Several members of British Columbia’s postsecondary sector are calling for changes to postsecondary funding in order to stem the impact of financial challenges facing postsecondary institutions and students. The British Columbia Federation of Students and Confederation of University Faculty Associations of BC both called the financial situation a crisis. BCFS asserted that the province has seen nearly 1,000 layoffs and 80 programs suspended or cut since 2023. The BC Ministry of Post Secondary Education and Future Skills responded with a statement pointing to examples of how it has increased funding by more than $1B since 2016. BC’s postsecondary critic MLA Bryan Tepper told Castanet that the province’s decision to shelve its postsecondary funding review was “a huge missed opportunity” for learning.
