From initial excitement and optimism to questions surrounding the future for Georgian College in Collingwood
Georgian College recently announced the John Di Poce South Georgian Bay Campus in Collingwood will be temporarily pausing operations effective Sept. 1, 2025.
In a May 14th prepared press release on its website, Georgian College stated it, like many other colleges across the province, is navigating a complex set of challenges including persistent declines in international enrolment due to federal policy impacts on international student recruitment, and a provincial funding model that hasn’t kept pace with institutional needs. The College hasn’t stated how long the pause in operations will remain in effect.
The College stated approximately 90 full-time and part-time postsecondary incoming and returning students, primarily in the Social Service Worker and Personal Support Worker programs, are impacted by this decision and all have been notified of the change.
“This temporary pause will allow us to reassess our operations and possible future offerings in South Georgian Bay so we can continue to effectively serve students, employers and our communities. Part of our assessment will include considering local and regional demographic trends, industry and community employment opportunities, and plans for development and programming already offered at other Georgian campuses in proximity to SGB, balancing short-term needs and long-term possibilities” stated Kevin Weaver, President and CEO of Georgian College.
Collingwood Mayor Yvonne Hamlin does not want to see the campus closed.
“In my view, the Georgian Bay campus should not be closed, but instead reinvigorated. Our new hospital will be neighbours with this campus and there has been an expectation that this campus would be leading the training of the hundreds of new hospital employees needed.”
Mayor Hamlin said she has had many conversations with local employers over the past two years about their immediate needs.
“Local employers have told me and the College, that they need college educated employees now, in many fields including those related to engineering, advanced manufacturing, management, skilled trades and hospitality. Our Town and our region are growing, there are many new and important projects in the queue needing educated employees.”
Hamlin recognizes that the campus was built thanks to the tireless efforts of many local volunteers and the generosity of numerous donors, and says in the coming months the community will have to decide whether to come together again to chart a path for the new, next chapter, for the South Georgian Bay Georgian College campus in Collingwood.
Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson says the John Di Poce South Georgian Bay Campus represents a critical part of Collingwood’s road map moving forward.
Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson said he has had a number of conversations with Kevin Weaver, President of Georgian College, and his staff, and most recently met with Weaver and staff members at the college in Barrie to discuss the Collingwood campus situation in greater detail.
“They recognize this as an important part of their campus but there have been restrictions brought forth by the federal government on foreign students that takes two forms. The first is a cap on the number of foreign students. Foreign students pay more so they are a critical part of the economic model for our colleges but on top of the cap there are 135 to 140 programs that the federal government had approved for foreign students and they reduced that number dramatically” Saunderson stated on his May 23rd podcast.
While the immediate concern is to find a tenant for the Poplar Sideroad building, MPP Saunderson says he has been told the announced suspension of courses offered at the Georgian College South Georgian Bay campus is just temporary.
“This is a pause. President Weaver has assured me that this is a pause and the Georgian Di Poce campus remains an important part of their inventory and they have every intention of re-opening.”
Looking back, there was much celebration at the official Collingwood Georgian College Campus Sod Turning Ceremony
While the recent announcement by Georgian College that there will be a pause in programming at the South Georgian Bay campus has cast a shadow over the community, it was a bright sunny day filled with hope and anticipation not so long ago at a sod turning ceremony (pictured below) announcing the construction of a new, permanent facility in Collingwood.
Above – sod turning ceremony, Georgian Collingwood Collingwood Campus. Below – The late Barbara Weider at the official Georgian College announcement.
The late Barbara Weider was a driving force behind the initial launch of Georgian College programs initially offered at Blue Mountain Resort and later at various temporary locations throughout Collingwood. From the beginning and with an eye on the future, Mrs. Weider continued to dedicate her time and efforts to support college programming in the region, always pressing Georgian College and government officials to build a permanent campus for the region. And then twenty-six years after the first summer courses were offered at Blue Mountain, Barb Weider may well have been the most excited person on the planet to be finally attending an official announcement of construction plans for a permanent Georgian College Collingwood – South Georgian Bay campus.
“To me personally it is the realization of my father-in-law’s dream (the late Jozo Weider) that the power of education could be transferred to everyone, and what this campus means is that our area will benefit from an economic development perspective from the point of view of students being able to realize their potential.”
At the announcement and sod-turning ceremony, then Georgian College President and CEO Brian Tamblyn said the Poplar Sideroad campus where Collingwood meets Clearview would provide an excellent location to allow the college to deliver programming locally, and to all south Georgian Bay residents.
“We finally have a permanent campus here in Collingwood after 26 years, we’re excited about that and it is going to greatly expand the post-secondary for students not just in Collingwood but also Wasaga Beach, Clearview Township, the Town of The Blue Mountains and Meaford as well, so we’re really excited about it.”
Video Report – Catches the excitement at the 2010 Collingwood sod turning ceremony including a brilliant speech by Barbara Weider
We owe a great deal of thanks to the Weider family and the late John di Poce for working with Georgian College to establish a permanent campus to bring post-secondary education to south Georgian Bay.
The news of Georgian College putting a pause on programming has hit the community and south Georgian Bay region hard.
Could the future of the South Georgian Bay Collingwood campus mirror what is unfolding in Orillia?
While future plans for the Collingwood campus of Georgian College have not been announced, a situation is playing out in Orillia that could be providing a solution for South Georgian Bay.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford with Ontario Deputy Premier and Health Minister Sylvia Jones with officials of from the City of Orillia, Lakehead University and Soldier’s Memorial Hospital at a Friday May 23, 2025 announcement.
(photo provided courtesy Ford Nation Facebook)
Premier Doug Ford was in Orillia on Friday May 23rd to announce that the Ontario government is beginning the process for the construction of a new Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital. The preferred site for the new hospital is on land along the south side of Orillia’s Lakehead University.
“Our government’s nearly $60 billion plan to build and upgrade more than 50 hospitals is delivering on our commitment to provide the people of Ontario with high-quality health care close to home,” said Premier Doug Ford. “Today’s announcement is a major step toward delivering a new, state-of-the-art Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital that will be transformational for the people of Orillia and across Simcoe County.”
“We are incredibly grateful to the province for its support of high-quality health care for the communities we serve. We celebrate the confirmation of a planning grant, along with advancement of our outstanding partnership with Lakehead University where our preferred site marks an incredible milestone on our journey to a new hospital” said Carmine Stumpo, President and CEO of Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital.
Having a post-secondary facility and a new hospital side-by-side presents many shared opportunities. “Nothing is better … here is another example about collaboration, cooperation, working hand-in-hand with the hospital and the university” Premier Ford said.
Since the new Collingwood hospital will be developed on adjacent land to the South Geoergian Bay Georgian College campus, maybe we already have our answer for a Collingwood solution.