stops on campus. Instead, temporary stops will be set up off-campus for students.

Details are posted on Grand River Transit’s website.