NL announces Budget 2022 with investments in nursing education, decreases to funding

The Government of Newfoundland & Labrador has released Budget 2022: Change is in the Air. The budget includes a $3M investment to increase the available seats in Memorial University’s Nursing Program and a $2.5M investment into personal care attendant, practical nursing, paramedicine, and other health programming at the College of the North Atlantic. Memorial noted that the budget included decreases to its funding, and indicated that while the province had suggested the creation of one health faculty at the university, “the establishment, abolishment, or changes to faculties are the responsibility of university Senate with the Board of Regents.” Memorial President Vianne Timmons referred to the budget as “a challenge we must respond to with diligence and care to minimize … the impacts on the Memorial community.” CUPE NL President Sherry Hillier also criticized the investment in seats to select programs without accompanying improvements to the graduates’ future working conditions. “The new spaces … won’t solve the staffing problem if graduates are poured into a system that is a leaky bucket,” said Hillier. NL| MUN| CUPE Note: Archived stories may contain dead links or be missing source links.