Langara cuts 31 administration positions in latest layoff announcement 

By SAGE SMITH

Langara College says it has eliminated 31 administrative positions as it prepares for a massive deficit in the next fiscal year.

In an internal email sent Thursday, college president Paula Burns said 23 “permanent employees/positions” and eight term employees were cut through a combination of “eliminating roles, accepting early departure incentives, and issuing layoffs.”

Langara College is expecting to finish the fiscal year, ending March 31, with a $2 million deficit due to a sharp reduction in international student enrolment from abrupt changes in federal and provincial policy. In response, the college has cut budgets, laid off faculty and cancelled courses.

Larger deficit and budget cuts ahead

Burns said in her email that the college expects a $13-million deficit for the coming fiscal year. Travel and entertainment budgets have been cut by 25 per cent and operating budgets have been cut by five per cent across the college.

“These decisions were not made lightly,” Burns said in her email regarding the lost positions, saying they were a result of “extensive deliberation.”

“We recognize the personal impact this has on the individuals affected, and we are committed to supporting them through this transition with access to resources and services,” Burns said.  

Administrative reductions should be proportional, LFA says

LFA board member Niall Christie said in an email to the Voice it’s not clear how many of the positions lost are layoffs and how many are vacant positions that are not being refilled. 

“While I do not wish a job loss on anyone, I wonder how many of these are actual layoffs and hence represent actual reduction of expenditure?” he wrote. 

Christie said more than 200 faculty members have lost work, affecting nearly a quarter of all faculty employed by the college, and said that administration reductions should be proportional “since there are greatly reduced numbers of faculty to manage.” 

“The problem here is that our administration constantly obfuscates information,” Christie wrote. “And when that is the case, it is difficult for the faculty to have any trust in them.” 

Administration break down of these layoffs 

Parveen Mann, vice president of People and Culture, wrote in an email to the Voice Friday that “nine administrators received layoff notice and an additional eight administrators had their term contracts concluded.” 

Nine of the eliminated positions were currently vacant, she wrote.  

She wrote that voluntary departure incentives were accepted by five administrators, who were offered one month of salary per year of service, to a maximum of five months. The same incentive was offered to faculty, she added.

She said the positions ranged from clerical to senior administrators. 

Christie said the result is 22 administrators who are affected by job loss, adding “it’s still nowhere as devastating as the cuts to faculty.” 

Editors note: A previous version of this story used incorrect pronouns to identify Parveen Mann. This story was updated at 6:35 p.m. on March 29 to correct the mistake. The Langara Voice regrets the error.