Culinary program suspension foils Indigenous high school students' plans in Thunder Bay
Confederation College to hold town hall meeting Monday to address concerns
Obie McKay says he was looking forward to improving his baking skills through Confederation College's culinary management program.
But after being accepted into the program for September 2025, the Grade 12 student has learned that it's one of 11 academic programs at the college that have been suspended, which means fall admissions at the Thunder Bay, Ont., school have been cancelled.
McKay, who is from Wapekeka First Nation, attends Dennis Franklin Cromarty (DFC), an all-Indigenous high school in Thunder Bay. Students move to the northwestern Ontario city from remote First Nations that don't have their own secondary schools, and stay with host families while completing their high school education.
Students can receive a dual high school-college credit through the culinary arts class at DFC, which has historically encouraged pathways into the culinary management program at Confederation College.
"It fills up very quickly because there's a limited amount of students we can offer it to," said Tara Beachum, culinary arts teacher at DFC. "Students really enjoy it. It's very hands-on and many of them like to continue on into culinary after they finish high school."
Confederation College says the reason behind the program suspensions is declining domestic enrolment and financial constraints that have come from a loss of international students, resulting from federal caps on study permits granted.
Community members — many from the city's food industry — have rallied around the culinary management program since the announcement was made in late March. This includes more than 2,100 signatures on an online petition aimed at keeping the program open.
With high school graduation just over a month away, McKay says he needs to assess his options now that he won't be going to the college this fall. His home community is just under 600 kilometres north of the city.
He said he may look into jumping straight into the workforce and getting a job at a local bakery, or consider another program entirely.
"I learn pretty quickly with my hands," McKay said. "But I do wish [the program] would come back."
College to host town hall meeting
A spokesperson for Confederation College told CBC News in an email on Thursday that the school is "aware of the community's concerns regarding the suspension of the culinary management program."
"As part of our commitment to transparency and community engagement, Confederation College will be hosting a community town hall to share more information about the decision and to listen to feedback," said communications consultant Scott Hobbs.
The meeting is scheduled for Monday from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m. in the Shuniah building's Dibaajimogamig lecture theatre.
Stephen Crowe, a Grade 12 student at DFC who is taking the culinary arts class there, says it would be much easier to go to Confederation College than moving further south for post-secondary. He is from Sandy Lake First Nation, a remote community more than 600 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay.
"It's more accessible instead of going to a different larger city, which would have some implications, especially about rent, food, supports and stuff like that," Crowe said.
"It would have been a lot more easier for me to … take the culinary class here in town."
DFC students already make a lot of sacrifices to come to Thunder Bay for high school, said Beachum.
"They're all students from the north, so no matter what, they're gonna have to go away for post-secondary," she said.
"However, having had the experience being here at DFC, Thunder Bay is familiar, so it's a really easy segue for them to continue on into post-secondary to go to the college here in Thunder Bay."
Provincial ministry responds to concerns
CBC News contacted Ontario's Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security for comment on the financial pressures Confederation College is facing. The ministry was also asked how it will help address labour gaps in sectors where college programs are being suspended.
"Our government is squarely focused on connecting students to rewarding careers that address the province's current and future labour market needs," said Dayna Smockum, the ministry's director of communications, in an email to CBC News on Thursday.
"Our post-secondary sector, including Confederation College, is going through a rebalancing right now due to the federal government's changes to international student permitting and some difficult decisions are being made by our institutions to ensure their long-term success and sustainability."
Smockum said the province is spending more than $500 million to support colleges and universities in providing STEM and skilled trades programs to meet labour needs.
"While decisions related to program offerings lie solely with the institution, we have been and will continue to work with the sector to ensure they can keep providing Ontario students with the education and skills they need for good-paying, in-demand jobs and careers," said Smockum.
Back at DFC, Beachum said she hopes the culinary management program comes back, so her students have more incentive to explore career paths in the industry.
"I've spoken to them about other options than just being a chef in a restaurant. There's things like going to mining camps and doing culinary in that way. Some have even considered starting up their own businesses in culinary and bringing that back to the reserves with them," Beachum said.
"There's a multitude of options that they can branch out into."
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With files from Mary-Jean Cormier