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Conestoga College's board approved a 55% salary hike for its president — pushing his pay to $636,000 — then handed him a $3 million exit package that was more than twice the legal limit. A provincial audit found a pattern of lavish spending including a $23,000 Italy trip for executives; on May 7, 2026, Ontario fired the entire board and appointed an administrator — the first time this has ever happened to an Ontario college.
As interim president, McDonald-Ewing told staff by email on August 31, 2026 — one week before fall classes started — that 32 more full-time faculty positions had been eliminated, calling the cuts "difficult" but "necessary."