Rural communities are being hit hard by international student caps at Canadian colleges, according to Selkirk College President Maggie Matear. In her article for Maclean’s, Matear asserts that provincial funding for education has dropped by roughly 30% in the past 18 years while provinces have simultaneously limited or frozen tuition increases. As a result, international students became key in generating enough revenue to support the programming that gives domestic and international students alike the skills necessary to work in local communities. Colleges like Selkirk provide life to rural communities, she said, and that the promise of what they offer communities is now at risk. “Our work now is to make sure that promise survives this period of upheaval,” said Matear.
