05/05/2025
Opinion: Algoma University’s Crisis Didn’t Come Out of Nowhere
By Robert Peace
Residents of Sault Ste. Marie have watched Algoma University grow, particularly through the influx of international students. But behind the scenes, this growth has masked a slow-moving crisis that could have been avoided if the right people had acted sooner.
The Auditor General’s 2022 report lays it bare: Algoma implemented only 33% of the province’s recommended improvements, making it one of the worst-performing universities in Ontario. It had no risk management system, no plan to restructure unprofitable academic programs, and an overdependence on international students, not just broadly, but from just two countries: India and Nepal, who accounted for nearly 90% of Algoma’s international student enrolment.
That kind of narrow recruitment focus is risky. Even more troubling is that many of these students now say they feel misled—promised a quality educational experience in Canada, but arriving to find overburdened services, little academic support, and a transactional approach prioritizing their tuition dollars over their success.
Dr. Asima Vezina, Algoma’s President from 2017 to February 2025, is at the heart of this situation. Under her leadership, the university expanded rapidly without the planning or systems to support it. In 2024, the Faculty Association passed a vote of no confidence, citing a toxic workplace culture and a leadership style that sidelined accountability in favour of short-term growth.
The Board of Governors, led until mid-2024 by Chair Mike Moraca, also bears blame. Despite direct calls for reform, the Board rejected governance improvements like term limits and risk oversight, allowing the institution’s weaknesses to deepen.
At the provincial level, Ross Romano, our MPP, was Minister of Colleges and Universities from 2019 to 2021. He presided over a ministry that failed to step in as universities like Algoma and Laurentian veered off course. His successor, Jill Dunlop, had the Auditor General’s report before her and still failed to push forward meaningful reforms. Under her watch, over half of the Ministry’s assigned actions were left incomplete.
What’s happened at Algoma is not simply unfortunate; it’s a failure of leadership at every level. University executives turned a blind eye to mounting risks, boards failed to govern, and the province looked the other way. The people now paying the price are the students—many of them from halfway across the world—along with staff, faculty, and the broader Sault community.
We deserve better. So do the students who placed their trust in this institution.
