The 2026 budget will not include plans for reductions or layoffs
Photo via the University of Victoria.
Financial instability has led to faculty layoffs at several B.C. colleges and universities. However, UVic’s Associate Vice President of Academic Resource Planning, Tony Eder, said that UVic’s 2025-26 operating budget does not include plans for reductions or layoffs.
In March, Kwantlen Polytechnic University announced a plan to cut 70 faculty members after the school’s international tuition and fees revenue in 2026 was projected to plummet by $49 million. Camosun College faced similar budget challenges related to international registrants this fiscal year, and has laid off several dozen staff to date.
Other universities such as Vancouver Island University (VIU) and Langara College have also experienced budget cuts and faculty dismissals, highlighted by the resignation of VIU President Deborah Saucier, who stepped down amid pressure from both faculty and students.
Like these schools, UVic has seen significant reductions in international enrolment recently. According to UVic’s 2024/25 Enrolment Analysis Report, undergraduate international enrolment has dropped by 39.9 per cent over the last seven years. The report states that the decline began during COVID-19 and has persisted since, citing the federal government’s changes to Immigration and Refugees and Citizenship Canada policies and regulations as a significant factor. These systems impact international students’ ability to study in Canada.
In a statement to the Martlet, Eder said, “While UVic is not immune to the challenges facing many colleges and universities across Canada, the measures and approaches we have implemented in the past few years have significantly enhanced our financial stability and outlook.”
Despite a drop in international enrolment at UVic, Eder said the university “has a prudent and realistic enrolment plan and associated budget, and [is] not in financial crisis.”
Universities such as VIU have seen wide sweeping cuts to programs, but Eder assures that no programs at UVic are at risk of closure due to budgetary measures.
Eder also added that faculty layoffs at UVic can only occur in accordance with the collective agreement from the university — such as when a program discontinues, or is under financial exigency to the point that it will impact the university as a whole. Eder added that UVic has never been in such a situation, and has never implemented faculty layoffs.
It appears for now, barring any unforeseen circumstances, that UVic expects to meet its enrolment targets, and balance the 2025/26 budget, which was finalized in March. If UVic can accomplish this, the university may be able to smoothly sidestep the program cuts and layoffs that have impacted other universities in the province.
