Ontario’s publicly funded colleges are facing one of the largest workforce reductions in the province’s history, with nearly 10,000 faculty and staff laid off or expected to lose their jobs due to program cancellations, suspensions, and declining enrolment. The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) attributes the cuts to chronic underfunding and the federal cap on international student visas, which led to a 48% drop in first-semester enrolment at 23 of 24 colleges between September 2023 and 2024. Over 600 programs have been affected, including domestic priorities such as nursing, child and youth care, environmental technologies, and specialized arts programs.

Union leaders warn that these reductions threaten the accessibility of post-secondary job training across Ontario and will have long-term generational impacts. While the College Employer Council and the provincial government dispute some claims, acknowledging financial pressures and challenging decisions, the layoffs represent a 17% reduction in a workforce of over 60,000.

For the Canadian job market, the cuts highlight the vulnerability of the post-secondary sector to both funding constraints and international policy changes. The restructuring threatens not only employment for faculty and staff but also access to critical training programs that support Ontario’s skilled workforce pipeline.

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Maan Alhmidi’s original article, “Cuts at Ontario colleges leading to nearly 10,000 job losses, union says” was published in CBC News on July 9, 2025. Read the Full CBC News story.