Faculty and staff at Saskatchewan Polytechnic are speaking out against a leadership crisis at the trade and technical school they say is dismantling the institution from the inside out. SGEU, the union representing over 750 front-line professional workers at Sask. Polytech, says managers are calling for fiscal restraint while claiming record-setting compensation. “Our members are frustrated. They are in despair. They are working themselves half to death,” SGEU President Tracey Sauer told CTV News. “They’re doing the work of two to three people right now because of the layoffs. And they’re putting their students and their coworkers, before themselves … they’re frustrated and they’re tired of not being heard.” Union members have faced multiple waves of layoffs since April 2025, losing 110 employees after changes to federal immigration rules decimated the lucrative market for international students — who paid inflated tuition costs. The post-secondary school has framed the layoffs, last-minute program changes or suspensions and cuts to student services as fiscal prudence. Staff members say the words ring hollow when the top three executives cost the institution over $1.3 million annually. Michelle Downton, president of the Saskatchewan Polytechnic Faculty Association (SPFA), says the constant programming changes have put a chill over faculty, who fear they’ll be put in the crosshairs this month in the next wave of adjustments. “Some of those programs service many industries across the province and will no longer be available … or will be such limited capacity, such as online delivery only, versus actually learning in person,” she said. The SPFA took Sask. Polytech to arbitration late last year over a growing requirement for instructors to complete unpaid, at-home work. The arbitrator found the school was in breach of its contract with faculty due to factors including a move to online instructor training, increased enrollment and the elimination of funding for substitute instructors. Meanwhile, the school’s top executive — whose principal residence is in Calgary — is one of the top paid post-secondary administrators in Canada. “If you look at proportionality, across the nation, Saskatchewan is very small,” said Downton. “Our revenue stream is one third of what the [University of Saskatchewan’s] is. Yet our president makes far more — he makes in the top ten nationally for presidents of universities and colleges. And unfortunately, I think it’s, over estimation of what we can sustain here in Saskatchewan because of enrollment." How much does Sask. Polytech pay its leadership compared to the universities? A comparison of the top earners at Saskatchewan Polytechnic with the province’s two large universities offers an interesting lens on how public dollars intended to train the province’s future work force are being allocated. Saskatchewan Polytechnic spends more per student — and a larger share of its budget — on top executives. According to Sask. Polytech’s 2024-25 payee disclosure report, there are 21 employees earning over $200,000 a year — all administrators. While the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) has hundreds of staff who earn more than $200,000 a year, many of them are academics — not uncommon for a research-intensive university with a medical school that requires highly-specialized faculty and annual expenses of around $1.2 billion. A look at the compensation of each school’s top executive offers an even more stark contrast. Considered on a cost-per-student basis, Sask. Polytech President and CEO Larry Rosia’s salary was about one-third more than U of S President Peter Stoicheff, and far ahead of University of Regina (U of R) President Jeff Keshen: Considering their salaries as a share of operating expenses, Keshen catches up to Rosia a bit, where Stoicheff’s pay looked like a pittance, by comparison: It’s important to note that operating budgets include a wide mix of government grants, tuition revenue and restricted funds, meaning this comparison illustrates scale rather than value judgments. But faculty and staff are concerned the top-heavy structure at Sask. Polytech is undermining the core function of the school — to train people to work in careers the province urgently needs. They’re calling on the students, public and government to get involved. “The top executive is making over $600,000 … and they are not willing to take a reduction in salary to ensure that programs and employees are being paid and the programs are being run,” said Sauer. “That is just an absolute shame.” In a statement, Saskatchewan Polytechnic didn’t comment on salaries, but said suspensions and layoffs only occur when absolutely required and with “robust due diligence.” It says industry consultation ensures in-demand workforce training remains a priority and that leadership will continue to work with its partners to navigate this challenging time. -With files from Stacey Hein
