NSCC moving to single, province-wide food services partner

Jul. 09, 2025 – Statement

The College has made the decision to move to providing on-campus food services through a single, province-wide partner.

Until now, food services at campuses have been offered through a combination of third-party services and NSCC-operated cafeterias and cafes. This model is not financially sustainable. Profits at some locations did not offset ongoing losses at others. The College cannot continue to absorb these annual losses. By working with a single, province-wide food services partner, NSCC will continue to provide access to food at every campus, according to the level and nature of activity at that location.

Regrettably, this decision affects colleagues at eight campus locations who’ve provided exceptional food service as well as employees with our outgoing third-party provider who have been valued members of our campus communities.

We have worked closely with the NSGEU to ensure we meet the commitments within our collective agreement on behalf of the College’s food services employees. NSCC followed all the provisions of the contracting out clause as agreed to by all parties, and employees were given severance and their options, which includes the opportunity to explore working with our new provider or having the College continue to look for upcoming vacant positions.

The College's new provider, Aramark Canada Ltd., is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, and is an established food services provider for many post-secondaries in the province. They have committed to interviewing interested NSCC employees affected by this decision for positions with them for which they qualify.

While it’s not easy saying goodbye to longtime colleagues who’ve contributed so much to campuses, as a publicly funded institution whose primary focus is post-secondary education, the College determined it could no longer sustain ongoing annual six-figure losses. By moving forward with this new model, we have a financially-sustainable approach for providing food services at campuses while ensuring our resources are focused on delivering exceptional learning opportunities.