Centennial College announces plan to relocate programs from Story Arts Centre in East York to Progress Campus in Scarborough next year

By ALAN SHACKLETON

Centennial College has announced that it will be relocating programs from the Story Arts Centre campus in East York to its Progress Campus in Scarborough.

The announcement came in a message sent to staff and students on Wednesday, March 5, by Dr. Craig Stephenson, President and CEO of Centennial College.

The transition of the programs and students being relocated will not occur immediately, said Stephenson in a separate statement sent to Beach Metro Community News.

“Steps will be taken to talk with and ensure impacted students, faculty, and staff at the Story Arts Centre are equipped with the necessary resources and support to navigate this transition with minimal disruption,” said Stephenson’s statement.

The relocation of programs from the Story Arts Centre at Mortimer and Carlaw avenues in East York to the Progress Campus in the Markham Road and Hwy. 401 area is slated to take place in the summer of 2026.

“While we are early in the planning stages and will be developing a detailed transition plan, we are currently looking to move programs from Story Arts Centre to Progress Campus together in Summer 2026,” said Stephenson’s statement.

“We are committed to engaging in transparent, proactive, and ongoing communication throughout this transition. Moreover, we will be engaging the Story Arts community and soliciting their inputs to ensure a smooth and effective relocation process.”

Centennial College opened the East York campus in the fall of 1994 as the Bell Centre for Media Studies, housing the college’s Schools of Communications, Media, Arts and Design. It was later named the Story Arts Centre.

The building at the southeast corner of Mortimer and Carlaw avenues has a long history. It was originally built as the Toronto Teachers College in 1955, and served in that role until 1979. After that it became the site for a number of film and television productions including Degrassi High.

The building, at 104,000 square feet, occupies considerable space in the neighbourhood it is located in. Future uses for the site beyond 2026 have not yet been speculated upon.

Stephenson’s statement said lack of government funding and a decline international students attending Centennial College played a role in the decision to relocate programs from the Story Arts Centre to the Progress Campus.

“In light of stagnant government funding a decline in international student enrolments induced by federal policy changes, Centennial College has made the strategic decision to relocate programs from the Story Arts Centre to the Progress Campus,” he said. “The decision is part of a comprehensive strategy to secure the long-term sustainability of our academic programs and ensure the vitality of campus life.”

In his message to staff and students, Stephenson expanded upon the challenges facing community colleges across Ontario and the Story Arts Centre specifically.

He said “federal policy changes and the subsequent decline in the Canadian brand have led to a rapid reduction in international student enrolment.  

“A challenge that has been further exacerbated by the provincial government’s domestic corridor funding model, which runs counter to its own stated goal of prioritizing Ontario students by penalizing institutions, such as Centennial, for growing domestic enrolment. Taken together, these factors have severely compromised our ability to function at the top of our game and serve Ontarians to our fullest ability.  

“Indeed, the ripple effects of these policies and approaches to public education have upended every facet of our work: the programs we offer, the learner experience we cultivate, the structures and systems we rely on, the engagement with our community and the ways in which we sustain ourselves financially.”

His message pointed to declining enrolment at the Story Arts Centre, noting only 40 per cent of the available space was being used, and also pointed to drops in student numbers of an anticipated 53 per cent (compared to 2022/2023). 

Stephenson’s statement to Beach Metro Community News recognized the Centennial College campus’ ties to the East York community it has called home for the last 30 years.

“We deeply recognize the significance of the Story Arts Centre and its ties to the community. After analyzing a range of factors with careful evaluation, this decision has been approached with great care and respect for the deep connections that our students, faculty, alumni, and the broader creative community all have to this campus,” said Stephenson.