From October 15–18, the AMS and UBC representatives met with the provincial government in addressing housing concerns, student affordability and financial transparency for the annual provincial lobby week.
The annual provincial lobby week allows student unions to directly connect with provincial government representatives to voice student concerns. At this year’s lobby week, the provincial government addressed both province-wide and UBC-specific issues.
The Ubyssey spoke with Joshua Kim, interim VP external about the topics discussed and implications for the student body.
This year, one of the priorities from the AMS was increasing the BC Access Grant, a program designed for non-repayable financial assistance for low to middle-income students. Currently, the maximum amount is $4,000 a year for a student enrolled in programs under two years and $1,000 for students in programs two or more years in length.
Another focus was on fee transparency for international students. Currently, international and domestic students can only see their first-year fees on post-secondary education websites.
Kim said the provincial government said it will with post-secondary institutions to try and implement “more transparent and accountable” pricing structures for these students by releasing a four-year pricing structure. This will increase “knowledge for finances,” according to Kim.
“When international students apply, they will know how much they’ll be paying in total within the four years that they'll be staying at the same institutions,” Kim said.
Kim also said the AMS will continue to advocate for increased food security initiatives.
The provincial government also discussed the next steps for increasing housing availability.
Kim said the provincial government is planning to construct 12,000 units. He is unsure how the units will be allocated or of the completion timeline, but plans on communicating with Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills Selina Robinson to ensure accountability and accessibility for students.
Kim said the AMS also advocated for more province-wide sexual and gender-based violence prevention initiatives.
“The current BC government has shown their willingness to work with the students when it comes to issues like food security, and affordable housing, especially affordability to education,” Kim said.
“We’re just more than excited to see what's coming forward.”