Concordia University cutting costs due to decline in enrolment
Concordia University says enrolment issues are forcing significant cuts, especially in the face of incoming tuition hikes for out-of-province students.
In a memo sent to staff and faculty last week, Concordia officials said that after 10 years of growth, enrolment had declined in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
"Due to this drop in revenue, Concordia cannot meet its core operating costs, which consist mostly of salaries and the day-to-day operations that support teaching, research and student life. Inflation, which affects the cost of goods and services, as well as rising interest rates, employee benefits and salary costs, have also had a significant impact on the university's expenses," reads the letter, which Concordia shared with CTV News on Monday.
The university says it's aiming to cut its overall spending by 7.8 per cent. Measures include freezing the salaries of Concordia executives, continuing the hiring freeze for non-academic staff, and dipping into reserve funds, among others.
While the memo does not mention Quebec's plan to dramatically increase tuition costs for out-of-province and international students, the Concordia administration has previously said the hikes will drive new students away.
In fact, according to some, it already has.
"A couple of my friends wanted to come up here this year and now they've changed their minds because it's too much money compared to going to Ontario now," Concordia marketing student Dyland Buyers told CTV News.
The Coalition Avenir Québec government says the hikes are designed to protect the French language, arguing that too many non-French speaking students flood into Montreal only to leave after graduation.
But critics like engineering student Fatima Faisal say there are better ways to protect French that don't restrict academic opportunities: "Free French courses in universities and stuff like that would be better than a tuition hike."
- Amid tuition hikes, former students share why choosing Montreal was the best decision of their lives
Marwah Rizqy, the Quebec Liberal Party critic for higher education, accused the Legault government of trying to court French-speaking voters after a painful loss in October's by-election.
"But they're doing so by hurting institutions such as Concordia, McGill and Bishop's," she said.
Post-doctorate researcher Nadia Hausgather, who studies student movements, says the hike will only drive away lower-income people.
"The only people we invite as possible future students from outside Quebec will be the elite who can afford those fees," she said.
More than 33,000 students have signed a National Assembly petition to stop the hikes.
On Thursday, demonstrators are expected to gather at Concordia's downtown campus for another protest, demanding the province change course.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ontario to ban use of cellphones in school classrooms starting in September
Ontario is introducing a suite of measures that will crack down on cellphone use and vaping in schools.
Kitchener family says their 10-year-old needs life-saving drug that cost $600,000
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
'Do not consume': Gift Chocolate recalled due to undeclared milk, soy
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for a specific chocolate brand sold in Ontario and Quebec.
Health minister 'deeply appreciative' of doctors but capital gains changes here to stay
Health Minister Mark Holland says while he is 'deeply appreciative' of the work doctors in Canada do, the federal government has no plans to scrap the proposed capital gains tax changes outlined in the latest budget, despite opposition from the Canadian Medical Association.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
BREAKING Quebec to invest $603 million to protect the French language
Quebec will invest $603 million over five years to counter the decline of French in the province, French Language Minister Jean-Francois Roberge announced Sunday.
Key mediator Qatar urges Israel and Hamas to do more to reach a cease-fire deal
A senior Qatari official has urged Israel and Hamas to show "more commitment and more seriousness" in ceasefire negotiations in interviews with Israeli media, as pressure builds to reach a deal that would free some Israeli hostages and bring a ceasefire in the nearly seven-month-long war in Gaza.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Murder charge laid after man falls to death from Toronto apartment balcony
One person has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who fell from a balcony following an altercation inside a Toronto apartment building.