Facing skeptical MLAs, college defends community centre closures

Aurora College’s leaders insisted on Thursday that the territory’s residents could thrive through online learning as they defended the planned closure of community learning centres.

The closure, announced in January, took even the territorial government by surprise and shocked regular MLAs. More than one MLA said they only found out when they read the news online.

The college, which is pursuing a gradual transformation into a polytechnic university, has had an independent board of governors since 2023.

The decision to shut down all 19 community learning centres by the end of June is the first major test of the college’s new relationship with the GNWT, which had previously talked of expanding the centres rather than closing them.

Aurora College has argued that the centres only had 22 full-time students between them and did not represent value for money, nor a successful means of delivering adult upgrading to many residents.

Critics, though, have said the college is overlooking other benefits the centres offered to communities, underestimating the number of people who were served by the centres in some shape or form, and carrying out a closure that will remove jobs and services from small communities that already feel neglected.

A Thursday public briefing in front of regular MLAs represented a key opportunity for the college to set out its vision in front of politicians who have largely expressed skepticism so far.

At the briefing, board chair Joe Handley – a former NWT premier – and college president Angela James stood by the decision to close the centres.

“CLCs continue not to meet the needs of learners and communities,” said James, using an initialism for the centres. “Due to the low enrolment and high cost, and the unsustainable nature, Aurora College can no longer afford to operate a system that is prohibitively expensive, ineffective and outdated.”

James said the college had taken a $1.85-million funding cut that she associated with GNWT “fiscal sustainability” efforts – the territory still provides a large amount of the college’s funding, even though it no longer directly controls everything the college does. She said the college was anticipating more cuts.

As a result, she said, the college “really had to make some tough decisions related to the high cost of the CLCs,” which Handley put at $6.7 million annually.

Alongside other associated savings, the college thinks it will save a little over $8 million a year by not operating the CLCs.

What happens to that money does not appear to be a settled issue.

Regular MLAs and, to an extent, the GNWT have talked about repurposing some cash to fill gaps left behind by the centres’ closure.

The college, however, appears keen to keep the money, use about $2 million to launch its new approach to the CLCs’ work, and then invest the rest in staff retention and a range of other programs.

What is the college’s solution?

The new approach the college is putting forward involves offering adult upgrading in person at the Inuvik, Fort Smith and Yellowknife campuses, and offering it online to anyone who wishes to stay in their home community.

From the college’s perspective, adult upgrading had been the CLCs’ focus in recent years. That involves helping adult residents of small communities to improve their math, English and other skills that could boost their chances of finding jobs.

A proposal to offer that upgrading at the three campuses and otherwise move it online is essentially what the college outlined when it was asked by Cabin Radio in January, though at the time the college said nothing had been finalized.

James said moving online would have the effect of “increasing the upgrading to 33 communities,” rather than the 19 that have physical community learning centres, and could reach more people.

She said the college’s existing online programs had recorded “many, many positive results.” The college plans to offer what she called “online wraparound supports” such as access to technology like computers and software, IT support, a number to reach counsellors and wellness staff, and mentors to offer “coaching and regular check-ins.”

James said the approach represented Aurora College “entering into the 21st century.”

“The world is going digital,” said Handley. “It’s not always going to be bricks and mortar.”

Young northerners ‘more comfortable’ online

In general, questions from regular MLAs – almost all of whom attended the briefing – suggested they had reservations about closing CLCs and moving online.

Yellowknife North MLA Shauna Morgan said the college had “characterized it as the CLCs were simply about upgrading.” She said her understanding was the centres had been “about much more.”

Morgan said the college’s own decisions over many years appeared to have meant a “narrower and narrower section of community members could really take advantage” of the CLCs. (Handley said interest in other programs besides adult upgrading had waned over that same period.)

Great Slave MLA Kate Reid said the college had acted “abruptly and without community input” in reaching its decision. Handley said the college had held dozens of consultation sessions but some had not been attended by a single person, which he said displayed that “there wasn’t much interest in them.”

Handley’s message throughout was that the board of governors had been aware from its first meeting in 2023 that the CLCs were “a concern” and something had to dramatically change given the low uptake of their programs.

More: The word ‘problematic’ becomes itself a problem for Aurora College

For James, the message was that young residents of the NWT are now better equipped than ever to move online for this kind of training.

“A lot of high school students are familiar with the Northern Distance Learning program, which is an online program that reaches many communities in the Northwest Territories,” James said at one point.

“They’re becoming more comfortable with online learning. That’s why online learning is part of the modernized approach.”

But MLAs like Monfwi’s Jane Weyallon Armstrong were not convinced by the argument that moving adult upgrading online represented a step forward.

“I’m very surprised with the board chair’s response, ‘the world is going digital.’ If you were born and raised in small communities, you know there’s lot of challenges,” she said, “especially with technology.”

‘Contradiction with approved mandate’

Frame Lake MLA Julian Morse wanted to dig deeper into the suggestion that the college was changing course in part because of the NWT government’s fiscal sustainability drive.

“Why is funding to the college and post-secondary being cut when our priority is growing the northern workforce?” Morse asked of Cleveland.

“I think cutting post-secondary funding communicates a direct contradiction with our approved mandate for this department, and further highlights our inability to effectively action our priorities by applying cuts across the board instead of strategically.”

Cleveland said Aurora College had provided “a number” when asked by the GNWT if it could make any savings. “We, as cabinet, did not touch that number,” she said.

The meeting – or at least, the public portion – ended with the college steadfast in its approach and MLAs not appearing especially convinced.

“Ensuring that we have open lines of communication and that information is easily accessible is going to be key to students feeling comfortable with these changes as they occur, and for communities,” said Cleveland in her final remarks.

“I don’t think this is going to disadvantage the small communities. I think we can work with them, both in equipment and in technology and consultation,” said Handley.

“I want to assure you that we’re not on the other side. We’re working together with you and we’re doing the best we can to run a good college that’s modern, effective, that’s efficient.

“We heard some criticism today of our approach. Some people don’t agree. But we have to move ahead.”