Our Future Northwestern Polytechnic is focused on building a sustainable future that meets the evolving needs of students, communities, and industries. Our renewed approach ensures compliance with the Post-secondary Learning Act while delivering affordable programs that directly respond to workforce needs and equip graduates for success. Sustainability Challenging Trends An extensive review of NWP’s operations and finances has identified the following barriers to sustainability:Declining tuition revenue.Stagnant/uncertain government grants.Building usage inefficiencies.Significant deferred maintenance.Rising salary and other contractual obligations.Escalating supply and operating costs. Sustainability Shifts in Student Demand Enrolment trends show notable changes in student behaviour and campus choice:In 2023–24, 76% of apprenticeship students in Fairview travelled from communities nearer to Grande Prairie, reinforcing the need to centralize training where it best serves students and industry.Efforts to strengthen Fairview campus enrolment through new foundational programming have seen limited success. Two of three new offerings were cancelled due to low registration, and the third is currently at 25% capacity. Sustainability Funding Facts Our data-driven analysis, including comparisons with other Alberta polytechnics, provides important context:NWP incurs the highest cost per Full Load Equivalent (FLE) of all Alberta polytechnics.We receive more grant funding per FLE than our counterparts.NWP’s campus footprints are highly disproportionate: Grande Prairie spans 45,345 m² with 1,860 FLEs (83%) while Fairview covers 32,896 m² with 374 FLEs (17%). This imbalance is contributing to inefficiencies and higher per-student costs.NWP delivers a higher proportion of skilled trades programming and a lower proportion of credit programming than other polytechnics.NWP’s Grande Prairie campus surpluses have helped offset prolonged budgetary structural deficits at the Fairview campus for more than a decade.Implementation of recommendations from The Expert Panel on Post-Secondary Institution Funding and Alberta’s Competitiveness, which ties funding to enrolment, program costs, and measurable outcomes, is expected to further intensify funding pressures. NWP Consolidated Financial Statements Projections by Campus 2025-2028 The table below illustrates NWP’s current financial position and projections. While historical surpluses at the Grande Prairie campus have partially offset deficits at Fairview, both campuses are expected to face budget shortfalls in the coming years without immediate action. 25/26 BUDGET 26/27 BUDGET 27/28 BUDGET APPROVED 25/26 FV 25/26 GP DRAFT 26/27 FV 26/27 GP DRAFT 27/28 FV 27/28 GP REVENUE Government and other grants $49,798,127 $10,819,547 $38,978,580 $48,798,127 $10,602,279 $38,195,848 $48,798,127 $10,602,279 $38,195,848 Student tuition and fees $17,410,179 $2,652,394 $14,757,785 $16,352,402 $2,491,245 $13,861,158 $17,848,568 $2,719,181 $15,129,386 Sales of services and products $6,377,330 $1,306,829 $5,070,501 $6,562,273 $1,344,727 $5,217,546 $6,752,579 $1,383,724 $5,368,854 Donations and other grants $2,335,779 $60,730 $2,275,049 $1,068,919 $27,792 $1,041,127 $1,068,919 $27,792 $1,041,127 Investment income $3,730,000 $260,808 $3,469,192 $3,000,000 $209,765 $2,790,235 $3,000,000 $209,765 $2,790,235 $79,651,415 $15,100,308 $64,551,107 $75,781,720 $14,675,807 $61,105,913 $77,468,191 $14,942,741 $62,525,450 EXPENSES Salaries and benefits $50,434,086 $11,992,359 $38,441,729 $53,359,263 $12,687,916 $40,671,349 $56,454,100 $13,423,815 $43,030,287 Materials, supplies and services $16,338,097 $3,628,602 $12,709,495 $16,811,902 $3,733,832 $13,078,071 $17,299,447 $3,842,113 $13,457,335 Cost of goods sold $44,870 $559 $44,312 $49,444 $616 $48,829 $49,444 $616 $48,829 Scholarships and bursaries $600,000 $37,767 $562,234 $600,000 $37,767 $562,234 $600,000 $37,767 $562,234 Maintenance and repairs $3,934,819 $1,703,738 $2,231,081 $3,967,729 $1,717,988 $2,249,741 $4,001,593 $1,732,651 $2,268,942 Utilities $2,299,543 $845,597 $1,453,946 $2,366,230 $870,120 $1,496,110 $2,434,851 $895,353 $1,539,497 Amortization of tangible capital assets $6,000,000 $1,034,516 $4,965,484 $6,327,000 $1,090,897 $5,236,103 $6,627,000 $1,142,623 $5,484,378 $79,651,415 $19,243,138 $60,408,280 $83,481,567 $20,139,135 $63,342,437 $87,466,435 $21,074,937 $66,391,502 Excess / (Deficiency) of revenue over expenses $0 ($4,142,830) $4,142,826 ($7,699,847) ($5,463,327) ($2,236,524) ($9,998,243) ($6,132,196) ($3,866,052) Sustainability Next Steps With mounting global economic pressures and a budgetary deficit projected for 2026/27 and subsequent years, it is clear that NWP must transform our approach. Beginning in Fall 2026, NWP will transition to a single-campus model based in Grande Prairie, with NWP's Fairview operations coming to a close. This change will help strengthen operations and service delivery, optimize our regional footprint, and ensure long-term sustainability. NWP will work closely with students, staff, faculty, industries, communities and partners to facilitate select program relocations and the wind-down process.We are deeply grateful to our Fairview learning community for their many years of dedication and support. Additional information will be shared as it becomes available.All inquiries may be directed to Sustainability@NWPolytech.ca. Sustainability True North Despite the challenging fiscal outlook, NWP remains committed to our True North Strategic Plan to grow enrolment and meet the needs of students and communities in our region.True North