Latest news with #VikkiPoirier
CBC
15-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
'Morale has hit an all-time low': Conestoga College union speaks out on layoffs
As Conestoga College faces layoffs and program suspensions, the union leaders representing its employees say the toll on the workers is mounting. "There is a sense of panicking now," said Vikki Poirier, president of Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 238, representing Conestoga's support staff. Across Ontario's 24 public colleges, approximately 10,000 faculty and staff have been laid off or are projected to lose their jobs, OPSEU said Wednesday. According to an arbitration document between OPSEU and the College Employer Council, 23 of the 24 colleges reported a 48 per cent decrease in first-semester enrolment of international students last year. The document says the decline and financial troubles are a result of the federally implemented international study permit cap. "We receive emails daily from our members with how upset they are," said Poirier. "Morale has hit an all-time low." Poirier's counterpart, Leopold Koff, president of OPSEU Local 237 for faculty counsellors, librarians and partial-load instructors, said the crisis extends across the college, "physically and mentally and spiritually." "They're tired. They were pushed to the max… and they're very worried as to what the future might hold," Koff told CBC News. Layoffs in the hundreds The cuts at Conestoga College have been widespread among both support and academic staff. "We have approximately 190 affected," said Poirier, adding that there is also a small portion not represented in that number. She said some jobs have shaved over 20 roles down to single digits, like student success advisers. "They don't know how they're going to do their job in the fall," she said. Poirier said some fields, including writing consultants, were cut altogether. "That role is gone." While no formal layoff notices have gone to full-time faculty yet, Koff said the damage is clearest among part-time instructors. "From the winter semester which just occurred… we had 580 partial-load faculty, whereas the year before we had somewhere like 710. This spring-summer… it's now down to 240," Koff said. "From 710 last fall to this summer 240. I don't know what you would call it other than a layoff." College has 'misaligned financial priorities,' says union president Both union presidents say communication from college leadership has been minimal. "They're lacking direction… the communication is non-existent," said Poirier. "There has been absolutely no comment, or town hall, or one ounce of compassion that has come from our leader." Poirier and Koff criticized what they see as misaligned financial priorities, including a pay bump for Conestoga's president, John Tibbits. "President Tibbits makes more than the prime minister of Canada. And we would like to know what we get for that," Poirier said. Meanwhile, Poirier says staff and students are struggling with basic working and learning conditions. "Our students are uncomfortable. Our staff is uncomfortable," she said. "Why are our students paying a fortune in tuition to come to an education facility where they are not comfortable to learn?" CBC News reached out to Conestoga College for comment, but they declined. Instead, in an emailed statement, a spokesperson for the college said: "Given the complexity of the issue and its implications across the sector, at this time, inquiries related to layoffs and program suspensions and closures are being directed to the College Employer Council." In a report last week, the College Employer Council laid the blame at the feet of the federal government, saying the cap on international students led to a dramatic decline in enrolment and tuition revenue.
CTV News
10-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Conestoga College staff facing uncertain future amid cuts
The exterior of Conestoga College's John W. Tibbits campus in Waterloo, Ont. was seen on April 1, 2025. The start of the next academic year is still weeks away, but staff at Conestoga College are already worried about their future. Earlier this week, the union representing college employees and faculty members across the province said they were anticipating 'one of the largest mass layoffs in Ontario's history' as close to 10,000 people have either been let go or are projected to lose their jobs due to program cancellations and suspensions. That feeling of impending dread is nothing new to some workers at Conestoga College. 'I'm not surprised,' said Vikki Poirier, president of Ontario Public Service Employees Union 238, the union representing support staff at the school. 'We have approximately 190 folks that their last day is going to be next Friday.' 'We don't know what the landscape is going to look like in September,' Poirier explained. 'I do know that there's going to be less support staff that provide services, as well as the foundation support for the college.' The cuts come after the provincial government decided to drastically reduce the number of international student permits it would approve. When the announcement was made, Conestoga College was specifically mentioned by name, stating, '11 of 24 colleges will keep applications at the 2023 levels. Colleges with public-private college partnerships and Conestoga College will see the largest decline.' The college has said its allocation of new permits would represent less than 50 per cent of their current international student population. School representatives previously said the change would present a financial challenge. 