Selkirk College has begun laying off employees as it grapples with the impacts of the federal government's decision to reduce the number of international students allowed to study in Canada.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced in the fall of 2024 that it would cut annual study permits nationwide in 2025 by a further 10 per cent, following a 35-per-cent reduction which began in 2024.

Before the cuts began, there were about 760 international students and about 450 employees at the college. The college projects a 60-to-85-per-cent reduction in international students over the next few years and $9 million in lost revenue.

So far, eight people have been laid off or not had their contracts renewed, according to a statement on the college's website. These layoffs will take effect on July 31.

In addition, a spokesperson for the college says some employees chose offers of early retirement or voluntary severance, preventing some layoffs for less-senior faculty.

The college says as enrolment numbers and the ripple effects of fewer students on campus become clearer, they expect more layoffs across all employee groups in the coming months.

Selkirk College declined to make President Dr. Maggie Matear available for an interview with the Castlegar News.

"Our members right now are very uneasy and nervous," said Rod Fayant, the president of Public and Private Workers of Canada Local No. 26 (PPWC), which represents the college's support staff.

Fayant says his members aren't likely to know how many will be laid off until mid-March with a second round of layoffs expected in September. But he is expecting a staff reduction of about 15 per cent, based on an expected financial reduction equal to about 15 per cent of the school's approximately $73-million budget. 

PPWC received a Labour Code Section 54 notice on Jan. 30. The notice gives unions a 60-day warning that "significant layoffs" are pending. 

Fayant says the PPWC is continuing to work with the college on other avenues of staff reductions such as attrition and retirements.

Other employees at Selkirk College are represented by the BC Government Employees Union (BCGEU) and the Selkirk College Faculty Association (SCFA). 

SCFA president Takaia Larsen is also expecting employee cuts of about 15 per cent.

She says it has been an exhausting couple of months as the SCFA endeavours to support the faculty through a time of major uncertainty.

SCFA members are still navigating through processes looking for voluntary work load reductions, retirements and severances, so they do not expect to know how many and which staff are being cut until the end of March. But they expect a "significant loss of work" in the bargaining unit.

"It has been all hands on deck trying to make sure there is a union rep with each of our members whenever they are trying to make a decision or meet with their respective dean or chair," said Larsen.

SCFA leadership has also been meeting with all of the other employee groups every week since the announcement of staff reductions.

But Larsen says there is also a big-picture problem at the college beyond the reduction of international students.

"The real problem, I think, is that our college has been chronically under funded for over a decade and the province seems to have no interest in addressing that."

Affected programs

In addition to the layoffs, the college is introducing new cost-saving measures including a complete budget review and reducing its physical footprint. It is also suspending the intakes of several programs.

Selkirk College says the Schools of Hospitality and Tourism, Business, and University Arts and Sciences will be the most affected by the lower enrolments.

Further complicating the matter, in addition to the reduced cap on international students, several programs that enroled the majority of those students are no longer eligible for post-graduation work permits, including Hospitality-Tourism and Business. This is due to new eligibility requirements introduced by IRCC.

While the college says it has not cancelled any programs, it has suspended intakes for the following:

91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¢ Accounting 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ Postgraduate Diploma
91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¢ Business Administration Accounting Finance 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ Diploma
91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¢ Business Administration Professional Management 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ Diploma
91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¢ Business Management 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ Postgraduate Diploma
91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¢ Culinary Management 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ Postgraduate Diploma
91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¢ Full-Stack Web Development 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ Postgraduate Diploma
91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¢ Gerontological Nursing 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ Postgraduate Diploma
91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¢ Hospitality Management 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ Postgraduate Diploma.

"We want to be clear that these adjustments will not impact currently enroled students, who will continue to receive full support through to graduation," said Matear in a statement. "We remain committed to maintaining quality academic programming that is supported by robust services."

In its new strategic plan, Selkirk College lays out plans to improve its ability to recruit domestic students from within and outside the region. It hopes growing domestic enrolment will offset the impacts of lower international student enrolment in the future.