Confusion, frustration and contemplation as Algonquin College calls for program cuts

Driving into work used to be a labour of love for Teri Loretto. She was always eager to arrive at the college, eager to see her students and mentor them in her dual role as the program coordinator for both the scriptwriting and performing arts programs.

For the past week, however, it’s become a stark reminder of what just happened, and what may come in the future.

She’s loved this job for half a decade.

But soon, the scriptwriting and performing arts programs could disappear.

On Feb. 11, Algonquin College president and CEO Claude Brulé announced plans to suspend 37 programs, removing 16 per cent of the college’s academic offerings. One of those programs was offered by AC Online while four were offered at Pembroke.

The program suspensions are recommendations to the Board of Governors, which will make the final decision during a meeting on Feb. 24.

The college says currently enrolled students will be allowed to finish their studies.

According to the college, “all learners should avoid unnecessary breaks,” meet necessary academic requirements and “follow the program progression as closely as possible.”

Brulé said the program suspensions are to ensure financial sustainability. He attributed these changes to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada’s recent restrictions, decreasing the number of international students in Canada for upcoming semesters.

Provincial funding shortfalls have also worsened financial strains.

The effects have been undeniable. This academic year, the college enrolled 2,400 fewer international students than expected. The college described it as a “significant loss in revenue” that amounts to a $60-million deficit for the upcoming academic year.

With 33 per cent of the student body being international students, shrinking that demographic means lowering the bottom line. By the 2026-2027 academic year, the college says the deficit may rise to $93 million.

Loretto understands. She has no misconceptions about the college’s financial situation. But she never expected to see a program like scriptwriting end up on a suspension list.

“It’s not a huge international draw and it’s a low-cost program,” she said.

Scriptwriting, a graduate certificate program, “is the only program of its kind in Canada,” Loretto said. It’s not simply screenwriting for movies; graduates have a high hiring rate in live theatre, game development, documentaries and other content creation industries.

Instead of suspending the program, Loretto would have been content to adjust, even if that meant returning the program online as it was during the pandemic, when it had a rare 100 per cent student retention rate.

Lucas Bear, a graduating student studying bachelor hospitality and tourism management, shares similar confusion about the college’s decision to suspend his program. For the past two years, his program has been tirelessly promoted as an important and innovative one.

Bear says it’s mixed messaging.

“I feel bad for those who just got into the program,” he said. “(The college) has always pitched it as such a promising and important program. They said people need you. The industry needs workers like you.

“And now they’re gonna say we’re not important and we’re not needed?”

The college said programs were “evaluated against metrics such as student demand, retention and graduates rates, financial viability and program quality” before being recommended for suspension.

This isn’t the first time this year that staff and students have been stunned by a program’s closure.

In January, the college announced the complete closure of the Perth campus. In protest, heritage carpentry alumnus Braeden Suggitt created an online petition to save the campus.

With this new wave of proposed suspensions, more petitions are appearing online, including those related to the scriptwriting program, technical writer co-op program, radio broadcasting and others.

Current students will be sheltered from the cuts, but much of the discourse focuses on the staff’s looming job insecurity.

In an email to faculty on Feb. 11, Brulé addressed the labour impacts these program cuts will have on the college’s faculty, promoting two initiatives to mitigate layoffs.

One was the Targeted Retirement Departure Initiative, which provided a “one-time lump-sum financial incentive” to employees over the age of 50 who are eligible for an unreduced pension.

The other was a Voluntary Exit Registry “where employees can self-identify as willing to depart the College and receive a modest incentive.”

“While layoffs are unavoidable, we are committed to mitigating their impact through staged resource adjustments,” Brulé said in his email.

Full-time unionized faculty members will be protected by their collective agreements, while “the Employment Standards Act will determine severance and termination entitlements” with administrative, contracted and term employees.

“We are committed to treating everyone with dignity and respect throughout this process,” the statement said.

Reacting to the potential layoffs, Maddy Thornhill, an esthetician student, waxed lyrical about her instructors.

“The profs are amazing,” she said. “They’re all so passionate. It’s really sad their programs are closing.

“I hope they can find somewhere else to work and keep teaching elsewhere because they’re all great at what they’re doing.”

Loretto is a full-time faculty member and unionized. Her thoughts go out to part-time staff, who do not possess the same job security as full-time staff.

Without programs like scriptwriting, performing arts, tourism management and other suspended programs, Loretto fears other voices and experts will fill the void, replacing strong local talent.

“Throughout these past five years, I’ve passed on the knowledge I’ve worked so hard to gain all my life to deserving learners. These students are going to go and highlight Canadian voices at a time when Canadian voices desperately need to be heard,” Loretto said.

“It’s a disfavour, not only to the industries affected, but the country at large.”