Memorial University’s unions are reacting to the institution’s recently announced hiring freeze and budgetary restrictions. The lecturers’ union, faculty association, and students’ union have each raised concerns about the proposed changes and attributed the university’s financial challenges not only to this year’s enrolment drop, but also to ongoing provincial funding cuts. In a statement for CBC, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Education Minister Krista Lynn Howell said that over 70% of Memorial’s operating revenue comes from the provincial government. Howell added that she is confident the university is making helpful decisions to address its “[…] budget issues as part of the implementation of the recommendations from the auditor general’s report in 2023.”
