Student 'well-being must come first' as province steps in at Conestoga College: MPP

Ontario’s Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security, Nolan Quinn, announced the appointment of Linda Franklin as administrator at Conestoga College following an internal audit uncovering ‘serious financial and governance mismanagement.’ Franklin, a retired CEO of Colleges Ontario, will oversee operations at the college, which operates campuses across Brantford, Cambridge, Guelph, Ingersoll, Kitchener, Milton, Stratford, and Waterloo. The college reported a $121-million surplus in its 2024-25 fiscal year but warned of a fiscal deficit in 2025-26 due to federal restrictions on international student enrollment. Interim president Norma McDonald Ewing reassured students, faculty, and staff in an email that daily operations would continue without disruption. Union leaders, including Leopold Koff of OPSEU/SEFPO Local 237 and Vikki Poirier of Local 238, expressed alarm over the audit’s findings and their impact on students. Koff said students and families were likely anxious about their future, while Poirier apologized to students for the instability. Local officials praised Conestoga College’s role in the community. Waterloo Coun. Julie Wright called it a ‘key partner’ providing economic, social, and cultural value, while Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic thanked the province for addressing the audit’s ‘shocking’ findings. Both leaders expressed confidence that the appointed supervisor and interim leadership would resolve the issues to maintain the college’s service to students and the community.