Ontario’s college system is at a breaking point.
More than 10,000 support staff from all 24 public colleges remain on strike, pressing for job security, fair negotiations, and a halt to what they call the erosion of public education.
At Fleming College, staff say the community is already feeling the impact. Outside the Fleming Muskoka-Kawarthas Employment Services centre in downtown Peterborough, an information picket was held Wednesday to highlight the vital services at risk.
Lorinda Seward, chair of the Local 351 Communications Strike Committee, says losing support staff means far more than lost jobs.
Those supports range from library assistants and OSAP officers to academic upgrading programs and employment services. Without them, Seward warns, students — and entire communities — could face devastating cuts. She pointed to recent closures at Georgian College as a troubling signal of what could come next.
The strike began September 11 after negotiations with the College Employer Council collapsed. A provincial mediator was appointed, but talks broke down again over the weekend. Seward says staff don’t want to be on the picket line – they want to be back supporting students.
The dispute stretches beyond job cuts. Union leaders argue that public dollars are being diverted away from colleges and into private training contracts through the province’s Skills Development Fund. Seward is calling on the public to pressure government leaders to restore funding to publicly funded colleges.
The strike continues to affect students provincewide, with thousands left without crucial supports as the standoff drags on. For Seward and her colleagues, the message is simple — the future of public colleges depends on protecting jobs and keeping education accessible.
Until a deal is reached, Ontario’s campuses remain caught in the middle — with staff holding the line, students left waiting, and the future of publicly funded college education hanging in the balance.
(Written by: Scott Arnold)
