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Another round of layoffs has hit Saskatchewan Polytechnic, prompting criticism from the opposition NDP and concern from faculty leaders about the school’s long-term stability.
The Saskatchewan Polytechnic Faculty Association confirmed that 25 positions were cut this week across multiple campuses, affecting both instructional faculty and student-support staff, bringing the number of jobs cut to 63 since April.
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Saskatchewan Polytechnic Faculty Association president Michelle Downton said the layoffs began early in the week and continued through Thursday.
“Some of them started on Tuesday, and then they’ve continued through yesterday and today,” Downton said.
Downton said the school is facing a $15-million shortfall this academic year, driven by stagnant provincial funding and a sharp decline in international-student enrolment following federal restrictions.
“We believe that there is an over-reliance on international students,” she said. “When those numbers dropped, the government wasn’t funding us to the level that we needed to continue programming.”
The NDP said the layoffs are a direct result of years of underfunding and the government’s decision not to sign a new multi-year funding agreement with post-secondary institutions.
At a news conference Thursday, NDP Advanced Education Critic Tajinder Grewal said the layoffs show the impact of the Sask. Party’s most recent budget cut to advanced education was roughly $6 million across the sector.
“We can’t have strong health care or a strong economy without a strong Sask. Poly,” Grewal said. “Education is a provincial jurisdiction, and the Sask. Party should not have allowed this to happen.”
Saskatchewan NDP Advanced Education Critic Tajinder Grewal spoke to reporters at the Legislature on Thursday, calling on the government to release details about Saskatchewan Polytechnic layoffs. (Jacob Bamhour 980CJME)
Grewal said the opposition has heard the total number of affected staff could reach 100 and called on the government to release full details immediately.
Downton said Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s funding model differs from that of the University of Regina and University of Saskatchewan, which she believes has made the polytechnic more vulnerable to cuts.
Some programs have already been paused in trades, business and health sciences, prompting students to leave Saskatchewan for polytechnics in Alberta.
“They have suspended programming, and I know there are students who, because of the suspensions or the temporary pause on programming, have chosen to go to NAIT or SAIT,” Downton said.
“If we don’t provide educational opportunities in Saskatchewan, people will be forced to go to different provinces, and then what is the chance that they’re going to return?”
Downton said the association wants the province to establish a stable, multi-year funding plan to protect programs and jobs.
The Saskatchewan NDP, which facilitated the interview with Downton, is urging the government to act immediately to stop further layoffs and reinvest in post-secondary education.