'The province needs to step up and properly fund the college so that they don't have to resort to a cash flow of international students as their means to an end, in terms of being able to grow and prosper,' Leopold Koff, president of Ontario Public Service Employees Union 237, said. That union represents faculty members and counsellors. Koff told CTV News full-time staff have largely been spared from recent cuts, but part-time, partial load and sessional staff haven't been as lucky. 'Last year, in the spring and summer semester, we had 731 partial load faculty, 1,832 part-time [faculty] and 129 sessional,' he said. 'This spring/summer semester – 240 partial load, 894 part-time and 40 sessional.' In 2024, Conestoga College faced criticism after it reported a surplus of $251,646,838 – more than double the 2023 surplus of $106,220,863. At a media conference on Wednesday, J.P. Hornick, the president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, pointed out some college presidents, including Conestoga College President John Tibbits, make large annual salaries, despite espousing the need for budgetary belt tightening. 'There are college presidents collecting salaries of over $400,000, even $600,000. That's more than the Prime Minister of Canada,' Hornick said. According to Ontario's Sunshine List, Tibbits had the highest public sector salary in the Region of Waterloo. He made $636,106.70 and claimed $3,898.71 in taxable benefits in 2024. His latest salary amounts to a raise of 28.6 per cent compared to the year before. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's salary in 2024, by comparison, was $406,200. CTV News reached out to Conestoga College for comment and were, instead, directed to the College Employer Council. The organization is a government-mandated bargaining agent for Ontario's publicly funded colleges for negotiating collective agreements with unionized staff. As of the publishing of this article, no response has been received.
CTV News
09-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Some Conestoga College campuses switching to four-day week for the summer semester
Conestoga College's campus on Frederick Street in Kitchener, Ont. was photographed on April 16, 2025. (Dan Lauckner/CTV News) Conestoga College says some of its campuses will be moving to a four-day week for its summer semester. The school did not explain what prompted the decision but touted the benefits to both students and the college. 'Student timetables have been developed so that our students are able to benefit, as much as possible, from four-day schedules,' they said in a statement emailed to CTV News. 'This initiative offers flexibility to students who may have summer jobs, creates operational efficiencies while our campuses are a little quieter over the summer months, and supports our sustainability measures.' Specifically, they cited a decrease in the use of air conditioning. 'Sustainability is a key priority for the college and reducing HVAC usage over the summer helps us meet our carbon reduction goals,' the school explained. Conestoga College did not make anyone available for an interview. A list of affected locations can be found below. Reaction to new international student rules The shorter weeks are just the latest move by Conestoga College after Ottawa placed new limits on international student enrollment in Canada. In December 2024, the school offered early retirement packages to 54 support staff and 106 faculty members. According to Vikki Poirier, president of OPSEU Local 238, all of them were over 50 years of age and had more than 10 of service at the college. Another 180 support workers were laid off or were reassigned on March 28. An internal memo, by Conestoga College president John Tibbits which was shared with CTV News, cited the federal government's decision to implement a cap on international student enrolment and other unnamed 'changes' that have created a perception that Canada 'is no longer a welcoming country for international education.' College surplus On the same day those layoffs were announced, the Ontario Sunshine List was released for 2024. It named the public sector workers making more than $100,000 a year. Tibbits had the highest public salary in the Region of Waterloo with a salary of $636,106.70 and $3,898.71 in taxable benefits. His income topped the regional chair, regional mayors, the presidents of the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University, both the public and Catholic school board directors, the president and CEO of Grand River Hospital and the chief of Waterloo Regional Police. Conestoga College announced on March 13 it would be extending Tibbits' contract to Dec. 31, 2026. Last July, the school reported a surplus of $251,646,838. According to financial documents, that was nearly double its surplus of $106,220,863 in 2023. Campuses affected by closures Brantford 1 and 50 Wellington Street closed Mondays Cambridge Not affected Guelph (Speedvale Avenue) Not affected Guelph (Riverside Glen) Not affected Ingersoll Closed on Mondays Kitchener ATS Engineering Complex closed Mondays Transition Classroom Building closed Mondays Therapeutic Sciences Building closed Mondays Toyota Power Engineering Centre closed Fridays Downtown (49 Frederick Street) closed on Mondays Milton Parkhill Drive closed on Mondays Steeles Avenue closed on Mondays Stratford Not affected Waterloo Not affected More details can be found on the college's website.
