by MATT MCINTOSH
The closure of the University of Guelph’s Alfred and Kemptville campuses has prompted varying levels of disappointment from Ontario’s agricultural industry. And questions still linger about the future of at least one of the campuses despite a provincial announcement pledging an effort to keep both open.
“We were very sad to hear about the university’s decision to close the schools,” says Lorne Small, president of the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. “But we do recognize the reality of the situation. Many communities just are not big enough to support schools, and the university has to get its books in order.”
In a phone interview on March 12, Chuck Cunningham, assistant vice-president of communications and public affairs for the University of Guelph, cited operating costs and low student numbers as two of the main reasons for the university’s decision to close the Kemptville and Alfred campuses. Combined with an impending $32.4 million structural deficit over the next three years, Cunningham says the university had to find ways to cut costs without reducing educational quality.
In light of their position, Small says the university needs to find ways to help keep educational opportunities open to people in eastern Ontario. The institution’s plan to relocate the academic programs available at Alfred and Kemptville to Ridgetown and Guelph is a start, he says, but more needs to be done.
More specifically, Small says the university should look at increasing the scope of their “study at home” programs, which would suit those individuals who want to continue their education while working in eastern Ontario.
“It’s kind of a harsh reality unfortunately, but students need to go to Guelph or Ridgetown,” he says.
That harsh reality may not come to pass, however, at least for some students at the Alfred campus. On Thursday, the day after the University of Guelph made an announcement outlining its intentions to close its two eastern Ontario campuses, the provincial government announced that it “is working with La Cité and Collège Boréal to ensure that students in eastern Ontario continue to have access to French-language programs.” The provincial announcement also said it is “open to community-based proposals to maintain programming at the Kemptville campus,” and is coordinating efforts to engage “community leaders, businesses, and institutions to find a path forward for the site.”
The provincial government owns the campuses, and the ministries of Agriculture and Food and of Rural Affairs have an agreement with the university to operate these and other provincially-owned research facilities elsewhere in the province. The current agreement is in effect until 2018.
Eleanor Renaud, Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s director for the counties of Dundas, Frontenac, Grenville, and Leeds, says she hopes a similar arrangement to that found for Alfred might be possible for Kemptville, and that the possibility of partnering with other institutions was to be one of many topics discussed at a general meeting held by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture this morning in Kemptville’s WB George Centre.
Renaud says that going to Guelph or Ridgetown is just not an option for many eastern Ontario students. This is especially true for those who rely on Kemptville’s proximity to their farms and the school’s trade programs, which will not be offered at Ridgetown or Guelph.
In addition, she expresses frustration at how the university handled the closure announcement.
“The University of Guelph never publically discussed the possibility of closing the school with anyone,” she says. “There’s a lot of agriculture in eastern Ontario, but Guelph is too focused on western Ontario.”
One of the facilities being closed along with the Kemptville campus is the Dairy Education and Innovation Center, which was opened in May 2011 and had a price tag of $1.5 million. Mark Foster of Carlton Place’s Jockbrae Farms Ltd. was one of many people who invested money into the dairy facility. He says he was very disappointed to hear of the university’s decision.
“The most disheartening thing is that we were all investors in the school, and the sales pitch at the time was ‘do you want all the dairy research to go to Guelph?’” he says.
“The university included us in the business when we were investing, but we were not included in the dialogue since.”
Mark Cripps, director of communications for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, says Grant Crack, parliamentary assistant for the minister of rural affairs and francophone affairs, had planned to be at the meeting in Kemptville to discuss a scenario similar to the Alfred partnership. Cripps says that the agriculture ministry is committed to maintaining operations at its eastern Ontario research facilities.
After the university’s announcement, however, both Foster and Renaud say that it will be more difficult for the government and other groups to convince farmers in eastern Ontario to invest.
“When you have shortfalls, you either change the way you do business, or you change the business you do, and I guess that’s what the university is doing,” says Foster. BF
Comments
Education is a provincial responsibility.
