u/limits660 — reddlx

Province takes over Conestoga College after 'evidence of serious financial mismanagement'

The mismanagement includes a huge raise and equally huge termination payout to its former president, John Tibbits.

Shocking . . .

These decisions include members of the board’s approval of a 55 per cent salary increase to over $636,000 in 2024 for former longtime president John Tibbits, in addition to a termination payment for Tibbits that totalled 83 times the president’s monthly salary.

The audit also uncovered a $23,000 trip to Italy taken by three senior leaders, and other similar trips, where the school paid for business class airfare, luxury accommodations and premium transportation.

In addition, repeated, ineligible hospitality expenses were approved without proper oversight, including a $1,300 dining expense for internal staff, where 50 per cent of the pre-tax total was alcohol.

guelphtoday.com

u/limits660 — 7 days ago

▲ 562 r/OntarioNews

Ontario to lose more than a third of international students: StatCan

Ontario’s postsecondary institutions have lost more than 90,000 international students over the last two years amid an effort by the federal government to cap the number of study permits it issues, according to a new Statistics Canada report.

The number of international students peaked in Ontario during the 2023-2024 year following a steady rise since 2020 but is now expected to drop below 2021-2022 levels, according to the study.

Statistics Canada says that its preliminary estimates suggest that Ontario will have 92,000 fewer international students in the 2025-2026 academic year compared to 2023-2024, representing a 36 per cent drop.

The federal government has been reducing the number of international students it admits since 2024 in an effort to curb the growth in the country’s temporary population.

“The relative share of international students among all postsecondary students has increased fivefold since the early 2000s, from about five per cent to nearly 25 per cent,” the study says. “A steady decline in the number of international students is anticipated in Canada, particularly in Ontario, where the effects should be among the largest.”

Ontario has 54 per cent of Canada’s international students despite Ontario only making up 39 per cent of Canada’s overall population.

The decline in international students was seen across Canada, with a 26 per cent decline in Atlantic Canada, 14 per cent in Quebec, 17 per cent in the Prairie provinces, and 24 per cent in British Columbia over the last two years.

Schools across Canada have been struggling to adapt to the new federal policy on international students. A March report by Canada’s Auditor General found that the immigration department had approved less than half the number of study permits they were expected to in 2024.

“The schools found a way to abuse international students for money, and they took advantage of it. And if your institution can’t run profitably without exploiting international students, that’s not our fault. That’s your fault,” Algonquin College student Robin Gifford told CTV News in March.

A number of Ontario colleges have announced layoffs in recent months amid a drop in enrollment.

George Brown Polytechnic announced a new round of layoffs in April after saying they were going to cut 51 jobs in a March announcement that alluded to “financial pressures, largely driven by changes to international student policies.”

Humber Polytechnic offered “voluntary exit packages” to all staff members in February.

cp24.com

u/limits660 — 7 days ago

▲ 86 r/OntarioNews

A man who is allegedly linked to Romanian organized crime in California has been arrested in Uxbridge, after allegedly tricking one person into selling their used car for less than the asking price.

Durham Regional Police say the victim who had listed their vehicle for sale on Facebook Marketplace met with a potential buyer on April 27.

After test-driving it, the buyer allegedly poured oil onto the engine while his companion distracted the seller.

“The suspects then claimed the engine was blown and leaking oil, significantly reducing the value of the vehicle,” police said.

In the end, the victim agreed to sell their vehicle for less than the original asking price.

Investigators say they believe the incident is a case of a “dirty oil scam,” in which fraudsters tamper with used vehicles they intend to buy to make a lower offer.

Five days later, Durham police said the vehicle was reportedly listed on Facebook Marketplace at nearly the original price, and the odometer reading was about half of its legitimate mileage.

Officers located and arrested the suspect the same day without incident.

Mogos Constantin, 38, of Romania, has charged with fraud over $5,000, mischief, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, traffic in property obtained by crime over $5,000, altering the odometer of a motor vehicle, and using a plate not authorized for a motor vehicle. The charges have not been tested in court.

According to police, Constantion, who also goes by the alias “Catalin Ionascu,” is wanted on multiple warrants by the San Jose Police Department (SJPD) in California.

A 2023 SJPD release announced the arrest of Constantin and another suspect in connection with 25 criminal cases allegedly associated with Romanian organized crime.

The crimes include armed carjacking, armed robbery and grand theft, and targeted elderly members of the Asian and Indian communities, the police service said in a release.

u/limits660 — 8 days ago

▲ 88 r/OntarioNews

Peel police have charged two drivers after two tow trucks were captured on video crashing into a collision scene in Mississauga in December.

The incident happened on the evening of Dec. 18 at the intersection of Mavis Road and The Queensway. Police said officers and other emergency services were already on the scene due to a collision.

“We’ve all seen tow trucks driving like fools, but this was next level,” Peel police media relations officer Const. Tyler Bell said in a video statement accompanying the collision footage.

In the video, cruisers and fire trucks are at the intersection when two tow trucks, which police believe were racing to the scene, come out of nowhere, leave the road side-by-side and mount the curb onto the grassy area, prompting people on the sidewalk, including an officer, to move out of the way to avoid getting hit.

“Jesus,” an officer is heard saying in the video as the trucks ram the scene before radioing in what occurred.

“I’m gonna need a couple of extra units here. I got two tows that just crashed through the scene and are now failing to remain.”

Police said one tow truck hit a vehicle involved in the initial collision.

Both drivers sped away, “demonstrating a complete disregard for public safety,” police said.

“And instead of stopping to see if they hurt anybody, they took off again, driving like maniacs,” Bell said.

No one was injured in the crash.

Police said officers later canvassed the area for security cameras and located footage that allegedly showed both tow trucks “being driven recklessly at high rates of speed in residential areas, running stop signs and traffic lights.”

In a news release on Tuesday, police identified the 30-year-old drivers as Abdulaziz Omar and Bilal Nofal from Mississauga.

They have been charged with dangerous operation, failure to stop after an accident, flight from peace officer, disobeying a stop sign, performing a stunt while driving a motor vehicle, failure to comply with prescribed requirements and standards for tow truck drivers and engaging in a prohibited practice as a tow truck driver.

u/limits660 — 9 days ago