Latest news with #ConestogaCollege
CBC
6 days ago
- 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.
CBC
14-07-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Air conditioned labs and ice cream: How local university students are keeping cool
The heat wave continues in Waterloo region and Guelph this week and students on local university and college campuses will continue their studies, whether they have air conditioning or not. For University of Waterloo PhD student Megan Byres, her solution is to stay on campus and indoors while the sun is up. "Mostly I just stay in the lab all day, everyday," she said. "We have good air conditioning in there." Student Jeevan Parmar has a sweet solution. "I've been eating a lot of ice cream, to be honest," he said. Concerns have been raised by some students and faculty at both University of Waterloo and Conestoga College this summer due to the heat. So far in July, there have been four days over 30 C with more expected this week. At the University of Waterloo, some students have raised concerns that UW Place student residence doesn't have any air conditioning. A petition says going into the hallways of the building "will leave you more soaked with sweat than standing outside in the blazing sun." The petition has just 16 signatures, but the University of Waterloo says they take student safety seriously and are doing what they can to help students. The university says they are providing portable AC units or even relocating students with medical and disability-related issues. As well, those students who reach out regarding heat concerns will get support from Waterloo's housing team, the school said. Another residence available to students is Claudette Millar Hall, which students can move to, but it does cost more to live there. "Waterloo's long-term residence plan includes improved temperature control and air conditioning as we build new residences and revitalize existing spaces, including in UW Place," the university's statement said. "However, these updates will require significant financial investment." HVAC updates at Conestoga At Conestoga College, two unions representing staff said the air conditioning hasn't been working well enough to keep people cool. There were allegations the school was trying to save money by reducing the use of air conditioning, but the college said in a statement to CBC News that they have "not implemented cutbacks to AC usage for cost-saving purposes." "This is an isolated issue and not related to the college's sustainability commitments," the email response continued. Conestoga said that the changes this summer to the air conditioning is because the HVAC system in some buildings is undergoing repairs, which has affected the ability of the system to cool buildings. The college also said they have made "the strategic move to reduce hours of operation in lower-traffic buildings during non-peak times" and said this is consistent with the college's "sustainability commitments and [is] guided by occupancy data." Fewer students are on the University of Guelph and Wilfrid Laurier University campuses this summer and the schools say they haven't heard of any issues. "Because of those smaller numbers, most students on campus have access to air conditioning," the University of Guelph said in an email.. Laurier said classes, events and conferences "are held in buildings with air conditioning and residences are currently vacant." Some like it hot Steven Flisfeder, a meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada, says even if the current heat alert is lifted, people can expect it to be hot and humid all week. People should be "making sure you're drinking lots of water, especially before you start to feel thirsty, just so you're continuously hydrated through the heat," he said. Flisfeder added people can stay cool by limiting time outdoors, taking part in strenuous activity, and seek out a cool, shaded area for relief during the hottest parts of the day. Back on the University of Waterloo campus, not all students are melting in the sweltering temperatures. Math student Azzahra Yeasmin said 35 C is normal heat for her. "I'm from somewhere where the weather is like 35 C, 36 C," said Yeasmin, who is from Bangladesh. "This is nothing." Some other students are even enjoying the heat. Patrick Bennett said that while he does try to stay hydrated as much as possible and not go out unless necessary, he still enjoys going out and soaking up the sun. "I'd rather it be 35 C than 20 C," Bennett said, noting he goes out for runs regularly and participates in sports as much as he can regardless of the heat. Levent Eren, Bennett's friend and fellow student, said wearing light-coloured shirts and shorts is another solution.
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
30-06-2025
- CTV News
Change in fare prices for Grand River Transit on July 1
The Grand River Transit will be increasing some of their fares beginning on July 1. Starting Tuesday, cash fares and single tickets will increase by 25 cents, going from $3.75 to $4.00. Children ages six and under will be able to ride transit for free, a two-year increase. Those on the Affordable Transit Program can use less money on their EasyGO, with fare now dropping 15 cents to $1.35. The cost of a monthly pass will rise to $104. Those on the affordable program will be able to pay a dollar less than usual, at $47. Full-time students at Conestoga College, University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier will have to pay $124.91 for a U-Pass, an almost $6 increase. On Tuesday, transit will be running on a holiday schedule for Canada Day.
CTV News
11-06-2025
- Science
- CTV News
Lamb-scapers return to Conestoga College
Sheep are baaack at Conestoga College. For the second straight year, Conestoga College has enlisted the help of a flock of sheep to keep their solar panel fields neatly grazed. This year's roster includes 35 sheep and 15 lambs. 'A lot of them were here last year so they understood right away when they got out of the trailer, where they were,' Tim Fisher, the sheep's shepherd, said. 'They were very excited to be here.' They've once again been tasked with chewing away at the roughly three acres of land surrounding the school's solar arrays. Instead of using gas-powered landscaping equipment such as lawn mowers, the flock offers an environmentally friendly alternative. 'We no longer need to use chemical herbicides or fertilizers,' explained Graham Aikenhead, associate director of sustainable automation and energy optimization at the college. Officials estimate the project has reduced the school's herbicide use by approximately 60L and its fertilizer use by 160 kg. This year, the flock is also providing an opportunity to forge connections. 'We've had classes out of the college. A bunch of instructors from the college have come in, staff, just to see what's going on,' Fisher said. Another newly discovered perk stemming from the sheep's presence is re-naturalization in the area. 'We've noticed an increase in the number of insects and birds and other wildlife at the space,' said Aikenhead. The wooly workers will be heading back home to All Sorts Acres Farm on Friday morning but will return to Conestoga for two weeks in July.
