Province, feds urged to save Fleming programs
College plans to cut offerings to offset $40M financial hit
Peterborough city councillors voted on Monday night to urge both the federal and provincial governments to protect college programs from cancellation — including 29 doomed programs at Fleming College.
“There is a local job market that we need to be furnishing,” said Coun. Joy Lachica, who put forward the notice of motion at a general committee meeting, Monday. “It makes logical sense to try to save these programs.”
Councillors voted 6-4 in favour of the motion.
Voting in favour, along with Lachica, were councillors Alex Bierk, Don Vassiliadis, Dave Haacke, Andrew Beamer and Keith Riel.
Voting against it were Mayor Jeff Leal, councillors Matt Crowley, Gary Baldwin and Kevin Duguay (Coun. Lesley Parnell was away and didn’t vote).
The cancellation of 29 Fleming College programs — offered at both Peterborough’s Sutherland Campus and Lindsay’s Frost Campus — was announced in late April.
Students currently enrolled are expected to be able to finish their studies, but no one will be able to start any of the 29 programs, as of September.
The move comes following the federal government announcement, in January, of a new two-year cap on the number of international students coming into Canada.
In January, CBC quoted federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller as saying some private post-secondary institutions are “bad actors” who take advantage of international students by charging them more for tuition but offering few supports.
At Fleming, international student tuition averages about $15,000 a year; domestic students pay about $3,400.
Fleming president Maureen Adamson has said the college will likely experience a 50 per cent decrease in international student enrolment, spurring a $40-million annual revenue loss (a 25 per cent drop in total college revenues).
To cope, Fleming plans to cancel business programs as well as programs to train people to become law clerks, heavy equipment mechanics and urban forestry
There is a local job market that we need to be furnishing. It makes logical sense to try to save these programs.
JOY LACHICA COUNCILLOR
technicians, for example.
Mayor Leal said on Monday night that “for good or for bad,” Fleming College has been depending on the revenues generated by international student tuition fees.
Now the college is facing what the mayor described as “a $40million hit,” which will require Fleming administrators to trim the number of programs they offer (which will mean fewer well-trained workers, he said).
Perhaps, but Lachica said the college cuts will mean people who grow up in Peterborough can no longer necessarily plan on going to college here and then getting work here.
“My heart is with workers,” she said. “And the students who are graduating from the programs will be our workforce.”
But Coun. Matt Crowley voted against the motion, saying he didn’t think city council had any business asking higher levels of government to tell colleges how to manage.
“It doesn’t feel like this is our fight, necessarily,” he said.
Coun. Gary Baldwin said he felt the same way.
“To me, it’s a (college) governance issue,” he said.
But Lachica replied that city council has a right to speak up on an issue that will weaken Peterborough’s workforce (since people who train here often remain here to work).
She saw no reason for city councillors to demur: “At all kinds of governance tables, we can lobby.”
Coun. Keith Riel said he’s been contacted by local business owners lately who say they count on graduates from Fleming College “to fulfil our needs, and to expand our business.”
Riel added that young people growing up in Peterborough are being chased away to “farflung” cities to train, which is unfortunate: “Kids want to stay in our community — and be employed.”
Coun. Alex Bierk said he’d support the motion because he’s spoken with young people who’ve trained at Fleming College, as well as with their instructors, about the need for a variety of programs.
“I support our community — and that’s why I support Coun. Lachica’s motion.”