The bookstore will close at the Prince Albert campus after Oct. 10. (Saskatchewan Polytechnic/Facebook)

By Teena Monteleone

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Sask Polytech to close bookstores on Prince Albert and Moose Jaw campuses

Oct 7, 2025 | 2:38 PM

A sharp decline in international student enrolment continues to take its toll on Saskatchewan Polytechnic schools.

Rosby James, president of the students’ association said learners were recently informed that after Oct. 10, bookstores on the Prince Albert and Moose Jaw campuses will be shut down, leaving students to make future purchases online.

The impact it will have on students isn’t known just yet; James said information from the school itself has been minimal.

“As a student association, we are tracking it and trying to get better response from the management on what the transition plan is because we recognize that just going online will not be sufficient to help students get all the resources they need for their academic journey,” James said.

She said textbooks are one thing, but the stores also provided equipment for courses. For example, culinary arts and meat processing students wondered where they would now buy the knife sets they needed.

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“The bookstore has been the first point of getting those materials, so it’s definitely going to impact students.”

When asked about the closures, Sask Polytech replied in an email statement to paNOW, saying the school continues to work to address a significant decline in revenue in its 2025-26 budget, created by a sharp decline in international student enrolment.

“Out of respect for our employees, we do not share specific positions, departments or programs impacted. We expect to provide an update later this month,” the statement read.

In August, 14 staff at Sask Polytech were laid off and eight empty positions were not filled. Prior to that, 27 jobs were cut in April. International students pay more in tuition than domestic students. Like many post-secondary schools across the country, Sask Polytech started to see a decline in tuition revenue because enrolment numbers dropped when Ottawa made changes to immigration policies, including a cap on student visas.

For now, James said all the students’ association can do is wait for word on a transition plan from senior management.

“We want to know how they are planning on assessing the gap and how soon the students would be able to get the same resources as they were given in the beginning of the semester.”

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teena.monteleone@pattisonmedia.com