"Colleges Ontario, which advocates for the province's 24 public colleges, shared an update of the sector's ongoing financial woes in its 2026 pre-budget submission Wednesday. The association projects the college sector will face a deficit of up to $1.5 billion by 2027-28, due to the ongoing tuition freeze in the province and the sharp drop in international students since the federal government first began tightening requirements and capping numbers in late 2023 and early 2024."
"Colleges supply more than half the workers in sectors facing the most acute shortages that directly affect our local and provincial economies," Maureen Adamson, president and CEO of Colleges Ontario, said in a statement. "Without sustainable, predictable funding, training capacity will continue to shrink just as demand is growing and workers leave the workforce."
"Colleges have cut $1.4 billion in costs over the past year, according to the group, by slashing more than 600 programs and more than 8,000 staff positions. But further federal changes around international students permits amid already plummeting enrolment of students from abroad will worsen the system's already precarious state, the association said. Colleges Ontario is calling for $1.5 billion in temporary and sustained investment from the province, including: A boost in operating grants and adjustment of the college tuition formula to close the per-student funding gap."
Ontario public colleges are projecting a sector-wide deficit of up to $1.5 billion by 2027-28 driven by a province-wide tuition freeze and a sharp decline in international students after tightened federal rules and caps in late 2023 and early 2024. Colleges have cut $1.4 billion in costs over the past year, eliminating over 600 programs and more than 8,000 staff positions. The sector warns that further federal changes will deepen instability and reduce training capacity. Colleges Ontario requests $1.5 billion in temporary and sustained provincial funding to boost operating grants, adjust the tuition formula, and expand priority-program capacity.
Read at www.cbc.ca
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