The sound of guitar solos, drums, bass lines and vocals fill room N124 at Algonquin College. The music recording lab class is covering a song with added elements of creativity to showcase their learning over the term.
But next year, room N124 may be silent because the Music Industry Arts program is one of dozens that could be on the chopping block.
Algonquin announced plans in January to eliminate more than 30 more programs by next year, including their music program, as a result of federal restrictions on international students and a lack of provincial funding.
The proposed cuts, which also include the college’s journalism, financial services and hotel and restaurant management programs, were to be approved by Algonquin’s board of governors on Feb. 23. But that decision has been postponed after a major announcement on Feb. 12 by the Ontario government, which said it would lift a postsecondary tuition freeze and inject $6.4 billion into financially struggling universities and colleges.
Still, the music program and many others at Algonquin face an uncertain future.
“While this investment is a positive endorsement of our sector,” Algonquin President Claude Brulé said, “Algonquin College continues to face significant financial challenges and must remain focused on its long-term sustainability.”
However, Brian Asselin and Colin Mills, the music program coordinators, say attracting students — and thus tuition dollars — has never been a problem for MIA, with the program consistently exceeding projection numbers since it started 16 years ago.
The college had blamed enrolment volatility, general market needs and student demand as contributing factors in the planned shutdown of the programs, but did not give specifics about MIA.
With students paying around $15,000 in tuition, no reliance in the program on international students and no new hires or excessive equipment expenses, the program has enjoyed sustainable funding, Mills said.
“With our numbers consistently high … that magic number of what we need to operate is kind of unknown. (We are) trying to find that out, but they are not sharing,” Mills adds.
The program has been a success for past students, with an employment rate of 92.3 per cent and a graduation rate of 82.6 per cent — numbers that were presented to program coordinators by the college just two weeks before the announcement of planned closures.
We’re making an impact all over Canada with our grads.
— Brian Asselin, Music Industry Arts, Algonquin College
Moreover, the program averages more than 200 applicants a year, filling 80-90 available positions for students and placing most of the remaining applicants on waitlists.
The program fuels Ottawa’s arts industry, shaping future audio engineers, musicians and producers who work at local festivals, studios, venues and corporate conferences, said Mills.
“We’re making an impact all over Canada with our grads,” added Asselin.
Mills and Asselin said they worry if the program is cut, students will leave Ottawa for bigger markets, such as Toronto.
The Ottawa Music Industry Coalition — a local advocacy organization — also expressed its concerns for the potential shutdown of Algonquin’s MIA program in an open letter to Algonquin.
“Unlike offerings that struggle to maintain enrolment or labour market relevance, Music Industry Arts has delivered consistent demand, strong graduate outcomes, deep industry integration, and has met or exceeded enrollment projections for 16 years,” stated the Jan. 30 open letter from OMIC. “Its graduates form a significant portion of the skilled workforce that powers Ottawa’s festivals, venues, live events, tourism, and broader creative economy — sectors that, in recent years, have faced labour shortages and amplified supply chain and production expenses.”
“If this (program) does stop and Ottawa loses this pipeline of talent, how can OMIC keep it going somehow?” Mills said.
The music industry generates $10.92 billion of Canada’s GDP annually, supporting over 101,000 jobs and fueling $3.7 billion in yearly tax revenue nationwide, OMIC said.
Unlike offerings that struggle to maintain enrolment or labour market relevance, Music Industry Arts has delivered consistent demand, strong graduate outcomes, deep industry integration, and has met or exceeded enrollment projections for 16 years.
— Ottawa Music Industry Coalition
Mélanie Brulée, executive director for OMIC, said the coalition is willing to expand co-ops, placements and clear hiring pipelines with local employers to connect students to Ottawa-based jobs.
“People stay where they can build a career, not just where they train,” said Brulée.
Ottawa’s live music and events sector is already under strain, so cutting the Algonquin program while the city is investing in downtown revitalization, nightlife and tourism would make it harder for the industry to thrive, noted Brulée.
“I was particularly taken with the importance of music study and performance for my young teenager,” said Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper, a leader in promoting Ottawa’s music sector.
The councillor’s son is a jazz musician in Toronto, although Leiper said he wanted him to be able to pursue a career in music in Ottawa.
“For dads like me, and moms … it’s sad to see your kid move to another city to pursue their dreams,” Leiper said. “A lot of musicians, if they want to pursue careers, had to leave the city in order to do that.”
“That is a drain of talent in the city,” he added.
Leiper said graduates from Algonquin’s music program provide “fundamental elements” that are necessary to operate soundboards at live shows and keep venues functioning, including the soon-to-be opened Ādisōke library on the eastern edge of LeBreton Flats.
“There’s a level of professional support in the music industry that is necessary to really let the creative (side of Ottawa) shine,” Leiper adds.
Henri Devost, an MIA student, recently released a single on Spotify using skills “mastered” in the program.
“I’ve already learned so much and it’s only been a few months,” Devost says.
Moreover, Devost’s friend Owen, who got accepted into the program for Fall 2026, told her that he’s upset that Algonquin is potentially cutting the program. Devost said Owen halted all of his other applications because he was committed to attending MIA.
Like many future students, Owen wants to pursue music as a career, and this may not be possible if the MIA program ceases to exist.
“Please, please please,” said Devost, “don’t shut down the program.”
