Mark Kirkpatrick, CEO of Loyalist College, has asked Prince Edward County Council for support as the college grapples with a major funding shortfall.
Council received a deputation from Kirkpatrick on Tuesday during their regular council meeting.
Kirkpatrick shared the impact the recent budget shortfalls were having on the college, and the predicted impact it will have on the wider community. He predicted the region would lose one per cent of total GDP.
“These students have filled a humongous amount of part-time labour jobs that are in these regions,” said Kirkpatrick. “When they graduate many people stay in this region, contribute to this region and pay taxes, create jobs.”
He went on to criticize the Ontario government for underfunding post secondary institutions. Kirkpatrick said that the grant from the Ontario government to fund the college hasn’t changed since 2015.
“This international money was out there and this international money subsidized post secondary education for domestic students,” said Kirkpatrick. “Ontario has the lowest funding for post secondary institutions in the country. For every dollar the rest of the country spends, we spend 44 cents on post secondary education.”
Since caps were put in place on international student numbers, colleges across Ontario have faced budget challenges. Loyalist College recently announced they were suspending student intake on 24 different courses, roughly 30% of their programs. While existing students will be able to complete their programs, new students are not being admitted for the affected programs. Loyalist College is also working on a 20% reduction in staff.
After receiving the deputation, council voted to have Mayor Ferguson talk to the upper levels of government about the struggles facing rural colleges like Loyalist.
