Conestoga College cuts staff, plans layoffs as top brass receive six-digit pay bumps

An institution mired in controversy has reportedly cut an unconfirmed number of jobs and is planning more layoffs to full-time staff.

According to staff at Conestoga College, an email was sent and signed by President John Tibbits on Friday, alerting staff that an undisclosed number of administrative employees had been axed and that more layoffs are planned for full-time support staff.

According to the Ministry of Labour, if less than 50 employees are let go at any given time, the institution doesn’t have to publicize who was let go and how many jobs were trimmed.

Colleges and universities in Ontario are changing operations following legislation from the federal government that looks to cut back on the number of international student permits allowed.

“We have received limited information as to what the full rationale is,” said Vikki Poirier, president of Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 238, the union representing support staff employees at Conestoga. “We know that the president of the college and other administrative staff have received anywhere up-to 30 per cent increases (in pay).”

“The transparency has been less-than ideal.”

Poirier stressed that a lack of funding for public education from the provincial government has led to this situation.

Leopold Koff, president of OPSEU Local 237, noted that, in addition to last week’s layoffs, the number of contracts being given out to partial load employees is decreasing, and that many of the faculty members being left without a new contract have been with Conestoga longer than Tibbits himself.

“These people rely on the salary, benefits, and everything they’ve grown accustomed to for many years without any problems, and now they’re suddenly destitute and left on the streets.”

According to Poirier, full-time support staff with Local 238 receive an annual 3 per cent raise regardless of what their salary is.

According to the Sunshine List, which was released on March 31 and details the salaries of public sector employees who make more than $100,000, President Tibbits received a 28.5 per cent pay bump last year, earning more than $636,000 in 2024.

Koff noted that Conestoga College could be a powerful tool in these unstable, uncertain economic times, given its ability to train and retrain Ontario’s workforce. However, he added that by cutting trained and qualified staff, they’re doing the exact opposite.

“The college, what they’re doing, is they’re stripping that down and they’re destabilizing it, the one tool that we have available that could quickly turn around the economy, counter these tariffs that Trump is bringing in,” said Koff. “They have the money. They’ve got over 700 million dollars in cash reserves. They are not touching any of that.”

Having received a layoff notice, the support staff union is now engaged in confidential talks to discuss next steps.