If Alfred attracted more Quebec students than students from Ontario and if the number of Ont. students was in fact fewer than 60 it is really hard to justify Ontario tax dollars keeping this place going. There are always benefits that can be cited as a reason not to cut costs. Nevertheless government spending should always consider both cost and benefit.
I agree with your comment. Why should Ontario tax payers pay to educate Quebec students. Just because they speak French doesn t mean we should pay to educate them. Let the students and their parents pay more for this facility if they want it.
Let Kemptville return to a community college status. The intent of a community college was to provide education in the area that people lived. Many Kemptville students return each weekend to do chores. This will not happen if they have to relocate closer to Guelph.
Students from Kemptville were setting chairs up at 7:30 am for the rally. How many college or university students do you know that would be up and setting chairs up at 7:30 am on a Saturday morning? These students have passion for this campus and their programs and staff. Some of them spoke at the rally, one was a 6th generation farmer! They spoke well, as did other speakers. It was a great outpouring that demonstrated the need that this educational institution has served for the past 97 years. Education that begins in the classroom in Kemptville and friendships and connections and learning that is continued and shared.
Please consider contacting Kathleen Wynne and voicing your concern over this decision and the loss it would mean to Kemptville. Kemptville can return to a community college continuing to educate our farmers and continue with the trades programs that also provide a career for people in our community.
A moratorium is needed to allow Kemptville to show that they CAN make this work. Allow students to register for the fall 2014 programs. Moratorium:1.agreed period of delay: a formally agreed period during which an activity is halted or a planned activity is postponed
Here is a link to the premier's webpage and you may leave your message:
http://correspondence.premier.gov.on.ca/en/feedback/default.aspx
There is strength in numbers, please think about this and if you agree, please take the time to follow-up and give your message to the premier.
I understand that this move by Univ. of Guelph will close the only French language agriculture college in Ontario. I hope this doesn't mean that French-language farmers are neither wanted or needed.
Note that we have arrived at a Quebec election where the PQ separatists are likely to win a majority, and they are promising another referendum on separation.
To quash minority language rights in Ontario is to throw gasoline on the fire in Quebec.
Is that really what the Univ. of Guelph, Ontario government, the Federal Government, and the people of Canada want?
Small Flockers believe we need every farmer we can get; especially the good ones.
For what it's worth, this is one vote for Univ. of Guelph to solve their important structural deficit a different way; hopefully with the co-ordinated assistance of all the parties noted above (especially Quebec).
Glenn Black
Small Flock Poultry Farmers of Canada
So now we also have the French vs English crap thrown into the mix .
What else are people going to dream up ?
We here in Ontario are an English speaking province . That does not mean that French is not important but at what cost do you keep supporting a school that is loosing money ? I took French for 11 years in school .
As for a Quebec referendum , will it really make jack difference what any one else does or thinks ? Lets just hope they take Toronto with them IF they do separate . Could just be a give me more money ploy .
As far as those from eastern Ont supporting their local Ag schools , I have heard of so many not only from that area but from across the province who are going west to college . Olds College being the one mentioned most times . So much for supporting local .
But--Now Glen Black, you have showed everybody your true colours. You are nothing more than a politician attempting to grow your flock of supporters.
Would keeping just Alfred open and closing KAS make you and Quebec happy?
Neither I personally, nor Small Flockers are one dimensional. Losing an agricultural college anywhere in Canada is a significant event to our current and future Small Flocker stakeholders.
Small Flockers cannot exist in a vacuum. Quota-based chicken farming is an important partner in supplying adequate quantities of safe, nutritious, affordable chicken for Canadians.
I assume that having agricultural colleges to support quota-bearing SM chicken farms is also important. Perhaps this is one area in which Small Flockers and SM chicken farmers agree and can work co-operatively.
