Conestoga’s Great Enrolment Collapse

🫣 Conestoga College Enrollment Drops 57%

Source: Waterloo Record

The 411: Conestoga College plans to eliminate about 75 faculty positions by the end of 2025 due to the federal cap on international student enrolment. Another 80 programs could be cancelled by Fall 2026.

• Enrolment has dropped 57% since 2023, from 40,726 to 17,714 students.

• The decline is entirely from international students, down 77% (−24,485) over two years.

• The college now faces a budget deficit after years of surpluses fueled by foreign tuition.

• Domestic enrolment is up 16%, but not enough to offset the losses.

• About 75 full-time faculty will leave by year’s end:

  • 15 layoffs, 37 early retirements, 19 voluntary exits, 14 resignations

• Around 80 programs are being eliminated by Fall 2026

• College campuses, including the Frederick Street location in Kitchener, have closed.

• Union president Leopold Koff says the cuts are “devastating” and blames reliance on international tuition.

Why This Matters: For years, landlords in Kitchener-Waterloo couldn’t keep up with demand, and international students were renting anything with a door. Now, with enrollment down 77%, those same landlords are scrambling to fill units. Expect more rental listings, softer prices, and a sudden shift in power from landlords to tenants. What was once a gold rush for student housing might turn into a reality check for investors who banked on endless demand.

📉 Toronto Rents Fall to 40-Month Low

Source: The Star 

The 411: After nearly two years of declines, Toronto’s average asking rent dropped 3.5% in October, the lowest since summer 2022 and the sharpest drop among major Canadian cities.