Cuts at Ontario colleges leading to nearly 10,000 job losses, union says
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The Ontario Public Service Employees Union says close to 10,000 college faculty and staff have either been let go or are projected to lose their jobs amid hundreds of program cancellations and suspensions since last year.
The union representing some 55,000 college faculty and support staff says that amounts to “one of the largest mass layoffs in Ontario’s history” as colleges grapple with a funding crisis.
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An arbitrated faculty contract between the union and the College Employer Council released last week says the federal government’s cap on international students led to a dramatic decline in enrolment and tuition revenue, and the cancellation or suspension of more than 600 college programs.
The document shows 23 of 24 colleges in Ontario have reported a 48 per cent decrease in first-semester enrolment of international students from September 2023 to September 2024.
It says 19 colleges have reported current and planned staff reductions totalling more than 8,000 employees as of June, noting the data was incomplete as some colleges hadn’t reported their layoffs.
The union says the layoffs and program suspensions will have generational impacts and college workers are prepared to fight back against the cuts.
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