ILAC closes its Vancouver campuses after filing for bankruptcy protection

The International Language Academy of Canada (ILAC) has filed for bankruptcy protection and ceased operations, cancelling all classes and programming immediately, including at its four Vancouver campuses.

The Toronto-based private English-language school announced the closure on its website Sept. 18. It said significant regulatory changes affecting the sector had contributed to growing financial challenges over the past three years and that it no longer had the resources needed to continue operating. KPMG Inc. has been appointed ILAC’s Licensed Insolvency Trustee.

ILAC opened its first campus in 1997 and expanded to Vancouver in 2014. The school said it had welcomed thousands of students from more than 75 countries and held partnership agreements with more than 85 Canadian post-secondary institutions during its nearly 30-year history. It said it is working with relevant regulators to support students through the transition and minimize impacts on students, employees and partners where possible.