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Georgian College’s president and CEO, Kevin Weaver, told a mix of policies is expected to lead to a reduction in enrolment of about 3,200 full-time international students for 2025-26, leading to some drastic measures.

“We’ve done a variety of things. We’ve had to look at the programs that we’re offering, and we’ve had to make some tough decisions to suspend intakes,” he said. “And then of course, you know, we have impacted the number of positions at the institution.”

The college faces a projected financial gap of approximately $45 million for 2025-26, and an estimated gap of an additional $15 to 20 million for 2026-27. 

In 2019, the Ontario government called for post-secondary student tuition to be scaled back by 10 per cent, and then it was subsequently frozen, a freezing that was extended for a further three years in January 2024.

“That definitely has put pressure on us in terms of operating funding. And so we have been recruiting international students for many, many years, as have many institutions,” Weaver said.

While the province did announce in January 2024, Weaver says the sector has gone without for some time.

“We have been underfunded in this province for many years,” he said, indicating that the post-secondary sector receives 44 per cent less provincial grant funding than the national average.

In response to these comments, Bianca Giacoboni, press secretary for the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, zeroed in on federal policy.

“Our post-secondary sector, including Georgian College, is going through a rebalancing right now due to the federal government’s changes and some difficult decisions are being made by our institutions to ensure their long-term success and sustainability,” she said in an email.

Giacoboni went on to say the province is prioritizing Ontario students.

“We will not put additional costs on the backs of hard-working families with higher fees and tuition,” she said.

In early 2024, the federal government announced it was , a 35 per cent decrease over the year before, with another 10 per cent decrease planned for this year.

This was followed by a spring 2024 announcement by the Ontario government that in high-demand fields such as skilled trades and STEM-related courses.

The 45 layoffs the college just announced are not the only roles impacted by these moves, according to Weaver, who says they’ve been forced to lay off a total of 229 staff since the international student cap was imposed.

Weaver was asked whether focusing on international enrolment after the freezing of domestic tuition was a case of putting all their eggs in one basket, Weaver said it was a necessary and revealing step.

“There’s no question that international enrolment has helped unmask, if you will, the systemic underfunding. And so, when the changes came down federally that impacted our ability to recruit at the same levels we had been, that’s what’s led us to such a financial crisis at this point in time,” he said.

However, the college has also trimmed back its programming, and while no programs have been cancelled, the college has suspended intakes and reduced the number of sections within some programs.

Weaver says layoffs and programming alterations will affect all its campuses, but as Barrie’s campus has the largest student body and most programming offered, it is expected to be impacted the most.

Stephannie Schlichter, Barrie’s director of Economic & Creative Development, says local employers and the community benefit from Georgian’s contributions to the city.

“Any job losses, or reductions in students in our community have a significant impact, not only on the individuals directly affected but also on the broader local economy.”

Weaver indicates there could be a significant impact to the entire area it serves.

“The economic impact of reduced student spending in the region is estimated to be $17.6 million,” he said.

However, Schlichter says the full impact is yet to be felt.

“It’s early to fully assess the extent of these impacts to the local employers,” she said.

While the college says it has had to make tough choices, Weaver adds the community programs it participates in are not at risk, such as its work with the , or the .

“All that work will continue. Those are important elements of the work that Georgian does, and we know they’re of great importance also to our communities,” he concluded.