Future uncertain for Ontario college students as federal policy brings cuts, layoffs

Students walk on the Conestoga College campus in Kitchener, Ont., Saturday, April 27, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn

TORONTO — The tightening of Canada’s international student regime has had ripple effects across higher education, but Ontario college students fear they are set to hurt the most amid cancelled programs and service adjustments.

Colleges across the province have announced the suspension of dozens of programs in response to a lower federal cap on international students, who usually pay high tuition fees that support college budgets.

Ottawa recently announced it would issue even fewer international student visas next year, after it introduced the cap in 2024, citing a need to reduce Canada’s temporary population. The federal government said the Immigration Department will issue up to 408,000 study permits in 2026, down from 437,000 permits in 2025 and 485,000 in 2024.

Toby Lew, the director of education and equity at the student association of George Brown Polytechnic, said students expect these changes to affect their academic experience.

“Many students were reeling from the fact that some of the programs that were highly popular amongst international students, or were funded through international student funding, were getting cut,” he said, adding seven sought-after hospitality programs were recently cut.

The shuttered programs include food and nutrition management, event planning and hotel operations management.

Lew said domestic and international students are being affected by the cuts, which are a direct “reflection” of the federal government’s policy decision.

“That was quite an interesting experience seeing how so many students are directly affected, domestic and international students, by the cap.”

He said the students’ union is facing financial difficulties and has been adjusting its services, including its food support programs, to respond to lower enrolment at the college.

“We have to really pivot our strategy in terms of what type of services and how we provide those services for our students, and also to maximize the usage of these services,” he said.

“We are trying to work with the college to ensure that some of these services (are) continuously being funded by the school, because food insecurity is a serious issue that students experience and the college has a responsibility to ensure that students are getting proper access to nutritious and affordable food.”

George Brown College did not respond to questions from The Canadian Press.

Students at many of Ontario’s 24 public colleges already saw service disruptions this fall during a nearly five-week strike of full-time college support staff.

On some days during the strike, in-person classes and activities were cancelled on campuses where striking staff held rallies, including at Mohawk College in Hamilton and St. Clair College in Windsor, Ont.

Members of the union representing the 10,000 support staff ratified a new, three-year contract in November. The union said job security had been a critical concern amid campus closures, program cuts and layoffs in the college sector.

As it advocated for federal and provincial investment this fall, Colleges Ontario, which represents the 24 schools, said some 600 programs have already been suspended, with more than 8,000 positions cut. The advocacy group did not respond to multiple requests for additional comment.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which represents Ontario college faculty and support staff, has called on the Ontario government to intervene after Conestoga College issued nearly 400 layoff notices last week.

The union said the college is laying off 181 full-time faculty across campuses in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Brantford and Guelph, and is also eliminating 197 support staff positions.

“We’ve just lost over 20 per cent of our experienced, full-time faculty right before the holidays — and the chilling reality is that college leadership is restructuring the workforce to push precarity,” said Leopold Koff, president of the local OPSEU branch representing the workers.

“It’s inhumane, it’s union-busting.”

Conestoga did not respond to a request for comment this week.

Jerry Thomas, president and CEO of the student union at Fanshawe College in London, Ont., said the college is cutting and restructuring some services, including closing the Office of the Ombuds due to budget constraints.

He said the office was an important impartial body for students.

“It would support a student through any of the concerns they have, academic or non-academic, and then they will guide the students through from start to end so that their (needs) are met,” said Thomas.

“Fanshaw was one of the few colleges, or two colleges, in Ontario which had that on campus.”

Thomas said there also have been cuts to mental health resources on campus in reducing the number of counsellors available, and the students’ union’s understanding is some 40 programs will have been suspended by next year.

Kyle Rooks, a spokesman for Fanshawe, said there has been no reduction in student services despite the closure of the Office of the Ombuds, and Thomas’s assertion that less counselling is available.

“Students still have access to ombuds-related services through our equity, diversity and inclusion office,” he said.

“There were some structural changes made within counselling and accessibility services this fall to increase efficiency and reduce wait times, allowing more students to access the support they need.”

Rooks confirmed the institution is taking “difficult but necessary steps,” including closing programs, to respond to a projected $70-million deficit over the next two years caused by declining international enrolment, stagnant provincial funding and rising operational costs.

“Our priority remains on ensuring all currently enrolled students have the opportunity to complete their programs with the same quality of education and support they expected when they chose to study at Fanshawe,” he said.

For Thomas, the looming cuts associated with the international student cap seemed to have been “shadowed” this year by the support workers’ strike.

He is concerned about what the future will hold, he said.

“There has been a lot of changes, but those impacts would be seen from next year onwards.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 26, 2025.

Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press