Small Flock Poultry Farmers of Canada is a Canada-wide organization. Helping ensure harmony, effectiveness, and efficiency between all provinces in Canada is therefore part of our territory.
From history, it is obvious that closing a French-language agricultural college would be an issue for francophone in Ontario, as well as Quebec.
College Boreal, a francophone college in Northern Ontario has now agreed to keep the threatened college operating. We are pleased.
We never suggested that changes did not need to occur. Structural deficits cannot continue for programs that do not adequately serve a need. We encourage all stakeholders to continue working on this important issue so as to further strengthen the situation, maximizing the effectiveness and utilization of this important college program.
Glenn Black
Small Flock Poultry Farmers of Canada
Do they not have a or any French Ag Universities in Quebec ?
Do they even have English Ag Universities in Quebec ?
I really don't see the problem here . If you want to learn in French then be prepared to go where they speak that language full time .
I don't see any German or other language schools let alone universities in other languages .
It is a matter of cost and how much can be afforded to offer the programs along with the fact of declining enrolment . You could almost say that we have been spoiled over the years so we just have to accept the change .
They have a reasonably good English ag program at a decent school in Quebec... You may have heard of McGill?
It would really make more sense to close Ridgetown then Kemptville,
Those students at Ridgetown could much more easly move over to U of G.
U of G has done everything in it's power to be sure that Kemptville didn't get the students it needed to continue.
I know that the college has tried to bring more courses, including on-line courses to Kemptville and U of G has refused.
You say that they should move the Aggies back to Guelph, why,, they moved them out of Guelph back in 03-04,, I m not sure of the exact year. The 2 year diploma course just doesn t fit there anymore.
75 full-time positions at Kemptville serving 180 students,that's not a great ratio,especially when it was reported elsewhere that enrollment was sagging as well.
What do we expect with numbers like that!
Kemptville is to some extent a victim of ag's success. students that historically would have stuck with the diploma see more potential in ag and are choosing to go for 4 years instead.
Kemptville is widely seen to be a dairy-husbandry school - it may not be accurate, but, however, it isn't likely completely-wrong either.
In addition, this decision should give people an ability to reflect on why we need campuses of this sort in the first place - why not emulate the example of non-agricultural colleges, and even Universities, which offer their complete courses of study on line?
Stephen Thompson, Clinton ON
The ratio in Alfred? Is it 1 full time position for each student?
If the education received at Kemptville, or even Ridgetown, was as good as people claim, a doubling, or even tripling, of tuition fees would have seemed to be a viable option to closing the institution completely.
For example, a year ago now, my son paid over $6,000 per semester in tuition fees at an Ontario engineering school which, in spite of the tuition fees, has no lack of applicants.
In addition, while $6,000 per semester is kind of steep, there would appear to be no reason to not have increased tuition fees at Ontario's ag colleges up to at least the level charged by most undergraduate programs which is somewhere about $5,000 - $5,500 per year.
Stephen Thompson, Clinton ON
I would agree fees needed to be higher. University of Western Ontario Engineering charges $12,000.00 tuition plus approx. $1500.00 for books first year. Residence and meal plan is another $12,000.00.
When comparing the return on investment, your son will be far ahead of anyone who spent that on .4 acre of land. Raube Beuerman
One of my son's classmates, a local-farm boy who studied computer engineering, joined a whole whack of other Waterloo alumni in the Silicon Valley last spring, and reportedly just loves it there - my son figures he's likely making well-over $300,000, nor bad for his first job right out of University.
The real problem with agricultural education of most types is that there is an upper limit to where one can go with it, and it's a vexing problem.
It's like this - when conventional wisdom in agriculture is that the protectionist scourges of supply management are a good thing, young people can either swallow the "pill", or simply just "get out of town" - I suggest, to an ever-increasing extent, that for the first time in almost 40 years, getting out of agriculture completely is becoming the choice of our so-called "best-and-brightest"
Stephen Thompson, Clinton ON
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