Fleming and St. Lawrence Are Merging: Ontario's First College Merger Explained
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 19, 2026 • Canadian Universities & Colleges, Canada Higher Ed News & Policy
Fleming College and St. Lawrence College announced Ontario's first college merger on April 10, 2026. Campuses, programs, brands and student services stay the same for now, while the two colleges combine leadership and back office operations over the coming months.
📅 Announced April 10, 2026, with due diligence and planning still ahead.
🏫 Fleming keeps its Peterborough, Lindsay, Cobourg and Haliburton campuses. St. Lawrence keeps Kingston, Brockville and Cornwall.
📋 No changes to programs, campuses, services or student supports from this announcement alone.
👤 St. Lawrence's Glenn Vollebregt becomes initial president and CEO of the merged college.
💵 Both colleges point to the federal government's 2024 international student cap as pressure behind the merger.
Ontario's first college merger
Fleming College and St. Lawrence College announced on April 10, 2026 that their boards approved an integration framework agreement to merge as equals, according to kawarthaNOW . It is the first voluntary merger between two colleges in Ontario.
Fleming operates campuses in Peterborough, Lindsay, Cobourg and Haliburton. St. Lawrence operates campuses in Kingston, Brockville and Cornwall. Combined, the merged college will run seven campuses across eastern Ontario.
Why the two colleges are merging
Both colleges point to financial sustainability as the main driver. The federal government capped international student intake starting in 2024, and international tuition had grown into a large share of revenue at colleges across the province. Combining administration, purchasing and back office functions is meant to cut costs while keeping local campuses and programs running.
St. Lawrence President and CEO Glenn Vollebregt said the integration gives the combined college more scale to serve students and build a stronger institution. Fleming interim President Theresa Knott said pooling strengths positions the college to deliver more opportunity and innovation for students in the region.
Leadership during the transition
A single management team leads the integration process. Vollebregt becomes the initial president and CEO of the merged institution, and Knott becomes the initial associate president and chief academic officer. The colleges have not announced a permanent name for the combined institution.
What changes for students, and what does not
Neither college plans changes to local brands, programs, campuses, services or student supports because of the April 10, 2026 announcement. If you are already enrolled at either college, your program, campus and instructors continue as scheduled through the transition period.
The colleges describe the coming months as a period of due diligence, operational planning and community engagement, ahead of full integration. If you are applying for a 2026 or 2027 intake, apply to the specific campus and program you want, since course calendars and campus locations have not changed.
If you have questions about a specific program or campus, contact the college's registrar directly rather than relying on second-hand reports. Registrar staff have the most current information on the integration timeline as due diligence and planning continue.
Union concerns
Faculty and support staff unions at both colleges said the merger announcement caught workers off guard. Union representatives, quoted by Global News , called the merger a symptom of the province underfunding Ontario's college system rather than a solution to it.