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Introduction
In the wake of the changes to Canadian immigration policy in 2024 and the resulting dramatic decrease in international student enrolment, post-secondary institutions across Canada have largely been in a reactive mode. They have addressed fiscal deficits and empty classrooms by closing programs, laying off faculty and staff, reorganizing faculties, and closing campus locations.
Most institutions are turning a corner and are seeing enough daylight to switch into a proactive mode. At a tactical level, many institutions are looking at new programming, new sources of funding, new investments in technology, and alternative sources of revenue. At a strategic level, many institutions are also looking to find opportunities in collaboration.
A Framework for Collaboration
Given Canada’s relatively small population and relatively stable public post-secondary system, it’s helpful to look elsewhere for different frameworks for collaboration. Happily, the good folks at KPMG and the law firm Mills & Reeve have published a helpful resource, arising from their experience working in the United Kingdom: Radical Collaboration: A Playbook.
The playbook organizes collaboration into three broad levels:
- Agreements
- Contractual integrations
- Organizational integrations
Each level generally requires greater trust between participating organizations, increased integration of governance and decision-making, more significant organizational change, and stronger mechanisms for shared accountability.
In this summary article, we aim to provide a high-level overview of each level of collaboration and give some Canadian examples where possible.
The Three Levels
Agreements
Agreements are the lightest form of collaboration.
Inter-institutional collaborations offer PSIs an opportunity to achieve a common goal while remaining fully independent, with limited structural or governance changes. Examples of this are rife in Canada, and usually live at the faculty or program level, ensuring programmatic alignment and student mobility between institutions. Many such agreements are between Canadian and foreign institutions, but also happen between Canadian institutions.
The PSI sector is rife with examples of collaboration on specific issues. A prime example is the BC Council on Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT), which has, since 1989, overseen BC’s renowned post-secondary transfer credit system (and which has recently worked to help modernize Ontario’s transfer credit system).1
An example of a different kind of inter-institutional agreement is the arrangement led by Royal Roads University at the John Horgan Campus in Langford, B.C., which provides a single campus location to bring together RRU’s programming and students with those of Camosun College, the University of Victoria, the Justice Institute of British Columbia, the Sooke School District, and (most recently announced) the British Columbia Institute of Technology.2
Because such agreements require relatively little organizational change, they preserve a high degree of institutional autonomy and control. Their potential is exciting and they can achieve great things, but they are rarely transformational in and of themselves.
Contractual Integration
Contractual integration is the middle ground of the collaboration continuum. Institutions remain legally separate but formalize shared responsibilities through contractual arrangements to share risk and reward. This can take place in the form of federations, shared services, contractual alliances and joint ventures. Depending on the nature of the arrangement, legislative or regulatory changes may be required for full implementation.
One prominent Canadian example is the Great Northern Way Campus Trust, a collaboration of UBC, BCIT, Emily Carr University and Simon Fraser University, and operated by a jointly owned but independently managed corporation.3 Established in 2001, the Trust manages the Centre for Digital Media, delivers the Master of Digital Media degree program, and supports a growing array of complementary academic programs and innovation-focused activities.
Another is BCNet, an incorporated society whose members include 44 universities, colleges, institutes, and research institutes throughout B.C. BCNet has, for over 35 years, led sector-wide collaboration by developing shared networks and infrastructure, leading and facilitating technological innovation, and providing an increasing array of shared services.4
Compared with informal agreements, contractual integration involves greater institutional commitment through shared investments, formal governance arrangements, and mutual accountability for outcomes. While representing a greater commitment to inter-institutional collaboration, these arrangements also create greater opportunities for operational efficiencies and strategic impact.
Organizational Integration
Organizational integration is the deepest form of collaboration described in the Radical Collaboration framework.
At this level of collaboration, separate organizations decide to work together to see whether they can and should integrate their governance, leadership, operations, or legal structures through mechanisms such as corporate grouping and operational mergers.
An example is the planned integration of Fleming College and St Lawrence College, announced in April 2026. The institutions agreed to integrate “as equal partners” to “increase access to education and training, expand opportunities for students, and improve alignment with regional labour market needs.”5
Outside of Canada, an organizational integration between the University of Greenwich and the University of Kent, effective August 1, 2026, will form the London and South East University Group as a company limited by guarantee. The integrated institution will “continue to operate as two distinct academic divisions within the new structure, whilst retaining their individual names, identity and brands.”6 Legally, the University of Greenwich will initially change its name to the London and South East University Group, then the University of Kent will merge with the University Group. The resulting university will have one unified board of governors, one executive team, and one vice-chancellor.
Another foreign example is Adelaide University, which emerged from an organizational integration between the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia. The integration involved a Heads of Agreement between the two institutions and the Government of South Australia, a repeal of the constituting statutes of the two integrated institutions, and the enactment of The Adelaide University Act 2023 to establish the new Adelaide University.7
Notably, most organizational integrations involving public PSIs would likely require government approvals and possibly changes to the constating statutes of the institutions involved. For example, when UBC Okanagan was formed through the breakup of Okanagan University College in 2005, the University Act (B.C.) was amended to accommodate the necessary changes to UBC’s Board and Senate structures.8
These examples show that a collaborative approach to integration holds the promise of enabling more unified organizations through economies of scale, coordinated strategic planning, and streamlined administration and service delivery. Delivering on these promises, of course, requires care, attention, and strong leadership.
Conclusion
The collaboration continuum described in Radical Collaboration provides a practical framework for understanding the range of collaborative models available to PSIs, and as we’ve seen, there are various Canadian examples to draw from.
For Canadian PSIs, the question is not whether to collaborate, but how deeply? By understanding where a proposed initiative falls along the collaboration continuum, institutions can design collaborative arrangements that align with their strategic goals, reflect their organizational readiness, and deliver meaningful, sustainable outcomes.
Footnotes
1. https://www.bccat.ca/about/bccat/
3. One of the authors of this article, Michal Jaworski, is on the Board of Directors of the Great Northern Way Campus Ltd., trustee of the Great Northern Way Campus Trust.
5. https://flemingcollege.ca/integration
7. https://www.weare.sa.gov.au/news/2023/q3/Agreement-signed-to-make-way-for-uni-of-the-future and https://www.legislation.sa.gov.au/_legislation-documents/lz/c/a/adelaide-university-act-2023/current/2023.32.auth.pdf
8. And of course, not all integrations are the product of an intentional collaborative discussions, but are driven by other objectives and considerations, such as those that precipitated the creation of UBC Okanagan and Okanagan College, and more recently, has resulted in the decision for Red River College Polytechnic to will assume responsibility for selected programs of Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology. https://www.rrc.ca/marcom/2026/01/28/changes-to-the-post-secondary-landscape-in-manitoba/
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