Algonquin College planning widespread program cuts amid ongoing financial strain

Algonquin College is recommending to its board of governors the suspension of 37 academic programs as it grapples with "unprecedented financial challenges," its president and CEO Claude Brulé announced Tuesday.

The recommended cuts represent 16 per cent of the college's 235 programs of study. If approved by the board at its meeting on Feb. 24, they will go into effect this fall and no new students will be admitted to the affected programs.

Students enrolled in the programs during the current and spring terms will be able to complete their studies, and Brulé said the school is "hoping to offer alternative programming to the students who would like to be admitted" to programs that will be cut.

Brulé blamed the program cuts on the federal government's decision to reduce international student permits and the province's cap on tuition fees.

"This is due in part to a prolonged and ongoing provincial government tuition freeze, chronic underfunding, and recent federal government immigration policy changes that negatively impact international enrolments. The College needs to take immediate and substantial action to address this perilous fiscal situation," Brulé wrote in a letter to staff.

He warned that "without intervention," the college will incur a budget deficit of at least $60 million in 2025-2026, rising to $93 million by 2026-2027.

"It's very difficult to make ends meet when two of your revenue streams are frozen and locked," he told CBC in an interview Tuesday afternoon.

Brulé also noted a provincial grant to compensate for the tuition freeze does not increase with inflation. 

"So there's more work to be done by the province to fix the funding model for its institutions," he said.

Layoffs 'unavoidable'

Brulé said the cuts will "not completely eliminate" the school's financial woes, and further mitigation measures will be required.

Among those, layoffs will be "unavoidable," Brulé told staff. The college has been offering buyouts to employees who are eligible for an unreduced pension, and will now offer employees in jobs facing elimination a "modest financial incentive" to leave.

Other measures include reducing expenses, allowing some contracts to lapse and continuing to assess the viability of the college's academic programs.

Algonquin currently has campuses in Ottawa, Pembroke and Perth, Ont. In January, the college recommended closing its Perth campus at the end of the 2026 spring term, citing the same reasons.

"We're living in extraordinary circumstances right now," Brulé said regarding the lack of consultation with college staff before the planned cuts were announced. "The urgency of the situation demands that we act with expediency." 

Brulé said the programs to be cut were chosen based on several criteria, but the main factor is that some are no longer eligible for a post-graduate work permit program.

"So it's less attractive for international students to come and study in those programs knowing that they would have to return home afterward," he said. "They will not be able to stay and work for a few years."

Immigration Minister Marc Miller tightened eligibility for the program at the same time the reduction in international student permits was announced.

Financial woes have plagued other local universities and colleges. St. Lawrence College also announced Tuesday it had cut managerial jobs — 33 of them, according to a different college union — and plans to cut support staff in the coming days. Faculty jobs will also be cut, it said.

'Chaotic, unfortunate and difficult' 

Teri Loretto is the Algonquin College program coordinator for the performing arts and scriptwriting program, both of which will be cut.

"I recognize that something has to happen, I'm not unreasonable," said Loretto, who is also a former CBC broadcaster. "I am upset because some of these programs are irreplaceable."

She cited Algonquin's scriptwriting graduate certificate and wastewater management program as two examples of programs that are the only ones of their kind.

Martin Lee, who teaches in the applied technology department and is a member of the college faculty bargaining team, said it had been a "chaotic, unfortunate and difficult" day.

His program doesn't have any international students, and has a wait list, so he said he didn't understand why it was being cut. He said the college hasn't provided those answers.

"This is a G8 capital, and we are losing valuable programs," he said. "The future of Ontario's workforce is being cut here."

The students in performing arts are creating a video testimonial about what the program has meant to them, and the union is mobilizing for its members, Loretto said. 

"Everybody's trying to gather together first to understand what has happened, to talk about the logistics of it, and then do see what we can do," she said.

Full list of programs to be cut

Pending approval by Algonquin's board of governors, the following programs will end this fall: 

Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence (ACCE) 

• Building Information Modelling — Lifecycle Management.
• Building Information Modelling — Lifecycle Management Canadian Context.
• Energy Management. 

Algonquin College Online (ACOL) 

• Business — Trades. 

School of Advanced Technology (ATEC)

• Bachelor of Technology (Digital Health) (Honours). 
• Digital Health. 
• General Arts and Science — Aviation Management.
• Regulatory Affairs — Sciences. 
• Technical Writer. 

Faculty of Creative Arts and Media (FCAM)

• Brand Management. 
• Brand Management (two-year). 
• Broadcasting — Radio and Podcasting. 
• Creative Industries Management. 
• Interdisciplinary Studies in Human-Centred Design. 
• Interior Decorating. 
• Performing Arts. 
• Photography — Content Creation. 
• Professional Writing. 
• Scriptwriting. 
• Teachers of English as a Second/Foreign Language. 
• Visual Development for Entertainment. 

Pembroke Campus (PEMB) 

• Outdoor Adventure Naturalist. 
• Police Foundations. 
• Regulatory Affairs — Sciences. 
• Water and Wastewater Technician. 

School of Business and Hospitality (SOBH) 

• Bachelor of Hospitality and Tourism Management (Honours). 
• Business Administration — Human Resources.
• Business Administration — International Business 
• Business Administration — Marketing.
• Financial Services Canadian Context.
• Human Resources Management. 
• International Business Management. 
• Marketing Management. 
• Marketing Research and Analysis. 
• Office Administration — Executive. 
• Retirement Communities Management. 
• Strategic Global Business Management.