‘No confidence’: Langara faculty call for president Paula Burns’ removal

BY MARC BOLEN and OKSANA SHTOHRYN

Correction Oct. 17, 2025: A previous version of this story stated that the layoff notices issued to 69 faculty in August were on top of 150 faculty who have already lost work in the previous two rounds.

Langara faculty have demonstrated an overwhelming lack of confidence in the leadership of the college president and CEO, Paula Burns.

In a vote of non-confidence run over two days this week, 92 per cent of faculty participating said they have no confidence in Burns. The result was announced Thursday at a special general meeting of the Langara Faculty Association. Some 63 per cent of members voted, the highest voter turnout in recent years.

In a letter to the Langara College Board of Governors, the LFA called for Burns’ removal from the position of president, effective immediately.

The LFA went to a vote following a Special General Meeting in September, where members raised concerns about declining enrolment and the sense of mounting crisis at the college: steep enrolment declines tied to the federal international-student cap, projected deficits, shrunken programs, and more than 219 faculty losing work. They also cited vacant or interim academic leadership, opaque and inconsistent decisions, layoffs despite wait-lists, and communications they say downplay the crisis and erode student confidence.

Members concluded that Burns lacks the leadership needed to steer a focused, strategic recovery.

The LFA has asked the board to replace Burns with an internal candidate as interim president and immediately begin a search for a new president “who has the skills and leadership abilities to stabilize the College and ensure its ongoing quality, sustainability, and proud role in BC’s postsecondary sector.”

It has requested a response from the board by Nov. 1, 2025.

In a statement Friday, the board of governors acknowledged the results of the faculty’s non-confidence vote and said it will convene soon to discuss next steps. The board said it is “committed to understanding the concerns raised and ensuring that the college continues to deliver on its mandate to provide equitable, high-quality post-secondary education.”

The board also noted that the vote comes at a challenging time for the broader post-secondary sector as a whole and it remains focused on “constructive problem-solving” and “thoughtful dialogue to support the ongoing success of our students, faculty, and staff.”

While the vote is non-binding on the president’s role, it signals ongoing frustration among faculty with the college’s leadership and communication during a period of financial strain, according to Niall Christie, a history instructor and LFA treasurer.

Christie said the decision to hold this vote was not easy and required a lot of thought from the faculty.

“We made numerous attempts to try and get some transparency from our administration,” he said, adding that the LFA wanted leadership to take the college’s financial crisis seriously and focus on student success. He said they have not seen that happen.

Before coming to Langara, Burns served as president and CEO of Alberta’s Lethbridge College, now known as Lethbridge Polytechnic. During her time there, the faculty passed two votes of non-confidence in her leadership in 2015 and 2016. The college’s board continued to support her, and she remained in her role until her appointment at Langara in 2021, officially taking office in June 2022.

Since then, Langara has been hit by steep enrolment declines after the federal government limited the number of international study permits, cutting the number of international students by about 40 per cent in 2024 and a further 10 per cent in 2025.

In an August email to faculty, Burns announced that the college has approximately 2,400 fewer students. Overall, Langara’s student population is down almost 20 per cent from two years ago.

The drop in tuition revenue has caused a significant financial strain. Burns had initially announced the college was projecting a deficit of up to $13 million for this fiscal year.

Both Christie and Langara economics instructor Bryan Breguet said that Langara’s overreliance on international students contributed to its financial hardship.

“We did have more international students than most other institutions.” Breguet said, “So that really made our life easy. We had this unlimited demand coming from the rest of the world, so it seems it’s difficult right now.”

He added that the administration’s communications have failed to outline a clear plan.

“I understand why cuts are happening if we have a drop in enrolment,” he said. “Obviously people will lose their job [but] every time we get an email from her communication from her plan, it’s very empty.”

Christie said layoff notices issued to 69 faculty in August were a large reason for holding the vote. Those layoff notices were on top of 150 faculty who have already lost work in the previous two rounds, according to the LFA.

Since fall 2024, more than 25 per cent of the LFA membership have lost work.