As former interim Laurentian University president Sheila Embleton said at a meeting last February, the entire post-secondary sector was “put in turmoil” after restrictions were imposed on international student permits last winter.
International students have been seen as a ready source of cash in the post-secondary sector, as they are charged higher tuition fees than domestic students.
Cuts to international student visas were imposed by federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller in January.
Further cuts were announced this fall as the government sought to clamp down on the explosive growth of international students in Canada, which has caused issues that include pressures on housing.
Alex Usher, a higher education consultant, didn’t hold back on his opinions in a Sept. 23 entry on his blog, which he entitled “Marc Miller Strikes Again.”
“It’s just such an utter, needless fiasco,” he said. “And for everyone who has spent the last few decades talking about how great it would be if the feds were more involved in post-secondary education … how are you liking it so far?”
Despite the cuts, Sudbury’s three post-secondary institutions are faring well when it comes to their enrolment numbers, at least for now.
However, Cambrian College is winding down its operations at its Hanson campus, its private college partner in the GTA offering programming for international students. Career colleges no longer receive international student permits under the new federal rules.
Because of the international student situation, having posted a record $41-million surplus in the last school year, Cambrian College has now altered its budget development framework for the possibility of posting a “negative” budget in future.
Also in early 2024, the provincial government announced $1.3 billion for post-secondary education in Ontario, but said it plans to maintain its years-long tuition freeze for in-province students introduced in 2019 after a 10-per-cent cut.
That’s despite recommendations coming out of the November 2023 blue-ribbon report on post-secondary education in Ontario, which recommended that the tuition freeze be lifted, among other measures.
The blue ribbon panel was created by the province in response to the 2021-22 insolvency at Sudbury’s own Laurentian University, and examined the financial sustainability of Ontario’s post-secondary sector.
Speaking of Laurentian, it had its ups and downs, as it continued in 2024 to deal with the aftermath of its unprecedented journey under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (or CCAA).
It fulfilled one of its post-CCAA obligations early this year, and implemented its 2024-2029 strategic plan. And after approving a multi-million post-CCAA transformation plan in 2023, Laurentian last month hired a chief transformation officer to lead the way.
We also learned in November that Laurentian University has fully implemented 48 per cent of the recommended actions in the Ontario Auditor General’s 2022 special report detailing the circumstances that led to the university’s 2021-2022 insolvency.
In June, the university conferred its first honorary doctorate since 2020 to Supreme Court Justice Michelle O'Bonsawin.
But payouts to Laurentian’s creditors are to be funded by sales of university property — five buildings and seven parcels of land — to the province, and with a deadline of Nov. 28, 2025, those sales have yet to be completed.
Laurentian did sell its president’s home early this year, and recently confirmed it will be selling another university-owned property, the historic Bell Mansion.
The home of the Art Gallery of Sudbury, the Bell Mansion has been closed for more than a year due to structural issues, and Laurentian said it can’t afford to fix this property.
The university also continues to grapple with what will happen with its long-closed Jeno Tihanyi Olympic Gold Pool, which it says it can’t afford to fix or operate.
Laurentian hit a snag in February after a cyber attack that brought down its IT systems, breaching the data of students and staff, and throwing the winter semester into chaos.
The university, which has seen leadership upheaval in recent years owing to its insolvency, saw yet another change in leadership this year. Lynn Wells became the university’s president in April, and Malcolm Campbell became the provost in August.
In the December meeting of Laurentian’s senate, Wells highlighted some of the university’s 2024 accomplishments listed above.
“We're still dealing with some complicated things, and we're working our way out of difficulties, but the university is certainly on a very positive path,” Wells said.
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s assistant editor. She also covers education and the arts scene.