Union expresses 'deep concern' for faculty and staff after P.E.I. college suspends programs

Stephen Brun · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 14, 2025 6:11 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

The national representing astir of the workers affected by Holland College's programming cuts says it met with members of the school's medication implicit the play to speech astir adjacent steps. 

Late Friday afternoon, Prince Edward Island's largest assemblage assemblage announced it would beryllium suspending eight programs and downsizing 3 others due to the fact that of a "sharp alteration successful the college's planetary pupil enrolment." 

The determination affects 35 module and staff, 26 of whom are represented by the P.E.I. Union of Public Sector Employees, oregon UPSE. 

"I had heavy interest for my members… but I bash cognize this is simply a nationalist contented with post-secondary institutions. It's disturbing, arsenic the president of a union, to perceive of immoderate layoffs," UPSE president Karen Jackson told CBC News. 

"We're hoping that the leader is besides looking with a broader oculus into this cost-reduction strategy and not conscionable looking astatine frontline workers." 

WATCH | Cuts astatine Holland College volition impact each national members, UPSE president says aft play  meeting:

The assemblage estimates that it's facing an 83 per cent alteration successful its overseas pupil enrolment due to the fact that of 2 moves the federal authorities made successful 2024 to alteration unit connected Canada's lodging markets. 

The effect for Holland College is "$7 cardinal successful mislaid tuition and fees annually," according to the college's statement laston Friday.

The college's main field is successful Charlottetown, but it besides offers grooming successful Summerside, Alberton and Georgetown.

Some of the affected employees volition person layoff notices astatine the extremity of this world year, portion others volition beryllium kept connected until May 2026 truthful that students presently enrolled successful suspended programs tin implicit their last year. 

Jackson said determination are immoderate options for the employees, and she urged anyone affected by the cuts to interaction UPSE. 

"There are callback rights," she said. "If the suspended programme is reintroduced... they would beryllium called backmost into the position, bumping and relocation, oregon determination could beryllium a transfer."  

Political reaction

Some of the national predetermination candidates for P.E.I.'s Charlottetown riding weighed successful connected the college's cuts Monday. 

Joe Byrne, the NDP candidate, said that if his enactment forms government, it would supply further backing for post-secondary institutions to assistance them header with the diminution successful planetary enrolment. 

He said universities and colleges were gradually forced to trust connected overseas students — and the higher tuition they pay — after Ottawa chopped backing to post-secondary schools implicit the years. 

"What we're seeing astatine Holland College is the earthy effect of mediocre decision-making 30 years ago," Byrne said. "When you propulsion the fiscal rug retired from nether post-secondary institutions, you person to regenerate it with funding. You can't expect universities and colleges to spell done each this modulation with nary resources."

Green Party campaigner Daniel Cousins is simply a postgraduate of 2 of the programs Holland College is suspending — task absorption and selling and advertizing management. 

While Cousins said the Greens don't person a circumstantial level argumentation to assistance the college, they said the federally mandated driblet successful planetary pupil numbers volition yet wounded the school's reputation.  

"In each honesty, we're losing immoderate of the champion radical successful our acquisition system," Cousins said. "Holland College has a… global  estimation for definite programs, and that's going to pull radical from each implicit the world, nary substance what. 

"If we can't judge radical from astir the world, we're going to suffer that credibility."

The programme suspensions are "concerning," Liberal incumbent Sean Casey said in a connection to CBC News.

"There's nary question that caps connected planetary pupil admissions — portion indispensable to code abuses of immoderate institutions and negociate infrastructure pressures specified arsenic wellness attraction and lodging — person created important ripple effects, peculiarly successful communities similar ours," the connection reads. 

"Addressing this requires collaboration betwixt some levels of government. We request to enactment intimately with Holland College to guarantee their programming is aligned with our evolving work-force needs."

While helium did not nonstop an authoritative statement, People's Party of Canada campaigner Robert Lucas said the cuts are a occupation created by the Liberal Party, truthful the Liberal Party volition request to lick it. He said the PPC would further trim migration numbers if it forms a government. 

CBC News besides reached retired to Conservative campaigner Natalie Jameson, but had not heard backmost by precocious Monday.