Facing a $6.5 million-deficit, Confederation College takes heat over suspension of culinary program

Sarah Law · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 15, 2025 6:52 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

Eve Roy says she was drawn to Confederation College successful Thunder Bay, Ont., by the smaller people sizes and supportive learning environment.

That's wherefore the first-year culinary absorption pupil says she was amazed erstwhile the schoolhouse announced the programme is 1 of 11 being suspended successful the fall.

"The teachers are astonishing — they're truly cool. They thatch a lot. They're truly nonrecreational and they're down to earth. My classmates are amazing," said Roy, who came to the northwestern Ontario metropolis from Ottawa.

Roy was 1 of astir 80 radical who packed the college's Dibaajimogamig lecture hallway connected Monday night. The sanction translates to "the spot wherever stories are told."

The league was scheduled to past an hour, but lasted astir 2 hours, with much than a twelve radical posing questions to elder assemblage staff.

Graduates of the programme shared what they went connected to bash successful the industry. Former teachers talked astir the interaction of giving back. Prominent members of the edifice and edifice industries expressed concerns astir staffing shortages. Meanwhile, a Grade 11 pupil shared she had been readying to enrol successful the programme since the seventh grade.

A subordinate of 1 of the college's ain advisory committees said they learned astir the programme suspension done the media, portion different idiosyncratic questioned the deficiency of consultation with Indigenous radical implicit the decision.

"On the affirmative side, it is unthinkable to spot this magnitude of enactment travel retired of the woodwork. For us to travel successful present and speech connected a Monday nighttime astir this and truly propulsion the boundaries of what we thought we could bash is amazing," said Pete Middaugh, enforcement cook astatine the city's Valhalla Hotel.

WATCH | Thunder Bay's nutrient manufacture acrophobic astir suspension of culinary absorption programme astatine Confederation College 

Middaugh is down an online petition aimed astatine keeping the culinary absorption programme open. It has much than 2,200 signatures.

"The information that we saw 2,200 [signatures] successful a comparatively abbreviated play of clip truly speaks to however important this programme is to the assemblage astatine ample and to its businesses and its radical that unrecorded here," helium said.

While respective radical pushed backmost against the reasoning down the college's determination — a diminution successful home enrolment and planetary survey permits — the schoolhouse committed to exploring options for keeping culinary acquisition successful place, adjacent if that means successful alternate formats.

The assemblage says no unit layoffs person been announced successful transportation with the programme suspensions. However, it has seen a 50 per cent uptake connected its voluntary status inducement plan. There's besides been a hiring intermission and vacancies are being held, elder unit shared during a presumption astatine the municipality hall.

"I'm hoping to prosecute with an adjacent broader radical of radical beyond conscionable the programme advisory committee," said Richard Gemmill, the dean for the schoolhouse of business, hospitality and media arts astatine the college.

"Hoping to get much voices to that array to assistance pass america arsenic to what that assemblage request is and however we tin respond to that request successful a meaningful mode that is financially viable for the institution."

Growing deficit, declining enrolment

Confederation College is facing a $6.5 million-deficit, said Aaron Skillen, vice president academic. Meanwhile, the culinary absorption programme saw much than $330,000 successful losses past year.

There were 52 students successful the programme successful 2024. Of those, 28 were planetary students.

WATCH | How the overseas pupil caps impact universities' finances 

Now, with the national authorities capping the fig of planetary survey permits crossed the country, Confederation College is expecting 40 per cent less planetary students this autumn compared to 2023.

Domestic enrolment has declined by 30 per cent implicit the past decade, according to Skillen.

"We're successful a acceptable of circumstances wherever we are greatly impacted by immoderate national policy, surely the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) decisions passim 2024 person created a caller world successful the post-secondary assemblage crossed the country, and surely present successful Ontario," said Skillen.

The IRCC has besides introduced caller post-graduate enactment licence eligibility, which lone 27 of the college's programs suffice for; the culinary absorption programme isn't 1 of them.

Alternative options, advocacy

Pushed by participants of the municipality hall, Gemmill committed to look into what a antithetic culinary diploma programme mightiness look similar successful the future, but couldn't marque immoderate promises arsenic acold arsenic timelines.

"I deliberation we're astatine the constituent present wherever we request to look astatine what benignant of programme is required and however tin we physique that up, from the crushed up, to respond to that need," helium said. "I'm optimistic that we tin bash that with the due consultation with the due assemblage members."

For Middaugh, the reply lies with the radical successful the industries astir affected.

"I would similar to spot them marque an announcement that they're gonna proceed the program, but they're gonna instrumentality much recommendation[s] from the culinary assemblage astatine large, and that the programme is going to possibly beryllium evolved to marque consciousness for each shareholders," helium said.

"It's got to marque consciousness to the college. It's got to marque consciousness to the restaurants and everything other that goes into it, it's not conscionable 1 party."

In the meantime, the assemblage is looking into offering much navigator apprenticeships, declaration and firm training, and micro-credentials to assistance enactment the nutrient industry.

As the national predetermination approaches, Skillen said the assemblage is continuing to advocator to some the provincial and national governments for much support, particularly erstwhile it comes to gathering the community's labour needs.

Ultimately, helium said the municipality hall's precocious turnout "signals to maine precisely however we consciousness astir the programme arsenic being a high-quality one, 1 that's met a labour marketplace request successful the past."

"[There is] surely a existent tendency to say, 'how tin we proceed to conscionable that section and determination labour marketplace request going forward?'"