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Sault College confirms that, on July 17th, Sault College declared eight Full-Time Support Staff positions redundant, and provided the eight staff members in those positions written notice of reassignment. These reassignments will result in the layoff of six Full-Time Support Staff employees, after following the Collective Agreement layoff/bumping process. This difficult decision was made in direct response to unprecedented financial constraints facing the institution. The College is currently managing a projected $5.6 million deficit for 2025–26, primarily due to:- The federal government’s cap on international students, which has significantly reduced enrolment and revenue from our private-public partnership campuses.
- Ongoing provincial tuition and grant funding freezes, which have further limited our financial flexibility.
- Rising operational costs and a challenging post-secondary funding landscape.
The College’s Employment Stability Committee made these recommendations in accordance with the college’s established procedures and considering all other possible measures to preserve jobs and minimize disruption to College operations. The College’s approach prioritized protecting academic quality and student services while seeking to avoid involuntary job loss wherever possible.
Before proceeding with eliminating positions, Sault College implemented the following mitigation strategies:
- Retirements: Sixteen administrative staff, support staff, and faculty members retired since 2024 and were not replaced.
- Voluntary Exits: Nine staff members left the College voluntarily and were not replaced.
- Voluntary Departure Packages: Approximately twelve staff members accepted voluntary departure incentives.
- Hiring Freeze: An overall hiring freeze was enacted, with exceptions only for essential positions.
- Salary Freeze: Base salaries for administrators were frozen for the current and next fiscal year.
- Program Suspensions: About 20 programs were suspended, with full-time faculty reassigned to other areas when possible. Part-time contracts were not renewed for affected courses.
- Comprehensive Cost Review: All areas of operation and departmental budgets were scrutinized for savings, and non-essential expenditures were reduced or eliminated.
Despite these extensive efforts, the ongoing financial pressures left no alternative but to proceed with eliminating a limited number of positions. The College remains committed to following all proper protocols regarding bumping and reassignments, in accordance with collective agreements and relevant policies. All affected employees will be treated with dignity and respect and have access to support resources.
Sault College will continue to advocate for sustainable funding and is dedicated to transparency, fairness, and open communication throughout this process.
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