Sask. Polytechnic cuts more jobs, suspends program as budget pressure continues
CBC
A perpetual threat of layoffs and program cuts is starting to wear down faculty at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, the post-secondary school's faculty association says.
Sask. Polytech confirmed it recently eliminated 23 full-time and part-time jobs and is suspending its health information management program for the 2026-27 school year.
The moves are the result of "a financial shortfall resulting from federal immigration policy changes" and are needed "to support long-term program sustainability," according to a statement from Sask. Polytechnic.
They're the latest in a series of job cuts and program changes at Sask. Polytech in the past year, as international student enrolment dropped.
The province's two universities are facing similar problems, after the federal government slashed the number of international student permits issued for 2025 and 2026.
The constant budget pressures are starting to have a "chilling effect" on faculty, said Michelle Downton, president of the Saskatchewan Polytechnic Faculty Association.
"I hear from members that they're fearful for their jobs," Downton said in an interview. "They are saying, 'I'm going to return to industry rather than worry about the sustainability of this.' I've had people bumped into positions that are now going to be targeted for layoff again."
Sask. Polytech recently reversed its decision to move a program from the Saskatoon campus to the Regina campus, after the plan drew the ire of students who didn't want to relocate for school.
But other program adjustments are moving ahead. The health information management program is suspended for the 2026-27 school year due to low enrolment, but current students will be able to finish the program, according to Sask. Polytechnic's statement.
"That one I'm very, very concerned about, because there is a provincial need," Downton said of the program, which trains people to work in health-care data management and analysis.
"This education cannot be achieved anywhere else in the province," she said. "These professionals are essential for the functionality of our health-care system, in addition to many other functions throughout the province."
The Opposition NDP raised the issue in Tuesday's question period, pressing the Saskatchewan Party government to step up with more education funding.
Advanced Education Minister Ken Cheveldayoff said Sask. Polytech is not alone. There have been thousands of layoffs in regional colleges and universities across the country "because of the federal government's decision to cap international students," he said.
"Sask. Polytech is well run, well led and well financed, and one of the leaders in the country, for sure," Cheveldayoff told reporters after Tuesday's question period.
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