I always get questions about international students and visas when I travel across Canada talking to university and college audiences. And what I find is that in most parts of the country, they are genuinely puzzled about what is happening in Ontario. Most say they have heard about all these “unscrupulous private colleges” who are “taking advantage of students.” Online, more racist theories suggest this is a story of “human trafficking” in which these “private colleges” are “in on a scheme” to let all these people from India “scam their way into the country” (sometimes Twitter is pretty ugly. Even big national media like the CBC have a hard time explaining the relationship between public and private colleges in Ontario and their respective roles in the system.
So, because HESA has a public education mission, I thought I would provide the 411 on these arrangements.
Back around 2012, Ontario colleges were coming around to the idea that there might be a lot of money in recruiting international students. The Harper government had come up with the idea that we could attach a permanent residency/citizenship pathway to any credential of two years length or more. And why not? There was a lot of evidence at the time that the return to foreign credentials among immigrants was low: why not pair Canadian credentials to Canadian degrees and diplomas?
The problem was that it was widely believed that international students would only gravitate towards the big cities (Cape Breton University’s contrary experience was still in the future). So, from the perspective of colleges outside the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), this was a bonanza in which they could not participate. Until they hit on the idea of public-private partnerships.
Here’s the way these Ontario PPPs work. A public college from outside the GTA contracts with a private institution located in the GTA. Under this contract, the public institution admits students (thus making it possible for them to get a visa) and takes their tuition money. It then turns around and sends these students to the GTA-located private college. The private college is contracted to teach these students according to the public college’s curriculum and receives a fee-per-student. Because this fee is less that what colleges charge in tuition, what is effectively happening is that colleges are receiving a couple of thousand dollars per student simply for admitting the student: the bulk of the money is used by the private college to do the actual teaching.
(To be clear: if you feel like attacking PPP colleges for their “poor teaching standards” – a common line of attack – keep in mind that they are teaching a public-college curriculum, and that their instruction is vouched for by a public college. See what I mean by blurring lines?)
Back in 2017 or so, the provincial government started getting worried about these arrangements. It asked David Trick, a former ADM at the (then) Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities, to write a report on these colleges. His recommendation was unequivocal: existing quality assurance structures had no way of checking up on the quality of the education being delivered in these institutions (they still don’t). The reputational risk stemming from potential failure was too high, Trick said. Shut ‘em down.
To be clear: Trick was not making any claims about the quality of instruction in these institutions. Presumably, some of them are good, some are so-so and some are not so good. What he was saying was that we have no way to identify and remediate the not-so-good ones, and that was going to cause a problem.
The Wynne government acted on Trick’s suggestion: in 2017, they gave the four colleges which at the time operated such PPP arrangements two years to shut them down. But then an election happened, and Doug Ford replaced Kathleen Wynne. The Ford government reversed course, hard: more PPPs for everyone! Whether this was due more to an ideological preference for private education over public, or because enriching college coffers without touching the public purse appealed to them is unclear but ultimately immaterial. They did it. And then it was open season: by 2022 nearly all the non-GTA colleges had one.
It’s not that the Ford government refused to regulate the sector so much as they were determined to make regulations so lax that anyone could pass them. Here is there 2019 Binding Ministerial Policy on Public-Private Partnerships (removed from the Ministry website, but still available on the Wayback machine). In theory, this limited international enrolment at a PPP to twice what it is at the “home campus”; however, there was a grandfather clause where northern institutions with 4,000 students at its PPP in Toronto but only a couple of dozen international students in Sudbury or Timmins or North Bay (for example) just had to make vague suggestions about “coming into compliance over the long term” in order to avoid problems with the government.
In 2022, as housing pressures in the 905 became more palpable, the Ford Government intervened to mess things up still further. It repealed its 2019 Ministerial Policy with a new one, which put a hard cap on each institution’s PPP enrolment…at 7,500. Doesn’t matter how big the home campus is. Call it the David Bowie/Cat People approach to public policy management (i.e. Putting Out the Fire With Gasoline). And since virtually all the anglophone non-GTA schools have schools, we’re talking about max enrolment in these PPPs of something on the order of 120,000 next year, or about twice what it was in 2021-22.
None of this is illegal. There is no “scam” here, unless you disagree with the consensus POV of both the Harper and Trudeau governments that Canadian postsecondary education is a legitimate pathway to permanent residency. Institutions are acting to monetize this route to citizenship, surely, but aren’t governments always asking them to behave more entrepreneurially? And while there is almost certainly some agent mis-selling going on, to which institutions both public and private have taken a see-no-evil/hear-no-evil approach, institutions have been actively abetted in this by a provincial government which has refused to take regulation seriously time and time again.
