Ontario Supports Colleges and Universities Impacted by COVID-19

Posted on Monday, March 22nd, 2021

The Ontario government is providing up to $8.4 million to help Algonquin College address the financial impacts of COVID-19.

The funding, announced Friday, is part of $106.4 million to help publicly assisted colleges and universities address the financial impacts of COVID-19. The up to $8.4 million portion allocated to Algonquin will help the College with costs incurred due to the pandemic – and offset decreases in tuition and ancillary revenues. Overall, the College saw a $25 million drop in net contribution from its approved budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.

The College’s pandemic-related expenses included Personal Protective Equipment, additional security, cleaning and technology costs to accommodate remote learning and working — including ITS help desk costs, Zoom licenses and other software applications. The College also incurred costs to increase the number of sections in some programs to cap in-class enrolments and accommodate social distancing on campuses.

Much of these costs have already been realized and this new, one-time funding from the province will help reimburse the College for costs incurred. However, there will be additional future costs as the College continues to operate remotely until public health conditions allow it begin to transition more activity back to campuses. The College’s Strategic Exercise to Restore Financial Stability (SERFS) project also continues to examine how the College can achieve long-term financial sustainability.

To learn more about the new government funding, see the official announcement here.

“The Ontario government’s ongoing support for post-secondary education has been crucial throughout the pandemic,” said Claude Brulé, President and CEO of Algonquin College. “This new funding will help Algonquin address the many operational impacts of COVID-19 and ensure we are able to continue to meet the needs of our learners – whose many skills and talents will play a key role in the province’s economic recovery.”

“The postsecondary sector is critical to Ontario’s prosperity as a key source of job creation, skills training, research, innovation and commercialization, making it one of the leading contributors to Ontario’s economic recovery,” said Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities. “We need to make sure that students continue to receive high-quality postsecondary education and get the skills they need to get good jobs. That is why we are establishing a fund for severely impacted colleges and universities to help address the financial impacts of COVID-19 and to maintain Ontario’s position as a global leader in higher education.”


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