Press Release
Ontario Ombudsman urges stricter controls on colleges: Cambrian left students unqualified; Ministry “abdicated responsibility”
TORONTO (August 25, 2009) – Ontario Ombudsman André Marin today issued a strong back-to-school warning to the provincial government to keep a closer eye on colleges, to ensure students are getting the education they pay for.
“Ontarians are entitled to expect more of their institutions,” Mr. Marin says in Too Cool For School Too, his second report in as many months involving Ontario’s Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. “Students should be entitled to look to the Ministry to ensure that their interests as education consumers are protected. However, if what occurred with Cambrian College is typical, it is clear that the Ministry’s oversight offers little comfort.”
The Ombudsman recommended that Cambrian College, based in Sudbury, compensate students who attended its two-year Health Information Management program, only to discover they were unqualified for the lucrative jobs the college had touted. Unlike similar programs at other Ontario colleges, Cambrian’s was never recognized by the national association that controls entry into the profession. As a result, the students could not write the certification exam or secure the kind of work in the hospital records sector that Cambrian showcased in its recruitment literature.
The Ombudsman’s investigation, conducted by the Special Ombudsman Response Team (SORT), was launched last year after 13 of the program’s students complained, many saying they had wasted two years and thousands of dollars on a worthless education. The Ombudsman found Cambrian’s conduct toward the “unsuspecting students” was unreasonable, unjust and wrong. “Cambrian College has consistently denied any responsibility for the plight of its graduates,” Mr. Marin notes in the report.
In its final response to the Ombudsman, Cambrian said it disagreed with his recommendation for compensation, but would contact affected students “to determine ways to find further resolution to their concerns.” It has apparently begun approaching students since the completion of the Ombudsman’s report.
As for the Ministry, it has “abdicated any responsibility to ensure that a college actually delivers a program,” Mr. Marin found. In the Cambrian case, it “opened the purse strings and shelled out the cash without taking any steps to ensure that the college followed through .... In the end, it was the students and graduates of the program who suffered.”
While the Ministry denied there were any systemic problems in its monitoring of colleges, it stressed it was committed to greater accountability and revised its policy directive with regard to colleges’ responsibilities in marketing programs. The Ombudsman called this response disappointing.
“I continue to believe that in order to protect Ontario’s students, and at the same time, ensure value for money for Ontario’s taxpayers, greater Ministry oversight is necessary in this area,” he said, noting he will continue to monitor the Ministry’s actions.
Too Cool For School Too follows the Ombudsman’s July 2009 report, Too Cool For School, in which he called on the government to keep closer watch on private career colleges. The title of both reports refers to an arrogant attitude expressed by college operators. In the first case, the Ministry allowed the private career college Bestech Academy to operate illegally for two years in the Hamilton-Niagara area before it abruptly shut down, leaving students inadequately trained and out of pocket.
The Ministry refused to compensate the Bestech students, but committed to making other improvements and to reporting regularly to the Ombudsman on its progress.
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Full report and backgrounders available at www.ombudsman.on.ca
Video of Mr. Marin’s conference will be on the website and YouTube later today.
For further information or to arrange media interviews with Mr. Marin, please contact:
Linda Williamson
Director of Communications
Tel: 416-586-3426
lwilliamson@ombudsman.on.ca
Elena Yunusov
Communications Officer
Tel: 416-586-3521
eyunusov@ombudsman.on.ca
Sara McMillen
Communications Officer
Tel: 416-646-8008
smcmillen@ombudsman.on.ca
12 Comment(s)
August 25, 2009
I am extremely upset with the comments of Cambrian College regarding the Health Information Management program not being accredited. I would like to know why they are not taking full responsibility for the students enrolled in this program. What are students who have just completed the 1st year and are ready to enter 2nd year supposed to do now? They, too, are out of pocket. Money does not grow on trees and to knowingly be marketing this program without a pot of gold at the end is not only misleading but should be considered as illegal. Advertising of this program should never have been allowed, let alone to accept OASP payments etc. and the students are left to hang out and dry. Shame on you, Cambrian College. I think they should issue a letter to each student, confirming that all moneys be returned to all students enrolled in the non-accredited program.
August 25, 2009
I cannot believe that cambrian is still not taking responsability for this and that they continued to offer this course without being accredited. It is not a 6 week program taken at night school but a 5 semester program being the last semester a non-paid placement. They should refund all the expenses for the students, stop the program untill they get their ***together, then continue. As for them stating they did not say the course was accredited and no promise of writing the chimo exam was made, they had better check their teachers emails to the first year students. I guess they think they can pay the lawyers for defence more than the poor young students. This is a disgrace to our community and they should just face the facts...
August 25, 2009
As being one of the many students who are affected by this, I am enraged by the denial of the College. At the time of being a student in the Health Information Management program, I was a single mother living in a small one bedroom apartment with my daughter trying to better our lives. My schooling was paid for from all my savings. When we found out that the program was not recognized, my heart sank into my chest and all I could think was what am I supposed to do now! After staying in touch with the program coordinator all summer and learning that the program was still not recognized, I didn't return to finish my second year. Why would I? So I can graduate with a piece of toilet paper with my name on it and flush it down the toilet?? I really feel for all the students who did return to finish and are now left with nothing. The College should give us our tuition and book money back. They owe every student that much!! I am still trying to save up to get an education and thanks to Cambrian College, they have set me back over 3 years. Hopefully in the next 2 years, i'll be able to apply to a different school and get my life back on track!
August 26, 2009
I've been complaining to the ministry for years about the colleges' false advertising and poor quality. Nothing gets done about it.
August 26, 2009
Even the Bob Rae review on postsecondary education hinted at the false advertising being done by the colleges and universities. Thanks to the ombudsman for bringing this issue to the public's attention.
August 26, 2009
I believe Cambrian's Firefighters course is not accredited either....
August 26, 2009
Having 3 children who went through higher education, one of them in Cambrian College, I know the high costs these kids have, coming out with debt loads comparable to mortgages, and for the government not to step in and force this college to refund each and every one of these children is unforgivable. They should be forced to refund at the very least or shut the school down until they do! The government has the power to do this, and they need to exercise it. The general public relies on the government to protect them from this kind of mockery of education, while paying them with public tax dollars!! I am a councillor for my municipality and am very conscious of the responsibilities government has to the public, and this case is ludicrous. This school should have its license revoked so they don't do this to anyone else.
August 27, 2009
Former HIMP student.
What a disaster!
September 3, 2009
All graduates from 2007 to 2009 should get together and start a class action suit.
September 3, 2009
We need to get together all the 2007 to 2009 graduates and start a class action lawsuit.
September 22, 2009
I'm a reporter at CBC if you'd like to get hold of me about a class action #688-3243
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Q&A at the Cambrian Report news conference (25/08/2009) - 6:30
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August 25, 2009
I personally feel that the universities need to be monitored in the respect mentioned in this article as well as the services that they provide disabled persons.
I am hard of hearing in both ears which I was not aware of the extent before I entered university and when it came to accommodating me, I was treated as a person who was faking my challenges and there was no one to go to. I demanded a meeting in accordance with my rights and had to bring advocates with me. The Disability Services Heads still tried to bully me, and prevent my advocates from attending.
Please, do what you can to enforce colleges and universities to be accountable to the students as well as the government. As it stands there is little accountability and their actions rarely come into scrutiny.