Loyalist is suspending admissions to 30 percent of its programs and laying off a fifth of its teaching and administrative staff.

The cuts, says President Mark Kirkpatrick, could just be the beginning.  The college must make up a budget shortfall of $48 million.

In the face of the Ford government’s underfunding of the education sector, colleges and universities across the province increased international student admissions. Such students pay much higher tuition than Canadian students.  As at colleges across the province, international student fees became Loyalist’s bread and butter. When the federal government cut numbers, Loyalist lost $48 million in revenue. 

“We’re focused on survival right now,” said Mr. Kirkpatrick.

Last year, the Federal government set a cap on the number of international students that could be admitted to post-secondary schools. The move was aimed at tackling strains on housing, health care, and other services.

But Ontario colleges are disproportionately affected. They suffer the lowest per-student funding in Canada — an average of 44 cents for every dollar spent in the rest of the Country. 

At the same time, student tuition has been frozen at 2015 levels for a decade. 

“International students aren’t just about money,” noted Mr. Kirkpatrick. “Our international students that we’ve brought into this community, and into our college, have really enhanced the learning and the opportunities that our students have. It’s created a global perspective.”

Such students create a labour force of part-time workers that support the local economy. They often become permanent residents after their studies, and stay and work in the community.

The cutbacks will have a direct impact on Prince Edward County. “We’ve had to cut programs that I know you all need, but we can’t afford to run them anymore,” Mr. Kirkpatrick told Council last week.

Culinary skills and management, two programs that train the talent behind the County’s flourishing restaurant and hospitality industry, are just a couple of essential programs being suspended. 

Mr. Kirkpatrick said the cuts will only add to the pressures created by the high cost of housing, and force even more young people to leave the region. 

“When students leave home, they don’t come back. We’re going to start losing our young people,” he said. 

Another likely outcome is that some students will decide to skip college altogether. 

Transit is also in peril. 

“Economic growth really depends on transit,” Mr. Kirkpatrick noted. Loyalist and PEC transit partnerships include the HealthPULSE shuttle, which transports Loyalist interns to the HJ McFarland retirement home.

The cuts in programs will only intensify the gap between urban and rural prosperity. 

In addition to speaking before local Councils, Loyalist’s President and senior staff have been meeting with regional economic development leaders. 

“If I was to ask for one thing, it would be for your voice,” Mr. Kirkpatrick told Council.

Councillor Kate MacNaughton forwarded a motion to advocate on behalf of Loyalist to upper levels of government. 

Councillor John Hirsch said the decisions made by the federal and provincial governments that paved the way for these cuts were “shortsighted.”

The hope is that some programs will be reinstated by leveraging other assets. 

“We can’t cut our way out of this,” said Mr. Kirkpatrick. 

Council unanimously carried a motion to direct the Mayor to advocate for Loyalist College at the provincial and federal levels, specifically outlining the disproportional impacts on rural communities and lower income families, and to extend that advocacy to the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus.