The Saskatchewan Polytechnic Faculty Association says the majority of the institution’s recent layoffs affected the Prince Albert campus, raising concerns about long-term capacity and classroom pressures.
In an email response to the Daily Herald, SPFA president Michelle Downton said 13 of the 23 recently announced layoffs were at the Prince Albert campus. She added that the number could rise to 15, as some faculty members on leave are included in the total.
Downton said several affected faculty members are leaving for work in other provinces and countries, raising questions about whether programming can be restored in the future due to lack of expertise.
“Even if they want to bring back programming, the institutional knowledge may not be there,” she wrote.
Layoffs are not new at the institution. In October 2025, a former instructor told the Daily Herald the cuts at the time were “unexpected and sudden,” citing a significant decline in international student enrollment.
According to the faculty association, the impacted program areas in Prince Albert include Business and Management, Technology and Skilled Trades, and Health Sciences and Community Services.
Downton confirmed that most of the affected positions were full-time faculty roles, with some part-time positions also included.
The association said the reductions come at a time when Saskatchewan Polytechnic has emphasized indigenization and delivering education as close to home as possible.
“Saskatchewan Polytechnic prides itself in Indigenization and education delivery as close to home as possible,” Downton said. “SPFA shares in these values; however, with erosion to programming at our Prince Albert campus has us all concerned about essential educational needs being met in our northern communities.”
Saskatchewan Polytechnic has previously highlighted its commitment to Indigenization through initiatives such as the miyo wâhkôhtowin (good relationships) collaborative model, which focuses on incorporating Indigenous perspectives across programs.
While no student support or accessibility positions were directly cut, Downton said faculty are feeling the impact in classrooms.
Saskatchewan Polytechnic previously said 23 full-time and part-time positions were affected and cited revenue pressures linked to changes in the international education landscape.
Through decreasing instructional faculty, the remaining faculty that are left to continue the program are citing they have increased student numbers and excessive workload,” she said.
Downton added that faculty are seeing a growing number of students requiring academic accommodations, which adds complexity to classroom management.
“I have had 35 percent of a class have some form of accommodation,” she said. “It is essential for our faculty to support these students; however, this contributes to increased classroom complexities that is not accounted for when work schedules are developed.”
She also said members have noted what she described as an erosion of student supports over the past year, something she said is being felt in classrooms in a variety of ways.
The provincial government has previously pointed to a new multi-year funding agreement for post-secondary institutions and said layoffs are occurring across Canada due to federal changes to the International Student program.
Saskatchewan Polytechnic has said it had no additional information to provide by the deadline when asked for campus-specific details.
The layoffs were announced earlier this month.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
