Ontario adds 2,946 postsecondary seats in the northeast

Ontario is spending $60 million to fund 2,946 new seats at eight colleges and universities in Northeast Ontario, mainly in health care, education, skilled trades and STEM programs, the province announced Monday.

The seats are at Algoma University, Nipissing University, Collège Boréal, Sault College, Northern College, Canadore College, Cambrian College and Université de Hearst, and can be filled as early as the fall 2026 academic year, the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security said.

Nipissing University in North Bay receives the largest share with 1,113 seats, including 687 in education and 281 in health programs. Cambrian College in Sudbury gets 547, Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie 432, Collège Boréal 334, Northern College 268, Sault College 136, Canadore College 92 and Université de Hearst 24, all in health programs.

The allocation is part of a $1.7-billion plan to fund more than 70,000 additional postsecondary seats across the province. The first 30,000 were allocated in May 2026, when the province opened a call for proposals for the remaining 40,000.

“This investment is supporting the largest seat expansion in Ontario in more than a decade,” Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn said in the release. Lorne Coe, the minister’s parliamentary assistant, said the expansion will help students launch good-paying careers while supporting the region’s economy.

The ministry said it received more than 1,000 letters of support from employers backing the expansion. The seat funding sits within a $6.4-billion postsecondary funding package that the province says will raise annual operating funding for colleges, universities and Indigenous Institutes to $7 billion.

The full release is on the Ontario government newsroom. Media contact: [email protected].

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