10 positions axed at Mount Royal University, with more layoffs to come

A total of 10 positions have been cut at Mount Royal University in budget-related restructuring, with more layoffs to come, according to the school president.

The Student Affairs and Campus Life department is being folded into Academic Affairs, which eliminates a vice president and four other positions, Timothy Rahilly wrote in a staff email Monday, obtained by CBC News.

On Tuesday, Rahilly said in a second staff email that five more filled positions have been eliminated, along with 10 to 15 vacant positions. 

"There will be no other layoffs planned in this calendar year, but, unfortunately, I must tell you we have more budget work to do, which will inevitably result in the elimination of more positions in 2020," he said.

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Rahilly had said previously the school was losing almost $5 million in Infrastructure Maintenance Program and operating grant funding from budget cuts by the UCP government.

The government wants post-secondary institutions to hike tuition, admit more students and find other types of funding to make up for shortfalls.

Rahilly said as 70 per cent of the school's operating costs come from salaries and benefits, there aren't enough cost savings to be found in other areas to close its budget gap.

"Beyond the 2019/20 fiscal year, we don't yet have enough information from the government and so we are seeking clarification," he wrote.

Mount Royal is having a staff town hall meeting on Thursday to address budget concerns.