At a recent Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA) session, Public Interest Alberta Executive Director Brad Lafortune argued that postsecondary institutions in AB are not only fighting for funding, but are increasingly fighting for independence, public purpose, and survival. Lafortune asserted that institutions should not be beholden to government ideologies, but should be democratic community spaces. Additionally, he called out the cost of tuition, arguing that increasing costs are deterring more students from postsecondary education. The author also discussed AB’s embrace of AI, concerns around public education being reshaped to fit labour-market outcomes, and AB’s political climate, concluding by emphasizing the importance of funding.
