UVic halts new hires to avoid deficit
The University of Victoria's campus is again buzzing with students, but a shortfall of them during the pandemic and an ongoing lack of international students means tuition revenue is down.
Hope Armstrong is a fourth-year student in the marine biology program. She says classroom instructors are already stretched thin.
"In the labs, there's always shortages of TAs and profs are always overloading their classes trying to compensate," said Armstrong on Monday.
The school blames the decline in international students on a hangover from COVID-19, as well as inflation, a housing shortage and delays processing international visas.
The university is dealing with a forecasted deficit of $17 million and has asked for campus-wide budget cuts of six per cent. It is also imposing sweeping limitations on new hires, both for academic and non-academic positions.
"We’ve taken immediate steps to control expenses, including a pause and review on all new hiring," the university said in a statement. "This includes hiring only in critical or high-priority positions in the short term and looking for areas to reduce some expenses beyond that."
Multiple students who CTV News spoke with expressed concern that the school was implementing a temporary halt on hiring new staff.
It’s not just students being impacted. Employees say putting the brakes on most new hires, along with potentially a halt on buying new equipment, will hurt.
Kirk Mercer is the president of the local CUPE union, which has approximately 900 full- and part-time employees at UVic.
He says the union’s members had been optimistic that workloads and stress were improving as we moved out of the pandemic, but this latest news is discouraging. "Pushing back to doing more with less, which unfortunately we’ve been doing for far too long," said Mercer.
Decreased enrollment coming out of the pandemic is also being blamed in Nanaimo, where Vancouver Island University says it's forecasting a deficit of $5.3 million this year.
Post-secondary schools aren't allowed to run deficits without the province’s approval. The province says VIU hasn't applied yet for approval to run a deficit. Staff at VIU tell CTV News that the school is working closely with the school on its financial plans to return to a balanced budget.
Meanwhile North Island College says it started the school year with a deficit of approximately $800,000 — a shortfall it too attributes to recovery from the pandemic.
Royal Roads University says it does not forecast a deficit this year.
As for UVic and its shortfall, the school has advised CUPE leadership it expects its cost-cutting measures to be finished by the spring.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America announced after 114 years that it will change its name and will become Scouting America in an effort to emphasize inclusion as it works to move past the turmoil of bankruptcy and a flood of sexual abuse claims.