Georgian College is temporarily pausing operations at its John Di Poce South Georgian Bay campus in Collingwood as of Sept. 1.
“This temporary pause will allow us to reassess our operations and possible future offerings in South Georgian Bay ( SGB) so we can continue to effectively serve students, employers and our communities,” said Kevin Weaver, Georgian’s President and CEO, in a media release on Wednesday.
“Part of our assessment will include considering local and regional demographic trends, industry and community employment opportunities, and plans for development and programming already offered at other Georgian campuses in proximity to SGB, balancing short-term needs and long-term possibilities.”
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Weaver noted in the release that there have been years of declining enrollment at the SGB campus, and it has become "increasingly difficult" to offer an "unrivaled experience" to the small number of students the campus currently serves.
At this time, Georgian doesn’t have a set timeline for how long the pause in operations will last.
“We remain deeply committed to meeting the needs of the South Georgian Bay community through workforce development, industry partnerships and regional economic growth,” added Weaver.
Georgian says a full transition plan is underway to support impacted students and employees. Approximately 90 full- and part-time postsecondary incoming and returning students, primarily in the Social Service Worker and Personal Support Worker programs, are impacted by this decision, and all have been notified of the change.
All programs in South Georgian Bay are offered at other Georgian campuses and programming will continue as planned for the 2025-26 academic year in Barrie, Midland, Muskoka, Orangeville, Orillia and Owen Sound.
In February, Georgian announced it would lay off 45 staff at its campuses due to a drop in international student enrolement.
The college said there had been 31 voluntary retirements and 10 vacancy closures. Georgian blamed the cuts on chronic underfunding of the sector.
At the time, Weaver said the college faced a projected financial gap of approximately $45 million for 2025-26, and an estimated gap of an additional $15 to 20 million for 2026-27.
In Wednesday's media release, Weaver laid out the challenges schools like Georgian are facing.
"Georgian, like many other colleges across the province, is navigating a complex set of challenges – including persistent declines in international enrolment due to federal policy impacts on international student recruitment, and a provincial funding model that hasn’t kept pace with institutional needs."
