Provincial elections//

Council approves AMS’s policy stances ahead of provincial election

AMS Council approved its provincial election stances after a private in-camera discussion on October 9.

The AMS’s stances, which were sent to The Ubyssey by email, are broken up into three categories which are housing and student tenancy; transit expansion and maintenance; and student affordability. 

On student housing and transit

The AMS is advocating for an increase in the supply of affordable housing, vacancy control and for the province to extend tenant protection to include university housing like student residence. 

Student housing, including UBC residences, is not governed by BC's Residential Tenancy Act, meaning UBC retains the authority to implement increases in rental rates regardless of provincial standards.

As of press time, the BC Conservative Party’s platform and BC NDP's platform do not explicitly mention changes to student housing or residence affordability. The BC Green Party’s platform commits to developing housing specifically for students to “meet the diverse needs of Communities.”

The AMS is also advocating for a TransLink funding formula to address its $600 million operating deficit, to expand transit infrastructure and to commit to extending SkyTrain access to UBC. 

The BC Conservatives’ and Greens’ platforms pledge to increase funding to TransLink to address its deficit, while the NDP promised to expand SkyTrain services.

On affordability 

Student affordability is also a key point of advocacy from the AMS. The student society is advocating for the expansion of the BC Access Grant to increase minimum grant amounts, to include graduate students and to expand the income eligibility threshold. 

The BC Access Grant provides upfront, non-repayable financial assistance to full-time students in an undergraduate degree, diploma or certificate program considered low- or middle-income, according to the province. Students enrolled in a master’s or PhD program or in unclassified studies are not eligible for the grant.

As of press time, the Conservatives and the NDP do not mention student aid or the BC Access Grant in its platforms. 

The Greens are the only party to mention the access grant in its platform. The party hopes to increase the grant amount students can receive and to extend eligibility to graduate students “to reduce financial barriers.”  

The party also wants to expand the professions eligible for student loan forgiveness alongside Student Aid BC, “targeting in-demand occupations and underserved communities.”

This article is part of The Ubyssey's 2024 provincial elections coverage.