CBC
17-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Conestoga College to vacate buidlings in Kitchener and Brantford as leases expire
Students and faculty at two downtown Conestoga College campuses in Kitchener and Brantford are moving in the coming months. Conestoga College announced the leases at their locations at 274 Colborne St. in Brantford and 49 Frederick St. in Kitchener are expiring. A statement from the college to CBC News says the programs offered at those locations will move to a new spot. "In downtown Kitchener, academic-related operations will transition to 1 Young St.," the statement said. "In Brantford, operations will move to 50 Wellington St.." The Brantford move takes effect May 1 while the Kitchener move to Young Street will happen in September. Student housing and other locations Across from the Frederick Street campus in Kitchener, the college is in the process of renovating a former office building for student housing. The college says the redevelopment of that 12-story vacant office building at 22 Frederick St. will continue. Colleges in Ontario have undergone a number of changes this year due to international student caps. Conestoga saw their intake of students cut by 50 per cent. Support staff at Conestoga College were told at the beginning of April they can expect layoffs in the near future. Vikki Poirier, president of OPSEU Local 238 which represents support staff at the college, said at the time they had been holding information sessions for employees knowing other colleges were cutting jobs. Conestoga has also announced other relocations and partnership programs: The college says it will also welcome students to its new location in Stratford this fall. Phase 2 of the Conestoga Skilled trade campus in Cambridge is scheduled to welcome students in the fall of 2026. The school has also partnered with the Grand Erie District School Board to form a new program with the board called the College-Within-a-School Program. It's the first one in the province. There's no word on the future of the buildings at Frederick Street in Kitchener or Colborne Street in Brantford.
CBC
03-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
'A lot of fear, there's a lot of anxiety' for staff at Conestoga College as layoffs loom, union reps say
Social Sharing Support staff at Conestoga College have been told they can expect layoffs in the near future, causing a lot of fear and anxiety, union representatives say. Vikki Poirier, president of OPSEU Local 238 which represents support staff at the college, says they've been holding information sessions for employees knowing other colleges are cutting jobs. Colleges across the province say they have to lay off staff due to international student caps, which are cutting into their budgets. Conestoga College, for instance, saw their intake of international students cut by 50 per cent. On Friday, two OPSEU locals received notice from Conestoga College that it intended to reduce the number of support staff. On Monday, an internal memo went out to staff. "There's a lot of fear, there's a lot of anxiety, a lot of uncertainty," Poirier said in an interview on CBC K-W's The Morning Edition with host Craig Norris. Now, they've now entered a confidential process with the college, and Poirier says they're doing their best to reassure and help workers. "We're educating members so they're aware of the process. There's misconceptions and misunderstandings. So I don't want to provide inaccurate or unrealistic expectations to them," she said. Leopold Koff is president of OPSEU Local 237 which represents faculty, counselors and librarians and which also received notice from the college of the intention to reduce staff. He says this is a time when colleges in Ontario should be investing in what they do, not cutting staff. "With the Trump tariff wars about to happen and underway, the colleges are in a unique position to be able to give the flexibility and diversity of training and retraining to make our economy and the people and the workers and the employers more flexible and resilient to these tariff wars," he said. "What the college is doing now is the reverse in terms of reduction of qualified, experienced faculty and administrators and not utilizing the hundreds of millions of dollars they have in cash reserves to maintain the stable basis of the colleges and especially Conestoga." Conestoga College's spokesperson Brenda Bereczki said the internal memo sent on Monday "stated that discussions with the support staff union over the coming weeks are confidential as outlined in the collective agreement." More information is expected to be shared in the next few weeks, she said. The news of layoffs comes as the college continues plans to expand in Stratford and Guelph and after the province's Sunshine List, released last week, showed Conestoga president John Tibbits was paid $640,005 in 2024, up from $494,716 in 2023. Poirier says she hopes the college remembers that the support staff her local represents are needed by Conestoga. They are the "foundation of the college that keeps the college going, keeps the programs going so the faculty can work and that the managers can manage them," she said. And Koff says the provincial government could do more to save jobs at the colleges. "I believe that this is an opportunity for the premier to step up and invest in our colleges," Koff said. "The colleges can turn and pivot. They can provide training and retraining to quote provide to the industry that and our businesses in Canada, Ontario, so that we can compete and be independent and flexible and compete with the world and act independent from the U.S. going forward. The colleges are the secret weapon we have. We should utilize it."
