Workers 'devastated' as Fanshawe College moves to cut 400 jobs

Andrew Lupton · CBC News

· Posted: May 08, 2025 11:21 AM EDT | Last Updated: 13 minutes ago

Staffing astatine Fanshawe College volition beryllium chopped by 35 per cent — astir 400 full-time employees — arsenic the schoolhouse faces fiscal pressures driven mostly by a crisp driblet successful planetary students. 

Speaking to employees packed into a lecture theatre astatine the London main field connected Thursday, with hundreds much watching online, Fanshawe President Peter Devlin said the schoolhouse is projecting a $72-million shortage successful the coming 2 years. 

"We are moving toward a people of a 35 per cent workforce reduction. That's a lot," Devlin said. "That amounts to astir 400 folks." 

In April, Fanshawe College said it would beryllium ending 40 programs effectual successful the autumn of 2025, including constabulary studies, applied aerospace manufacturing, operation task management, good creation and status residence management. 

Devlin told employees that 30 per cent less Canadian students person enrolled successful full-time programs for this coming year. Due to planetary pupil licence cuts, determination would beryllium 63 per cent less planetary students attending. 

Devlin said the schoolhouse volition statesman moving toward the 35 per cent unit simplification people successful June arsenic a portion of Fanshawe's "road to sustainability" restructuring plan. 

He did not accidental however the cuts would beryllium dispersed betwixt the school's teaching and enactment staff, but said that "all worker areas volition beryllium affected." 

Devlin said astir 170 of the occupation reductions volition travel from removing vacant positions and offering immoderate workers aboriginal retirement. 

As portion of the restructuring, the schoolhouse volition besides trim the fig of vice-presidents from 5 to four, with the status of Michele Beaudoin, the VP of pupil services. 

Despite the grade of the staffing cuts, Devline said they won't beryllium enough to put Fanshawe's books backmost into balance.. 

"There volition inactive beryllium a backing gap, and truthful determination is simply a request for provincial action," helium said. 

News 'devastating' for employees

Adam Rayfield has worked 15 years arsenic a locksmith astatine Fanshawe and also is president of Ontario Public Service Employees Union Local 109. 

He spoke to employees aft Devlin presented details of the restructuring. He said quality of truthful galore unit reductions is unsettling. 

"Folks are fearful, they're anxious they're devastated," said Rayfield. "At the extremity of the day, there's going to beryllium a chunk of radical who are nary longer here, and personally, that's devastating." 

Fanshawe's planetary pupil colonisation has been among the highest successful Ontario, with roughly 11,700 permits approved for the assemblage successful 2023.

That fig was precocious chopped by much than fractional aft the national government reduced the fig of pupil visas it would springiness out. International students wage astir treble the tuition outgo that home students do. 

Algonquin, Centennial, Mohawk, Northern, Sheridan, and St. Lawrence colleges each precocious announced programme suspensions and layoffs owed to the licence cap, which is expected to cost Ontario colleges billions successful mislaid revenue.