Sarah Mills: We must remember them
Remembrance Day is a statutory holiday, but Sarah Mills says not everyone will take the time to remember those who made ...
MONTREAL — A private college in Montreal that is facing $30 million in fines from the Quebec government is getting more time to settle its debts with creditors.
A Quebec Superior Court judge ruled on Tuesday to extend LaSalle College’s protection from creditors until Jan. 29, 2027.
The Quebec government fined the college under provincial language legislation for having too many students in its English-language programs.
The government also ordered the college to reimburse about $18 million in subsidies from last year, pushing its total debt to close to $48 million.
“The College is contesting (the fines),” said spokesperson Laurie Saindon.
The provincial education ministry declined to comment.
Tuesday’s decision set the hearing on the fines for Jan. 21 and 22.
The penalties stem from a 2022 language law passed by the provincial government, which imposed limits on the number of students in English-language college programs.
In the 2023-24 school year — the first year the new limits were applied — LaSalle College exceeded its quota by 716 students and received a fine of $8.8 million. The following year, the college surpassed its quota by 1,066 students, and was fined an additional $21 million.
LaSalle College first requested protection from its creditors in August, getting a 10-day reprieve from the court on Aug. 24.
At the time, the school’s director called the fine unfair and unprecedented, suggesting that no company in Quebec could survive such a penalty.
“If you impose a quota that is lower than the number of students we already have in our classrooms, we are doomed from day one. … It’s like you’re on the highway, you’re going 100 kilometres an hour, suddenly there’s a sign at 60 kilometres an hour, and then you get a fine of $30 million,” he said.
Marchand said LaSalle College now respects the limits on students in English-language programs.
The college delayed the beginning of classes by one week because of these fines.
In a decision on Sept. 3, a judge reinstated government subsidies to the college, which reopened its doors the following day.
The court also extended the creditor protection on the same day, and again on Sept. 24. Tuesday’s decision was the third extension.
LaSalle College is a subsidized private school and one of the few institutions in Quebec offering both English-language and French-language programs.
Saindon said students will continue to attend classes and prepare for the winter semester as the dispute with the government plays out in court.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2026.
Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman, The Canadian Press
