Assiniboine halves culinary student intake

Assiniboine College is reducing its culinary arts student intake by half and discontinuing its baking and hospitality programs in response to federal immigration policy changes that have significantly reduced international student demand.

The decision will see the college scale back culinary arts annual enrolment in September from 48 students to 24, the maximum number supported by government funding. The baking and hospitality programs, which collectively trained more than 40 students annually across campuses in Brandon and Winnipeg, have been paused.

The changes stem from recent updates to Canada’s international student program, particularly the restrictions on post-graduation work permits (PGWP) for non-degree programs not tied to national labour shortages, the college’s vice-president of enrolment, Danielle Adriaansen, told the Sun on Friday

“Culinary arts, baking and hospitality were all deemed ineligible for post-graduation work permits,” she said. “That effectively halted international demand for those programs, which rely heavily on tuition to remain sustainable, since they don’t receive additional government funding.”

The cuts have also cast a shadow on one of the college’s most popular public events — the annual Grey Owl Dinner, a student-run restaurant experience hosted by the Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts.

With fewer students enrolled, the Grey Owl event will shrink from three weeks to just two in 2026, with fewer table seatings per night.

“This is disappointing news for the community,” Adriaansen said. “Grey Owl exists to give students hands-on experience, but fewer students mean fewer nights and fewer guests.”

Access to the exclusive event has also tightened. While the dinner itself remains free, the advancement team, in partnership with the academic school, decided reservations will now be limited to college donors who contribute $250 or more annually, a significant increase from the earlier minimum of about $20.

The change reflects both high demand and reduced capacity, Adriaansen said.

The policy changes from Ottawa first took effect in January 2024, when the federal government paused study permit processing and introduced strict provincial caps. A followup measure in fall 2024 tied PGWP eligibility to specific job shortages. Then, just this week, a revised list saw 178 fields of study, including hospitality-related programs, removed from the PGWP eligibility roster, while 119 new ones were added in areas such as health care and skilled trades.

Adriaansen said the college is still reviewing the June 25 update to assess whether any of its programs are now eligible again.

“Culinary arts might eventually return as a viable program for international students in later years,” she said, but right now, “there’s so much volatility here with the post-graduation eligible list, it puts us in a tough spot to know what we should be planning for.”

The impact of the program cuts goes beyond the classroom and into Brandon’s hospitality industry, which relies heavily on skilled graduates. Many chefs and hospitality workers in the region, including national competition winners, are alumni of Assiniboine.

“Certainly, with fewer graduates coming from the program, there will be fewer new grads going into the industry,” she said. “We’re very proud of the culinary graduates that come out of this program. A lot of them I still see out working in Brandon, in the Westman area, in roles directly related to their field of study.”

Meanwhile, Brandon University appears largely unaffected by the federal policy change.

Spokesperson Rob Henderson said nearly all the university’s international students are enrolled in degree programs, such as bachelor’s or master’s degrees, which remain eligible under the PGWP framework.

“We don’t anticipate any significant impact,” he said. “Our programs and staffing are not affected by these changes.”

Assiniboine College, for its part, says staffing levels have so far remained stable despite the reduced program offerings. Adriaansen noted the college is constantly developing new offerings and may repurpose the culinary arts facility for other programs in the future.

Changes to the federal international student program continue to create instability and anxiety for students, a spokesperson for Manitoba’s Advanced Education and Training ministry told the Sun Friday.

“We want students that come to Manitoba to have a positive education experience and to be able to transition from study to permanent residency if they want,” the spokesperson said in an email. “The federal government policy changes were made unilaterally without consultation and an understanding of the impact on provinces and territories.”

The provincial government has been advocating for Manitoba’s labour market and post-secondary needs to Ottawa, resulting in the province securing a higher number of work permits, he said.

But the province remains “extremely concerned” that Ottawa has removed a significant number of agriculture and agri-food programs, the spokesperson added.

“This is a key sector for Manitoba and is a very clear example of why applying a national labour market perspective does not work for smaller provinces like Manitoba.”

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