Canadore College closing Parry Sound campus, cutting staff as revenues shrink

Canadore College is restructuring due to low enrolment and financial pressures. The college is winding down its West Parry Sound campus.

Canadore College in North Bay has announced that it’s making a series of changes to its organizational structure, including staffing cuts and plans to wind down its campus in Parry Sound.

“These are not decisions we make lightly,” said Dr. Sandra Efu, Canadore’s president and CEO.

“They are necessary to ensure we are focusing our resources where they can have the greatest impact and to ensure Canadore remains strong, sustainable, and responsive to student and labour market needs into the future.”

Parry Sound Mayor Jamie McGarvey said the news raises several questions for the community.

Creates dilemma

“It certainly creates a bit of a dilemma as to how, you know, we’re going to move ahead now,” McGarvey said.

“We have a little bit of time because they still have to run their programs for about another year to get those that are in the system through their courses so they can graduate.”

Canadore staff have been offered a voluntary departure incentive program in an effort to reduce layoffs. However, the union representing professors at the college said those who accepted the incentives are in limbo.

“It was offered in what we thought was good faith to all faculty,” said Jim Ronholm, president of OPSEU Local 657.

“The incentive itself was prorated based on the number of years of service and a number of faculty did apply. And to our knowledge, none were accepted.”

Contract employees in Parry Sound

However, faculty at the West Parry Sound campus are contract employees and not part of the incentive officer. It’s unclear if any support staff have had their voluntary departure requests approved by the college.

Canadore told CTV News they are not providing any further comments on the incentive packages at this time.

Driving the cutbacks is the reduction in international student numbers because of new immigration restrictions imposed by the federal government.

“Canadore continues to face the impacts of lower enrolment and increased financial pressures,” the college said in its news release.

McGarvey said it’s his understanding that international student numbers are being affected by the federal government’s decision.

“They’re having to cut back,” he said.

“From what the president told me this morning … they’re facing a financial challenge.”

Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Graydon Smith said in a statement that “repeated changes by the federal government to the international student permit system have created significant instability and uncertainty across Canada’s post-secondary sector.”