Humber Polytechnic will move forward with layoffs of faculty and support staff after too few employees opted for the college’s voluntary exit package.
“While the (voluntary employee exit program) saw strong participation, it did not fully address the projected fiscal gap for 2026–27,” president Ann Marie Vaughan wrote in an email issued late Tuesday afternoon to colleagues. “As a result, we must still proceed with involuntary employee reductions.”
Vaughan’s letter did not disclose how many employees accepted the buyout, what target the college had set or the size of the fiscal gap — and neither Humber nor the union was able to provide those details.
Employees had only about two weeks to decide whether to accept the voluntary exit package, which consisted of a one-time payment of between 20 and 45 weeks of salary, depending on years of service, plus a 10 per cent base salary lump-sum bonus.
In her letter Tuesday, Vaughan said layoffs had already concluded for administrative staff and would proceed shortly for support staff and faculty.
She also noted that three senior executives would be taking the voluntary exit package: vice-president of planning and strategy, Glenn Craney, who was hired in 2023 as special adviser to Vaughan; vice-president Jason Seright, who oversaw inclusion, belonging and student experience; and Sanjay Puri, Humber’s chief financial officer and vice-president in charge of administration. In 2024, their combined salaries totalled nearly $800,000.
Vaughan added that an interim executive structure would come into effect by the end of March.
One year ago, Humber said it has a “12- to 18-month window” to navigate the financial turmoil already gripping Ontario’s college sector as a result of a federal cap on international students, whose higher tuition made them a crucial revenue source.
Andrew Leopold, a spokesperson for Humber Polytechnic — Canada’s largest, with 76,000 students — said the college continues to grow domestic enrolment and lead the way in innovative programs. “However, like other Ontario institutions, we are impacted by the extraordinary budgetary and financial pressures facing the post-secondary sector.”
Humber’s faculty union did not respond to the Star by deadline.
Vaughan acknowledged in the letter that news of the layoffs — and the uncertainty surrounding what lies ahead — mark “an especially difficult and heavy time for our community.”
“I want to sincerely acknowledge the emotional toll this takes and to thank all colleagues for the care, kindness and professionalism you continue to show one another and our students.”
