Stormy Weather

April 2 in Ontario is living up to tradition…wind, snow, ice and rain is forecast across the province. It’s technically spring, but this is often the time of year when a final winter weather cataclysm howls across the province, forcing higher ed comms offices to pull out their emergency closure binders and send e-blasts to their community.

But this year, April 2 brings another storm. More colleges and universities are reporting revenue losses, with colleges like Centennial, Fleming, Fanshawe and Conestoga announcing intake or program suspensions or layoffs, and universities like York and Waterloo anticipating significant deficits or cuts. 

The fiscal crisis facing public higher education barely registered during the recent provincial election, and the current federal election appears to be following the same path. As Canada prepares to choose its next Prime Minister, there is no indication that educating the next generation of citizens is top-of-mind for any of the parties, suggesting that funding for this sector will continue to slide against our global competitors. 

And to top it off, April 2 is “Liberation Day”, according to American president Donald Trump–the day when his regime will announce a series of global tariffs. The chaotic impact of Trump’s financial flip-flops, along with his disturbing use of ICE to target, detain and deport international students and outright attacks on university funding and autonomy, is creating further mayhem in an industry still recovering from COVID. Some professors are looking north, and outgoing U of T President Meric Gertler told Times Higher Education that applications from American students are up 23 per cent at Canada’s largest teaching and research university. 

But Canada is not yet positioned to absorb those fleeing American higher ed, let alone provide sufficient space for domestic students in high-priority programs. With international enrolment (in particular from powerhouse India) drying up, domestic programs that have been subsidized by foreign students will also lose funding, leading to fewer opportunities for Canadian students.

Ontario–and Canada–must chart a sustainable course for universities and colleges, especially as other institutions worldwide focus on STEM and AI (sorry, humanities), while also dealing with cyber attacks and data security issues, a growing demand for mental health and wellness services, and oh yeah–CLIMATE CHANGE. 

Everyone needs to come to the table for this–governments with a meaningful funding model, industries with partnerships, businesses and alumni with fundraising. It’s complicated, but this is a unique opportunity for universities to do what they excel at: get curious and collaborate in interdisciplinary ways to solve problems. Only then can we dig out from this sector-wide storm and prepare for a Canadian higher ed garden in full bloom.