Oh, and of course, the Ontario government funds FTE college students at just 44% of the rate that the other nine provinces do. Never forget that bit.
One thing I will say about that is that Ontario colleges have been wicked-smart about their comms game for the last couple of years. An unfortunate Canadian trait is that a lot of people simply lose their minds when they hear the words “private” and “education” in the same sentence. There’s simply no nuance here, no possibility that anything they do is good – or conversely public institutions cannot do anything bad. And so, when they hear about “bad” privates in PPP arrangements, the baseline assumption is to assume that whatever bad stuff is going on is the fault of the private partner. So, not only have colleges managed to find a set of partners who can bring them large sums of money, these partners also act as handy scapegoats that shield the public sector from too much scrutiny about their role in this whole thing. Win-win!
In short, it’s all a bit complicated. But you now know more about it than most.
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This is great! Very informative. I am curious to know how these public colleges find their partners. What is the criteria?
Is Sault college a public private institution model??
Sault College itself is public. However, its Brampton and Toronto campuses are run under a PPP arrnagement.
Is canadore college a public private institution???
Canadore is a public institution. It has a PPP relationship with a private company called “Stanford” which runs four campuses in the Greater Toronto Area.
https://www.canadorecollege.ca/about/locations
So canadore College Mississauga is a private institution?
Canadore College is public. Its campuses in Brampton, Mississauga, Scarborough and Toronto are all PPP operations.
Is portage college Calgary a public private college?
Yes. But the new rules on PPP colleges only apply to those in the province of Ontario, so yesterday’s announcement changes nothing with respect to that institution.
Can you double check? I watched the press conference and read several articles. The restriction on PGWP for PPPs apply to the whole of the country.
It was very clear in the briefing to associationss on Friday that it was Ontario only. It is possible something changed in the interim, or it is possible that the announcement lacked the detail of the briefing. Hard to say.
does seneca have a PPP relationship with a private company?
Not to my knowledge.
It is pure public college
What about lambton college ?
Lambton is a public college. It has a PPP arrnagement with a company called Cestar for its Toronto campus: all its other campsues are managed directly by the college itseld.
Does this mean that all courses offered at the lambton college Toronto campus will not be eligible for the Post graduate work permit?
That’s correct.
Is Fanshawe college Toronto ppp or what?? And is it eligible to get pgwp according to the recent rules from IRCC ??
Fanshawe is a public college but its campus in Toronto is a PPP. As long as you are at one of the London campuses you should be fine for PGWP
Is Lambton College,ottawa a public private institution???
Also, what about georgian college orillia campus, it is also PPP or only public institution ?
Neither is a PPP. They are both branches of public colleges which are directly managed by the college itself.
I got admitted in niagara college on the lake campus. Is it public private institution?
Lake campus is part of the main (public) institution. Not a PPP.
Is Seneca college a public private institution??
It is a public institution. It’s fine.
I recieved offer from georgian college at toronto campus for may intake, it comes under public or ppp. Is it advisable to study there?
Georgian college is public. The Toronto campus is run through a PPP arrangement. If your reason for studying there is to get a post-graduate work visa, it is not advisable because graduates are no longer eligible for these visas.
Does this affect even MAY 2024 Intakes?
It;s is based on graduation dates, not intake dates. If you graduate after September 1 the new rules apply to you
Hi! Is the Sheridan College, Mississauga campus a PPP? Also I have an acceptance letter from Fanshawe, St. Thomas campus for September 2024, is that campus legible for getting a PGWP?
Thanks.
Neither of those is a PPP and so yesterday’s ruling changes nothing with respect to those schools.
HI, do you have a list of all the PPP colleges in Toronto?
No. new ones spring up all the time, so there is no comprehensive list. But if you look each one up on the web it;s usually pretty easy to tell.
Hi, is Sheridan College Brampton campus a PPP?
No, it;s a public college
Please is (Georgian college Barrie) a public college or PPP
Public College
Is Fleming college a PPP or a public college?
Fleming college is public and operated campuses in peterborough, Lindsay and haliburton. It has two PPP sites in Toronto, though. So it depends which campus you were admitted to.
Is Woodstock campus under Fanshawe is public or private
Fanshawe does have a PPP school but it is in Toronto. The Woodstick campus is part of Fanshawe proper, so it is public.
