"A month ago colleges and universities were told by the provincial government that their budgets were being cut by 2.6%. Today we are told that the province is creating two new universities without any change in funding. Someone in Victoria is math-challenged because if you are sincere about making a university, you have to provide it with the resources necessary to make it work. These announcements are silent when it comes to proper funding and that's wrong," said Cindy Oliver, President of the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators.

Oliver was responding to news that University College of the Fraser Valley and Kwantlen University College were being changed to universities. The changes will require supporting legislation expected to be tabled sometime during the current legislative session.

"Both institutions have been pushing hard to get this change and we applaud the hard work of faculty to make that happen," said Oliver. "However, without proper funding, these changes may ring a bit hollow. To fulfill their new mandates as universities will require more money. Yet the province has already cut 2.6% from their operating grants and has made no commitment to either restore that funding or increase support for these or any other post-secondary institutions. Our system deserves better policy and funding support than we see in this announcement," Oliver concluded.

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For more information contact
Phillip Legg
(604) 788-2877
or e-mail plegg@fpse.ca