Post-secondary crisis topic of UW roundtable with NDP leader
Posted Jul 28, 2025 04:19:40 PM.
Last Updated Jul 29, 2025 04:45:01 AM.
The crisis in Ontario’s post-secondary education sector was the focus of a roundtable on Monday at the University of Waterloo (UW).
Provincial NDP leader, Marit Stiles brought her “All in for Ontario” tour to Waterloo Region, and the roundtable was the first event.
The federal cap on international student enrolment has led to a significant drop in funding for post-secondary institutions. The schools had been using the higher tuition fees paid by international students to offset funding cuts, mainly at the provincial level.
Layoffs across the sector have been reported. In fact, back in April, Conestoga College announced it was cutting around 190 mainly support staff positions as it looked to cut costs.
In a statement to 570 NewsRadio on Monday, the college announced more layoffs.
“Like most post-secondary institutions across the country, Conestoga continues to navigate unprecedented and challenging times. As a result, four executive positions were impacted over the last week,” a statement reads.
At a press conference following the roundtable, Stiles was quick to point the finger at Queen’s Park for the situation at Ontario’s colleges and universities.
“Premier Ford needs to focus on what he is responsible for. We have job layoffs in Sault Ste. Marie now, 200 jobs gone. We have one of the biggest layoffs happening right now in the province of Ontario. Jobs that were good jobs. Good permanent union jobs are disappearing daily.”
Stiles went on to say her big takeaway from Monday’s discussions was the impact these cuts and job losses are having on students now and will have years down the line.
“The message that we heard today is very clear: The billions of dollars of cuts to our post-secondary institutions are putting the next generation’s future at serious risk,” she said.
Waterloo MPP, Catherine Fife and Shadow Minister for Colleges, Universities, Research and Security, Peggy Sattler, also attended the roundtable.
Fife spoke at the press conference ahead of Stiles and foreshadowed the leader’s thoughts about the impact of cuts now on the province’s future.
“The government’s chronic underfunding of post-secondary education has huge implications for our economy. And during an aggressive trade war, we cannot afford to send our students out to the world with anything else but a world-class education. More layoffs and a weaker workforce are the last things this province needs right now. The government has to wake up.”