Please for one looking to get postgraduate work permit, is Canadore college scaborough still a good choice with the new development on no post graduate work permit for public private institutions
No, that is a PPP and graduates will not be eligible.
Is Trent University a PPP ? Thank you
Trent is a public university
Is Canadore College north bay main campus private public partnership? Can I get pgwp after complication of my course from this college?
Canadore College is a public college based in North Bay. It has PPP partners in the Toronto area, but the North Bay site is not a PPP.
Is York University one year program- Post Graduate in Advance Professional Accounting Program comes under PPP?
York University is public and does not have a PPP.
Hello,
Please does conestoga have these PPP relationships ?
Not as far as I know
I do have concern about conestoga brandford campus i saw wilfrid laurier partnership and related programs . I’ve applied for web development and got offer letter on the same for spet 24’ intake . Should I be concerned . In google it didn’t mention anywhere private public partnership but how can it be confirmed? Thanks a lot in advance
Is centennial college a ppp college. Can I get a pgwp after completion of a diploma
Centennial is a public college.
Is this affect students already in canada doing program in ppp model colleges ?
As I understand he announcement, no. The change only affects students starting after Septmenber 1.
Hello is Loyalist College a PPP setting? For Belleville main and it’s Toronto campus??
Belleville no, Toronto yes.
What about conestoga doon campus i have enrolled in graduate certificate of web development
Doon is Conestoga’s home/main campus. not a PPP.
Hi does fanshawe college Toronto campus will now provide pgwp for undergraduates Fanshawe college Toronto campus is public or private ?
Fanshawe is a public college. Its Toronto campus is a PPP. As of September 1 graduates from this campus will no longer be eligible for PGWP.
Is the loyalist college at port hope ppp setting?
Is it public college?
Loyalist is a public college. It does have a PPP in the Toronto area, but as far as I know it operates the Port Hope campus itself, not through a PPP.
I have applied for Fleming College Toronto for the May 2024 intake as the Peterborough campus closed its applications for international students at the time I was applying. I submitted the visa documents on Jan 13, and biometrics given on 17 Jan. Will the new rule apply to my PGWP?
My understanding is yes. It’s not when you arrive, it’s when you graduate. After September 1 graduates of PPP colleges will no longer be eligible for PGWP.
Is mississauga campus of algoma university is under ppp
Algoma is a public university, and its mississauga campus is not a PPP.
Is the brampton campus of algoma university is ppp or will i get pgwp from it as i have recieved offer letter from it.
It is not PPP.
Will enrolling into Lambton Ottawa campus allow me a pgwp or does it fall under ppp
Lambton is a public college, and so far as I know it operates its Ottawa operation directly, not through a PPP.
Is Fleming college Peterborough ppp ?
Fleming is a public college and Peterborough is its main campus. Not a PPP.
Is lambton college ottawa campus have ppp with saint paul university
It is a partnership, but both parties (Lambton and Saint Paul’s) are public so I think it’s still outside the PPP rules
Hi, Is Humber College North Campus PPP?
No
Hi! Is Conestoga College in Milton under a PPP?
No
Northern pures campus is ppp or not
Pures is a PPP
Hi Alex,
I got admitted into Canadore College, Commerce Court, North bay for September, 2024
Will I still be eligible for PGWP based on the new law?
Yes
Boy, the amount of questions you have been getting on PPPs. I was an international student too from India, but studied at UBC. This thread and the comments you have been getting shows the shear number of applicants from India that come to Canada just for the sake of getting a PR through some ‘study abroad’ agency to some college. I am glad that the feds took these measures now. It was getting out of control.
Is Fanshawe college Ontario PPP? And is it eligible to get pgwp (as a Post Graduate diploma holder) according to the recent rules from IRCC ?? Thank you.
Fanshawe is a public college. One of its campuses – the one in Toronto – is a PPP. The rest are not.
Hello, My brother is coming in may intake for St. Clair college, Mississauga campus?
Is it public private college?
Yes
What about for Conestoga College at Waterloo Campus? It is PPP?
No
Is Sheridan college (Missisauga Campus) falss under PPP?
No, it is a public college and that is one of its two main campuses.
What is your take on Anderson College, is it advisable to continue the admission process or pause?
So is this expansion for expansions sake – or is the budget situation at the home campuses being balanced through this because of the chronic Ontario underfunding? Are the colleges (and/or their PPP partners) bad actors or are they pulling the only lever available to them like universities that over-tweak their international mix?
Alex, you are a saint for spending the time to answer all these questions for these poor confused international students who have been scapegoated in the housing/immigration debacle we currently find ourselves in. Thank you!