“What will it take for Ford to wake up?” London MPPs react to Fanshawe program cuts

LONDON – Ontario NDP MPPs Teresa Armstrong (London—Fanshawe); Shadow Minister for Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security, Peggy Sattler (London West); and Terence Kernaghan (London North Centre), say the latest round of program cuts at Fanshawe College shows how severely the Ford government has failed Ontario’s colleges and the communities that depend on them.

“Fanshawe College is in my riding, and I hear firsthand from those who are being impacted by these decisions,” said Armstrong. “Students come here to build a future for themselves and to contribute to our city. London relies on the graduates from these programs to fill good jobs in our community. When programs disappear, it doesn’t just affect students—it affects the future workforce our region heavily depends on.”

“For nearly a decade Ford left colleges to fend for themselves,” said Sattler. “Now the government points to billions in funding, but at the same time they are still telling colleges to find ‘efficiencies.’ If their plan was truly working, colleges like Fanshawe wouldn’t be cancelling dozens of programs and staring at deficits that could exceed $50 million.”

“London is already seeing thousands of jobs disappear across the region, and now we’re watching education programs that train the next generation of workers get cut as well,” said Kernaghan. “We’re asking a simple question here: what is it going to take for Doug Ford to wake up? The Ford government needs to provide stable, predictable funding so colleges can protect programs and continue training the workers communities like London rely on.”