14 locations across Ontario were closed after the private college filed for bankruptcy

 

 

People enroll in post-secondary programs to progress onward and upward in their lives, not to flounder and fall deep into debt. For Everest College students, this is precisely what has happened.

On Feb. 20, Everest College Canada Inc. officially filed for bankruptcy. Referred to in a statement as a “private career college corporation,” which replaced the Everest Canada website, an official release explained that Everest was an “indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary” of multi-national corporation Corinthian Colleges.

“We were in placement,” said Jennifer Bergen, a previous a personal support worker student at Everest told The Lance newspaper at the University of Windsor. “We had just started our placements actually, and we were pulled out and told it was in our best interests to be at the school to be told what was going on and that Everest was closing, and had gone bankrupt.”

However, the release was quick to reassure shareholders that their filing for bankruptcy would have no impact on the operation of Corinthian Colleges in the U.S. .

While the bankruptcy of Everest may not affect the actions or fortunes of its parent company, students and workers in Canada are not so lucky.

The 2,450 students and 450 employees who were still connected to Everest and Corinthian Colleges on Feb. 20, had a rude awakening that day.

“I showed up for school that day because I had classes from one to five, and the minute I walked in I just saw all the students there, media and I was asking myself what was going on here. I was very angry,” said Mike Cousineau, a former student who had recently started the law enforcement program, told The Lance.

Acting within its capacity as a regulatory body, the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities shut down 14 Everest College locations across Ontario.

“We are extremely disappointed that the ministry has taken these abrupt actions. Our Canadian subsidiary had been working with the ministry for an extended period of time with the goal of achieving a satisfactory outcome for students, employees and other stakeholders in Canada,” stated Jack Massimino, chairman and CEO of Corinthian in the press release.

Joe Hixson, a spokesperson for Everest told The Lance that the parent company, Corinthian Colleges had been trying to sell Everest colleges since July and were looking for an adequate buyer to make the transition for students and staff a smooth one.

Each of the campuses had been providing post-secondary training to individuals for years who were often unaware of the corporation aspect of the college, who instead focused on the career possibilities that could be achieved through Everest.

On Wednesday, the government of Ontario announced that they will designate $7.6 million in funding to help Everest students, which is addition to the $3 million already pledged by Everest College in the U.S..

While the stories of these former students circulate across the province, it is clear that for many these possibilities are now a little more than lofty dreams.

Students who still had questions were invited by the ministry to contact them through the TCU hotline at 1-866-330-3395 or 416-314-0500.