Colleges Ontario welcomes today’s Fall Economic Statement and sees strong opportunities to work with government on its plan to Protect Ontario.
Today’s investments reaffirm the essential role colleges play in advancing growth and recovery. Following the 2008 global financial crisis, Ontario’s colleges trained 45,000 people through what is now Better Jobs Ontario. Renewed funding for this program will have real impact, especially as Ontarians show strong support for college-driven solutions.
Continued investment in the Learn and Stay Grant will help colleges deliver graduates where they are needed most, including more nurses, paramedics and technicians. In many communities, college graduates make up 80 per cent of hospital non-physician staff.
Capital, energy and infrastructure projects will also rely on college-trained talent. Colleges produce more than 13,000 skilled trades graduates each year and are ready to expand that number to meet growing demand. Nearly half of Canada’s nuclear-sector workers are in skilled technical or trades roles, which are the very roles colleges train for. With a college campus within 30 kilometres of nearly every major provincial infrastructure project, colleges stand ready to help Ontario’s growth.
Despite mounting financial pressures, Ontario’s review of its funding formula and commitment to a sustainable model are positive steps. Colleges have already reduced costs by $1.8 billion, suspended more than 600 programs and cut over 8,000 positions. Shared services, open education resources and centralized library systems have saved $90 million since 2020.
Ontario’s college sector delivers a major economic impact: each small or mid-sized college adds more than $500 million to the provincial economy annually and supports over 5,000 jobs. Collectively, colleges graduate roughly 70,000 students every year.
Colleges Ontario remains committed to working with government, employers and communities to strengthen Ontario’s workforce, to ensure institutions remain stable as demand continues to grow, all with a view to protecting Ontario.
Maureen Adamson
President and CEO
Colleges Ontario