We’re just a few days away from the final voting day in the B.C. provincial election, and there are still some pretty lofty promises coming out from political parties, including one today from the BC Greens.
Andrew Appleton, a BC Greens candidate in Oak Bay-Gordon Head, announced the policy for post-secondary education, which would include a domestic tuition freeze and a new public funding model.
Appleton said that post-secondary institutions have relied on “squeezing international and domestic students like a cash cow” to fill funding gaps for too long. He added that the government “hasn’t taken its responsibility to fund education seriously.”
According to the BC Greens, until 2024, international tuition accounted for around 18 per cent of revenue across the public education system, which could be as high as 40 per cent for some institutions.
“Federal changes to study permits are expected to reduce sector-wide tuition revenue by roughly $300 million annually, contributing to hiring freezes, layoffs, and program cuts,” the BC Greens said.
Appleton says that any time tuition increases, another young person decides that college or university isn’t for them and that it isn’t because of capability, but rather affordability.
“When we price people out of post-secondary, we all lose: the nurse who never trains, the researcher who never makes the breakthrough, the tradesperson who never finishes their apprenticeship,” he said.
If elected, the BC Greens would freeze domestic tuition and mandatory fees, including capping annual tuition and mandatory-fee increases “at inflation.”
It would also replace the “outdated” post-secondary funding model, after a system-wide review, “with new provincial funding on the table.”
The Greens would also expand non-market student housing on public campus land, “with provincial capital funding to build substantially more below-market student homes, including family-sized units for students with children.”
The Greens would also require new publicly funded student housing to remain affordable as part of a longer-term vision.
Vancouver mayor-elect Pete Fry has been joining BC Green candidates on the campaign trail, having endorsed BC Greens leader Emily Lowan yesterday, and today, joining Jeremy Valeriote in West Vancouver.
- You might also like:
- Vancouver mayor-elect Pete Fry joining BC Greens leader Emily Lowan on campaign trail
- Why did nearly 5,000 Vancouver residents vote Rollergirl for City Council?
- Opinion: B.C.'s housing crisis will be amplified by the homes we don't build today
