When John Tibbits abruptly resigned as president of Conestoga College on Jan. 14, he walked away with a staggering exit package worth over $3 million—and the details were locked away from the public, even from the board members who voted to approve it.
After more than 38 years at the helm, the 82-year-old's immediate resignation was announced in a terse news release. No one quits effective immediately unless something is very, very wrong.
"Serving Conestoga has been the privilege of my professional life," Tibbits said in that release. But privilege came with a price tag—he was the highest-paid post-secondary president in Ontario, earning more than leaders of the University of Toronto, Western, Humber, Seneca, and George Brown.
He out-earned most peers by over $100,000 a year, even though he ran a smaller institution. His total compensation for 2024 hit $636,107—a 28.6% jump from 2023, which itself saw a 20.7% increase. Between 2022 and 2024, his pay skyrocketed 55% before a slight dip to a mere $601,684 for 2025.
Tibbits' reign wasn't controversy-free. Before he resigned, the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities had launched an external audit of Conestoga. That audit remains unreleased, though board members received a vague verbal briefing.
Between 2019 and 2024, Tibbits led a dramatic expansion of international student enrollment—from 13,000 to more than 38,000. Conestoga became not just Ontario's leader in international students, but Canada's. With those students paying far higher tuition, the college amassed a $250-million surplus in the 2023-24 fiscal year alone.
That financial boom fattened Tibbits' paycheck—and his ego. Meanwhile, the surrounding communities grappled with soaring rents and a housing crisis as Conestoga imported a small city's worth of new students each year.
The federal government singled out Conestoga in early 2024, cracking down on what it viewed as abuse of the international student program. While Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government froze tuition for Canadian students, Conestoga's tuition revenue exploded from $146 million in 2019 to $682 million in 2024.
When it came time for Tibbits to leave, the board was summoned to a hastily called meeting with just two days' notice—and no agenda. At that meeting, they were told to accept his resignation and a secret exit package worth more than $3 million. No details were shared.
Board chair Martha George demanded a vote, claiming legal and privacy reasons prevented disclosure. Not everyone voted yes, but enough did to push it through. The key stakeholder left in the dark? The Province of Ontario and the Minister of Colleges and Universities, Nolan Quinn.
Neither the ministry nor Conestoga responded to requests for comment. The silence speaks volumes.
