College closure rumour quashed

Posted on June 25, 2026 by Ryan Dahlman

CoBy Marcus Day

Maple Creek News

Maple Creek’s Great Plains College campus is not closing or leaving the town – contrary to rumour, president Brad Mahon said last week. In fact, programming for the 2026/27 year has already been lined up.

Mahon believes the rumour is rooted in the “very difficult” decision to suspend the Adult Basic Education program, which has a long history in Maple Creek.

That decision was taken because of declining enrolment over the last five years.

“Generally speaking, all of our courses that we run are driven by demand, by enrolment,” he said at last Thursday’s Maple Creek Town Council meeting.

Mahon said the college had asked itself: What does Maple Creek need? What does the local labour market require?

After conversations with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and the Southwest Integrated Healthcare Facility, it was decided to offer a Continuing Care Assistant program in August.

This program was last offered in 2004.

“We are very excited that the students will not only spend some time on our Maple Creek campus, but they will actually be learning in the healthcare facility,” said Mahon. “SHA has been very generous. They have donated us classroom space and so our students will be learning in a state-of-the-art facility; so that’s very, very exciting.”

Also exciting, said Mahon, is the Early Childhood Education program, which students will be continuing in the fall.

“You may see them around town because they will be in their practicums.”

Mahon said Great Plains College was always looking for new programming.

As part of this effort, he said, the college needed to do a better job of connecting with the Town and RM of Maple Creek and the Chamber of Commerce to respond to needs in the modern marketplace.

“We can move quickly, but we need to know what is coming so we can offer that education and training that will help support that local labour market demand. It is no secret that this year we have really leaned into three big buckets: healthcare programming, skilled trades, and early childhood education. That is really where our focus is.”

Looking forward, Mahon hoped the college would have more transparent conversations with Town Council.

Councillor Len Barkman asked Mahon about the welding program that the college offered. Would it be continued or was it a one-off?

“That was our production line welding program,” Mahon said. “I think we ran it two consecutive springs, and then we put that one on the shelf. It is sitting there on the shelf.”

Councillor Betty Abbott drew from Mahon’s comments a message for the community. Maybe with sufficient interest and support from business, some programs could be recovered from the shelf, or new ones could be launched.

Councillor Abbott thought that letters to the provincial and federal governments about the benefits of providing more funding for small colleges to support trades training could be helpful.

“I don’t think a letter-writing program could hurt.,” she said.

“Absolutely,” Mahon replied.

He added: “Our most recent successes in Maple Creek have been those programs that have connected students with industry – power engineering, very successful here in Maple Creek in partnership with SaskPower and Chinook Power Station. Early childhood education, those students are going to be working here in town. That connection with local industry is what we are leaning into. That is our strategy.”

Mahon said the college needed to keep elevating its brand in the community, by showing up at fundraisers, functions and Chamber events.

It needed, he added, to ensure it was in people’s minds when they considered career and training options.

“We just want to be in the conversation,” he said.