Selkirk College Closing Learning Centres in Kaslo and Nakusp
By Bob Hall
Selkirk College will be closing its learning centres in Kaslo and Nakusp later this year as it addresses financial challenges in the post-secondary sector.
Recent federal restrictions on international student recruitment have led to a loss of $9 million in revenue for the 2025/26 fiscal year for Selkirk College. The closures come after careful consideration of enrolment trends and program delivery costs.
“While this decision wasn’t made lightly, it’s part of a larger plan to ensure Selkirk College remains financial sustainable and continues to serve our region for generations to come,” says Selkirk College President Maggie Matear. “In the meantime, we remain committed to supporting access to education and training for residents of Kaslo and Nakusp, and we’ll be consulting with them on what some alternative delivery models could look like.”
Over the past five years, the Kaslo Learning Centre averaged 12 full-time equivalent (FTE) students in Academic Upgrading & Development (AUD) programs, while Nakusp averaged 13 FTEs in AUD. Selkirk College also delivered some short-term continuing education programs in the communities. Despite the value these programs provide to local residents, the cost of delivering them is substantially higher than in larger centres.
The Kaslo Learning Centre will close on June 30, 2025. The Nakusp Learning Centre will close December 31, 2025, to accommodate some continuing education programming that has already been planned. The college is working closely with its unions and will share more information about the impact on employees in the weeks ahead.
Photo Cutline: The Nakusp Learning Centre (pictured) and the Kaslo Learning Centre will be closing later this year.
Quick Facts:
- Selkirk College operates campuses and learning centres across the West Kootenay and Boundary region, including the Castlegar Campus, Silver King Campus (Nelson), Tenth Street Campus (Nelson), Victoria Street Campus (Nelson), Trail Campus, Grand Forks Campus, Nakusp Learning Centre and Kaslo Learning Centre.
- Selkirk College anticipates a 60 to 85 per cent reduction in international students over the next two years. The decrease is expected to result in annual revenue reductions in the range of $9 million for 2025/26 and further losses in 2026/27.
- Selkirk College owns the Nakusp Learning Centre building and leases the Kaslo building. The operational costs of both centres are upward of $500,000 annually, excluding indirect costs.
- To date, as a result of the fiscal constraints imposed by federal policy changes, there has been an identified reduction of 41.8 full-time equivalent employees across all employee groups in the college. This includes layoffs, contract non-renewals, early retirements, voluntary work reductions and decisions to not backfill vacant positions.
Learn More:
For more information on the college’s strategic adjustments that address the impact of changes to federal immigration policy, visit: https://selkirk.ca/news/strategic-adjustments-frequently-asked-questions
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