SAIT is cutting more than 30 positions, according to an internal email obtained by CBC News.

“Services and staffing have been reduced across Advancement, Communications, Marketing, the Lamb Learner Success Centre, Career Advancement Services, Student Engagement, Student Development & Counselling, Academic Advising, the Library and the Office of the Registrar,” states the email, written by vice-president of student affairs and external relations Heather Magotiaux.

“Some programs have been paused, including peer mentorship, English Language Conversations and the student engagement program known as LEADS. Additionally, we are moving LINK, our alumni magazine, to a fully digital format and scaling down events.”

Other areas affected include human resources and facilities management.

“We recognize the weight of these changes and the continued pressure they place on our community,” the email says.

Meanwhile, the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) told CBC News that 65 union positions will be impacted, spanning 17 departments.

“Some of our members were able to take severance, and some of them, their positions were simply just gone,” said Sandra Azocar, the president of the AUPE. “Anything from admin jobs to IT to all kinds of support-type functions within post-secondary institutions, including maintenance.”

The institute did not directly address the cuts and declined an interview request from CBC News.

“Like post‑secondary institutions across Canada, SAIT has been impacted by recent changes to federal international student policies,” spokesperson Chris Gerritsen said in a statement.

“These changes have resulted in a decline in enrolment, requiring the institution to make difficult but necessary budget adjustments. We are currently working through organizational and workforce adjustments.”

SAIT’s student union vice-president James Kyle said they are working to ensure the student experience remains positive.

“We of course know that changes like this will and can have real impacts on the student experience,” he said. “That’s something we really take seriously. So our role at SAIT is just to make sure that student voices are heard and that we’re supporting students in any way possible.”

Azocar referred to the cuts as a “sad reality” of post-secondary institutions in the province right now. In 2020, SAIT cut more than 200 jobs and nearly 30 positions last year.

“Most of these institutions are facing multimillion-dollar deficits that are brought on not only by a lack of funding from the provincial government, but also by the lack of replacing the revenue that these facilities would get from international students by the federal government,” she said.

“Unfortunately, what we’re seeing as a result of years of this is that we are constantly coming up with job abolishment, position abolishment, campus closures and just basically an undermining of the post-secondary sector in this province.“

In an emailed statement, the provincial Ministry of Advanced Education noted that “Budget 2026 provides $2.2 billion in direct operating funding — a 3% increase — for post-secondary institutions, and since 2022, more than $430 million has been invested to expand seats in high-demand programs based on labour-market demand.”