By: Cece Han
Edited by: Constanza L. Grajales
University budget cuts should not be a surprise, especially for those of us here at Queen’s University. The tuition freezes, stagnant funding, and over-reliance on international student admissions have all led to the current predicament that many post-secondary institutions in Ontario find themselves in. As a result, this has led to programs being cut and defunded, as well as staff layoffs. It is not only Queen’s University that has been feeling the budget cuts, but many universities, such as the University of Waterloo and the University of Guelph, are also feeling the pressure from the lack of funding. Heading into the 2025 academic year, the University of Waterloo is faced with a massive operating deficit and is looking at an estimated $75 million shortfall. In order to reduce the impact, the university had to slim down facilities and academic support units by $42 million. The University of Guelph is faced with similar difficulties and has posted a loss of over $10 million. Since the tuition freeze,which was installed in 2019 across Ontario, post-secondary institutions have had to look elsewhere to make up for the lack of government funding, which begs the question of what the future of post-secondary education will look like in the province of Ontario.
Minister of Colleges and Universities, Jill Dunlop, had announced that a $1.2 billion financial aid package would be enacted to support a short-term funding boost for post-secondary institutions to “stabilize” their finances. This comes as a result of the extended tuition freeze on Ontario universities, which will last until 2026-2027. However, this has failed to solve the long-term funding problems that many post-secondary institutions are now facing. Ontario universities have long been neglected by the provincial government. With the extension of the tuition freeze but a continued absence of government funding, post-secondary institutions are having increased difficulty finding ways to manage their financial situation. Higher Education Strategy Associates president, Alex Usher, has said that the financial aid package is “not a serious attempt to put Ontario’s colleges and universities on solid footing. It is, rather, the act of a government that prefers the appearance of solving problems to actually solving them”. Whilst the financial aid package can provide short-term relief, the foundational lack of financial stability in Ontario universities is a pressing issue that has become more prevalent as a result of the lowering rate of international enrollment.
Underfunding from the provincial government has led to an overdependence on international students. In 2022, international students contributed $31 billion to the Canadian economy, and now that the federal government has reduced international student visas by 35% to ease the housing crisis, universities have begun to feel the extent of their underfunding. According to Usher, Ontario has consistently ranked last for post-secondary education funding, and Premier Doug Ford does not seem particularly concerned with post-secondary education. The financial aid package that was budgeted by the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party is less than half the amount that was recommended to the government. It is becoming increasingly evident that the Ontario government does not view post-secondary education and its supporting institutions as a high enough priority to place at the top of its political agenda.
Queen’s University has been faced with a $48 million deficit as of last year, which has caused much anxiety amongst students regarding not only the future of their programs at the school but the future of the university itself. After months of rumours surrounding the university’s potential closure, principal Patrick Deane announced that there is “no risk that Queen’s in any foreseeable future will close its doors”. Although this may have alleviated stress and offered some level of stability regarding our future here at Queen’s University, it has not addressed the other issues that have surfaced as a result of the budget cuts. The Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS) at Queen’s University is the largest faculty at the school, however, with recent budget cuts, it has become the faculty that has faced the brunt of the university’s financial crisis, being assigned 43% of the university’s budget deficit. Within the faculty, smaller courses have also been cut, and class sizes have been increased. This demands the acknowledgement of the continued stereotype that humanities and social science degrees are not as valued in comparison to engineering and business degrees, the former having received a donation of $100 million from Stephen J.R. Smith just last year.
Queen’s University has issued a hiring freeze as well as mass layoffs in an attempt to relieve some of the financial strain as 67% of the university’s costs go toward salaries. A minimum of 14 unionized staff members were laid off over the summer, and by the time course registration began, FAS had lost roughly 30% of its staff. As a result of the mass layoffs, Queen’s University has turned to graduate and postdoctoral students to teach classes. However, this has failed to address the university’s core issue, and what seems to be the core issue of many other universities in Ontario, which is the lack of funding. Now that PSAC 901 is striking and demanding livable wages and improved funding from the university. As such, the university is once again faced with uncertainty regarding its future. With this strike on top of budget cuts, many students are beginning to feel the effects of the aforementioned issues and are beginning to wonder what the future of their post-secondary education will look like.
Financial cuts to post-secondary institutions in Canada have been a long time coming. It had always been an ongoing issue which was simply exacerbated by the decrease of international students. Tuition freezes and stagnant funding from the government have subsequently led to layoffs and program cuts in many universities in an attempt to make more room in the limited budget that they have. At Queen’s University, our students, specifically those in Arts and Science programs, have felt the heaviest burden regarding the financial cuts, which has perpetuated the stereotype that certain degrees are more valuable than others. The PSAC 901 Union strike has also significantly impacted the education of the undergraduate students, and with the strike along with the budget cuts, there remains a significant amount of uncertainty regarding the future of Canadian universities.
References
Image Source: John Vetterli, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Summerhill_at_Queen%27s_University_in_2007.jpg
Balogh, M. (2025, March 19). Striking Queen’s grad student workers into second week on picket line. Thewhig; The Kingston Whig Standard. https://www.thewhig.com/news/striking-queens-grad-student-workers-into-second-week-on-picket-line
Bedford, S. (2025, February 6). Explainer: Why are so many Ontario colleges cutting programming? Thewhig; The Kingston Whig Standard. https://www.thewhig.com/news/explainer-why-are-so-many-ontario-colleges-cutting-programming
Carreño Rosas, A. (2025, January 10). Brock professor warns cuts and layoffs may stifle innovation at Ontario colleges and universities. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/future-of-colleges-and-universities-1.7426809
CBC News. (2024, February 26). Ontario boosts college and university funding by more than $1.2B, extends freeze on tuition fees. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/colleges-universities-funding-1.7125499
Coppolino, S. (2024, January 16). What should students know about Queen’s budget cuts? The Queen’s Journal. https://www.queensjournal.ca/what-should-students-know-about-queens-budget-cuts/
Dorey, M. (2024, June 26). PA Day: Museum Inclusive. Kingstonist News – 100% Local, Independent News in Kingston, ON; Kingstonist. https://www.kingstonist.com/news/queens-lays-off-frontline-staff-in-massive-budget-cut-more-layoffs-expected/
Hassan, S. (2024, November 23). Ontario colleges face job cuts amid international student cap. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-colleges-universities-impacted-by-international-student-cap-1.7391747
iStock. (2017). Grant Hall building on campus of Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Liddle, H. (2024, April 9). Provincial budget reports: Ontario and Quebec – University Affairs. University Affairs. https://universityaffairs.ca/news/provincial-budget-reports-ontario-and-quebec/
Moustakis, A. (2024, November 15). Queen’s is turning its back on the Faculty of Arts and Science – The Queen’s Journal. The Queen’s Journal. https://www.queensjournal.ca/queens-is-turning-its-back-on-the-faculty-of-arts-and-science/
Pickel, J. (2025, February 11). Ontario universities face financial crisis as deficits mount. CTVNews. https://www.ctvnews.ca/kitchener/article/ontario-universities-face-financial-crisis-as-deficits-mount/Taekema, D. (2024, January 30). Queen’s principal says “no risk” university will close, but fears remain. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/queens-university-budget-deficit-fears-1.7097922