Culinary program suspension foils Indigenous high school students' plans in Thunder Bay

Obie McKay says he was looking forward to improving his baking skills through Confederation College's culinary management program.

But after being accepted into the program for September 2025, the Grade 12 student has learned that it's one of 11 academic programs at the college that have been suspended, which means fall admissions at the Thunder Bay, Ont., school have been cancelled.

McKay, who is from Wapekeka First Nation, attends Dennis Franklin Cromarty (DFC), an all-Indigenous high school in Thunder Bay. Students move to the northwestern Ontario city from remote First Nations that don't have their own secondary schools, and stay with host families while completing their high school education.

Students can receive a dual high school-college credit through the culinary arts class at DFC, which has historically encouraged pathways into the culinary management program at Confederation College.

"It fills up very quickly because there's a limited amount of students we can offer it to," said Tara Beachum, culinary arts teacher at DFC. "Students really enjoy it. It's very hands-on and many of them like to continue on into culinary after they finish high school."

Confederation College says the reason behind the program suspensions is declining domestic enrolment and financial constraints that have come from a loss of international students, resulting from federal caps on study permits granted.

Community members — many from the city's food industry — have rallied around the culinary management program since the announcement was made in late March. This includes more than 2,100 signatures on an online petition aimed at keeping the program open.

With high school graduation just over a month away, McKay says he needs to assess his options now that he won't be going to the college this fall. His home community is just under 600 kilometres north of the city.

He said he may look into jumping straight into the workforce and getting a job at a local bakery, or consider another program entirely.

"I learn pretty quickly with my hands," McKay said. "But I do wish [the program] would come back."

A spokesperson for Confederation College told CBC News in an email on Thursday that the school is "aware of the community's concerns regarding the suspension of the culinary management program."

"As part of our commitment to transparency and community engagement, Confederation College will be hosting a community town hall to share more information about the decision and to listen to feedback," said communications consultant Scott Hobbs.

The meeting is scheduled for Monday from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m. in the Shuniah building's Dibaajimogamig lecture theatre.

Stephen Crowe, a Grade 12 student at DFC who is taking the culinary arts class there, says it would be much easier to go to Confederation College than moving further south for post-secondary. He is from Sandy Lake First Nation, a remote community more than 600 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay.