Centennial College closing East York campus, moving programs to Scarborough site

An extror shot of Centennial College's Story Arts Centre on Carlaw Avenue. (Centennial College photo)

Centennial College is closing its Story Arts Centre campus in East York and moving programs offered there to its Scarborough site in the summer of 2026.

The post-secondary institution said “stagnant government funding and a decline in international student enrolments induced by federal policy changes” are the reasons why they’ve made the “strategic decision” to relocate programs at its 104,000-square-foot facility on Carlaw Avenue to its main campus on Progress Avenue.

The $36-million Story Arts Centre, most famously known as the setting for the CBC series Degrassi High, was built in 1955 as Toronto Teachers College. It then served as the Toronto District School Board’s Centre for Creative Communication. In the fall of 1994, the award-winning modernist-style edifice reopened as a new Centennial College campus dedicated to digital media.

Upwards of 1,100 full-time students in the college’s School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design attend courses at the Story Arts Centre, which, among other things, has a 16,500 square-foot broadcasting studio along with audio recording and post-production facilities, digital imaging/animation labs, and a library and digital resource centre.

This news comes less than two months after Centennial announced it is suspending nearly 50 of its programs amid a decline in enrolment due to impacts of the federal government’s cap on international student permits. Fourteen of those programs are located at the Story Arts Centre.

“The decision is part of a comprehensive strategy to secure the long-term sustainability of our academic programs and ensure the vitality of campus life,” President and CEO Dr. Craig Stephenson said in a March 5 statement.

This move, however, won’t occur until the summer of 2026, said Centennial, which is developing a detailed transition plan.

“We are committed to engaging in transparent, proactive, and ongoing communication throughout this transition. Moreover, we will be engaging the Story Arts community and soliciting their inputs to ensure a smooth and effective relocation process,” Stephenson said.

He also said that they’d be talking with students, faculty and staff at the Story Ats Centre to ensure they have the “necessary resources and support to navigate this transition with minimal disruption.”

“This decision, while deeply upsetting and unsettling, is a critical step if we are to safeguard Centennial’s long-term sustainability. It’s a step that will ensure the impact and spirit of the Story Arts Centre as a creative powerhouse continues at Progress Campus,” Stephenson wrote.

“We deeply recognize the significance of the Story Arts Centre and its ties to the community. After analyzing a range of factors with careful evaluation, this decision has been approached with great care and respect for the deep connections that our students, faculty, alumni, and the broader creative community all have to this campus.”