Ontario funds 6,437 new seats at Western and Fanshawe in 70,000-seat expansion

Ontario says it is spending $205 million to fund 6,437 additional seats at London's Western University and Fanshawe College, with enrolment possible from fall 2026. Western gets 5,013 seats, mostly STEM and health; Fanshawe gets 1,424, led by health and trades. Province-wide, the allocation belongs to a $1.7-billion plan funding more than 70,000 new seats at publicly assisted colleges and universities, which the government calls the largest expansion in over a decade. The first 30,000 seats were allocated in May; the remaining 40,000 went through institutional proposals. It sits within a $6.4-billion model raising annual operating funding to $7 billion.