Suburban

By Suburban Staff

Quebec City’s cuts to higher education and imposing annual funding ceilings are significantly impacting English Cegeps’ abilities to carry out important projects and purchases.

Dawson College said that, “Dawson’s cap for 2024-2025, at just over $6.6 million, represents approximately 50% of the total amount approved by Dawson’s Board of Governors for the current fiscal year. This is a dramatic reduction of funding required for essential renovations and upkeep, a significant burden for a college that is located in a heritage building.” As a result, Dawson will immediately suspend all new renovation projects as well as purchase of new equipment and library goods, which may also “jeopardize our ability to do any major renovations in 2025-2026.”

Cancelled projects include repairs to water infiltration, renovations of teaching spaces and purchase of equipment for government-imposed program revisions, and of furniture for newly acquired spaces. “An analysis will be carried out by the College. We will give priority to purchases and building renovations that are essential to the health and safety of students and employees and the pursuit of our educational mission.”

The spending cap was imposed without consultation at a time when Quebec’s Auditor General report shows two thirds of CEGEP infrastructure is in poor condition while the provincial budget allocated was only half the amount required to address needed renovations and repairs, despite the Ministry of Higher Education itself stating that adequate infrastructure is a priority.

Martin is just four days into his second year and says the budget caps are “a bait and switch. They go after English status, and when they can’t justify any more language restrictions, they go for the brick and mortar.” He’s not convinced it will have any impact on his studies but for cohorts next year, “and the year after and the year after, they starve the school of needed dollars. It attacks its own citizens.”

At Vanier College in St. Laurent, Interim Director General Andrew MacKay said that while the CEGEP understands that the Quebec government is faced with financial constraints, “to make a surprise announcement during the summer was unacceptable. A retroactive decision of this nature places our college in a very complicated financial situation in that we have important projects that are already underway and contractual obligations.

“The imposed spending cap will have direct consequences for students and will result in additional costs and delays for crucial work that needs to be completed,” he added. “Overall, this decision is in direct contradiction to recommendations in May 2024 from the Vérificateur général du Québec which detailed the need for major investment in the infrastructure of Quebec’s CEGEPs. Specifically for our college, which is already dealing with a documented space deficit, having to halt renovations to classroom space will only put a greater strain on our ability to respect our educational mission. We have denounced this situation via the Fédération des cégeps and we will continue to work diligently with our colleagues from other colleges and the government to find solutions to this situation.”

Teresa Berghello of John Abbott College’s Director General’s office told The Suburban that, “The recent announcement of spending caps has come as an unwelcome surprise, particularly given the fact that funding had previously been allocated and budgets for the upcoming year have already been approved by our Board. While we acknowledge the financial challenges faced by the government, the imposition of this cap without prior consultation is concerning. For institutions like John Abbott College, which houses many older buildings, having reliable funding to maintain and upgrade these facilities is crucial.

“ Our core mission is to provide a high-quality education and prepare our students to meet the needs of Quebec’s society and workforce. However, this mission becomes increasingly difficult without modern, well-maintained learning spaces. The Ministry of Education’s new spending cap may result in significant delays and additional costs, jeopardizing vital maintenance, redevelopment projects, and the acquisition of specialized equipment necessary for our pedagogical goals.

“ At this stage, John Abbott is carefully assessing the potential consequences of this directive and remains committed to engaging in dialogue with the Ministry to gain clarity and ensure the best possible outcomes in both the short and long term.” n