Collège LaSalle says the start of its fall term remains in doubt as it confronts a nearly C$30 million penalty levied by the Quebec government for exceeding provincial limits on English-language enrolment. The private, subsidised college enrolled 1,065 more students than permitted in Attestation of College Studies programmes over the past two years, according to the Higher Education Ministry. Québec alleges the school ignored repeated warnings that it was breaching the province’s language law. After pushing opening day back from Monday to Tuesday, administrators said they still lacked government approval to proceed with classes. In a letter sent Sunday, the board urged Premier François Legault to broker a compromise, calling the fine “excessive” and warning it could threaten the institution founded in 1959. Management says the sanction endangers the education plans of its student body and the jobs of staff, adding that it has offered to pay at the ‘extreme’ limits of its capacity. The ministry counters that it proposed several options and accuses the college of holding students “hostage” during negotiations. No timetable has been set for a resolution, leaving thousands of students and employees uncertain about whether the autumn semester will begin as scheduled.