'Morale has hit an all-time low': Conestoga College union speaks out on layoffs

1 month_ago 9

Kitchener-Waterloo

As a effect of the drastic driblet successful planetary pupil enrolment and critiques of fiscal misguidance, Conestoga College is facing 82 programme closures and astatine slightest 190 layoffs, with much to come, section national presidents say.

At slightest 190 unit person been laid disconnected truthful far, says section national president

Cameron Mahler · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 10, 2025 12:32 PM EDT | Last Updated: July 10

Union reacts aft unit laid off, courses cancelled astatine Conestoga College

Across Ontario's 24 nationalist colleges, much than 10,000 module and unit are being fto spell and much than 600 programs are being cancelled oregon suspended. Those numbers were released connected Wednesday by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which says it's 1 of the largest wide layoffs successful Ontario's history. Conestoga College makes up astatine slightest 190 of those layoffs and 82 of the programme cancellations. Vikki Poirier, president of OPSEU Local 238, and Leopold Koff, president of OPSEU Local 237, told CBC much astir the impacts.

As Conestoga College faces layoffs and programme suspensions, the national leaders representing its employees accidental the toll connected the workers is mounting.

"There is simply a consciousness of panicking now," said Vikki Poirier, president of Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 238, representing Conestoga's enactment staff.

Across Ontario's 24 nationalist colleges, astir 10,000 module and unit person been laid disconnected oregon are projected to suffer their jobs, OPSEU said Wednesday. According to an arbitration papers betwixt OPSEU and the College Employer Council, 23 of the 24 colleges reported a 48 per cent alteration successful first-semester enrolment of planetary students past year.

The papers says the diminution and fiscal troubles are a effect of the federally implemented planetary survey licence cap.

"We person emails regular from our members with however upset they are," said Poirier. "Morale has deed an all-time low."

Poirier's counterpart, Leopold Koff, president of OPSEU Local 237 for module counsellors, librarians and partial-load instructors, said the situation extends crossed the college, "physically and mentally and spiritually."

"They're tired. They were pushed to the max… and they're precise disquieted arsenic to what the aboriginal mightiness hold," Koff told CBC News.

Layoffs successful the hundreds

The cuts astatine Conestoga College person been wide among some enactment and world staff.

"We person astir 190 affected," said Poirier, adding that determination is besides a tiny information not represented successful that number.

She said immoderate jobs person shaved implicit 20 roles down to azygous digits, similar pupil occurrence advisers.

"They don't cognize however they're going to bash their occupation successful the fall," she said.

Poirier said immoderate fields, including penning consultants, were chopped altogether.

"That relation is gone."

While nary ceremonial layoff notices person gone to full-time module yet, Koff said the harm is clearest among part-time instructors.

"From the wintertime semester which conscionable occurred… we had 580 partial-load faculty, whereas the twelvemonth earlier we had determination similar 710. This spring-summer… it's present down to 240," Koff said.

"From 710 past autumn to this summertime 240. I don't cognize what you would telephone it different than a layoff."

Two students successful conversation, seated successful beforehand of a partition with the Conestoga College logo.

Conestoga College has declined to remark connected the layoffs oregon programme suspensions. Instead, they're directing media to talk with the College Employer Council, the province-run post-secondary declaration arbitration agency. (Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press)

College has 'misaligned fiscal priorities,' says national president

Both national presidents accidental connection from assemblage enactment has been minimal.

"They're lacking direction… the connection is non-existent," said Poirier.

"There has been perfectly nary comment, oregon municipality hall, oregon 1 ounce of compassion that has travel from our leader."

Poirier and Koff criticized what they spot arsenic misaligned fiscal priorities, including a wage bump for Conestoga's president, John Tibbits.

"President Tibbits makes much than the premier curate of Canada. And we would similar to cognize what we get for that," Poirier said.

Meanwhile, Poirier says unit and students are struggling with basal moving and learning conditions.

"Our students are uncomfortable. Our unit is uncomfortable," she said. "Why are our students paying a luck successful tuition to travel to an acquisition installation wherever they are not comfy to learn?"

CBC News reached retired to Conestoga College for comment, but they declined.

Instead, successful an emailed statement, a spokesperson for the assemblage said: "Given the complexity of the contented and its implications crossed the sector, astatine this time, inquiries related to layoffs and programme suspensions and closures are being directed to the College Employer Council."

In a study past week, the College Employer Council laid the blasted astatine the feet of the national government, saying the headdress connected planetary students led to a melodramatic diminution successful enrolment and tuition revenue.

LISTEN | Conestoga makes cuts to its programs:

The Morning Edition - K-W12:18Conestoga makes cuts to their programs

Across Ontario's 24 nationalist colleges, much than 10,000 module and unit are being fto spell and much than 600 programs are being canceled oregon suspended. Conestoga College makes up astatine slightest 190 of those layoffs and 82 of the programme cancellations. Vikki Poirier, president of OPSEU section 238 which represents enactment staff, and Leopold Koff, president of OPSEU section 237 which represents the faculty, librarians, counsellors, and partial-load instructors talked astir the situation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cameron is simply a newsman with CBC Kitchener-Waterloo. Cameron has antecedently interned with CBC Toronto's Enterprise Unit. For communicative ideas, you tin interaction him astatine [email protected].