The AMS, GSS and other student associations from across B.C. reproached yesterday’s announcement from the province of a post-secondary education review. UBC, however, says it welcomes the opportunity to engage with the province.
The review comes after a provincial post-secondary funding review was quietly shelved, and the federal government’s recently passed budget included plans to further cut the number of new international students across Canada by nearly 50 per cent.
“Public post-secondary institutions in B.C. are facing significant financial pressures, largely due to factors such as unilateral federal reductions to study permits for international students, global inflation and declining domestic enrolment,” the province’s press release says. In response, the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills launched this review to “establish a clear path forward to stabilize institutions in the short term and to build a foundation for long-term financial sustainability and operational resilience.”
The review was also announced on the same day the federal government announced next year’s provincial and territorial allocations of international students.
The review will be chaired by Don Avison, a former board chair of Emily Carr University and former deputy minister of education. The review’s terms of reference require Avison to provide a list of recommendations in his final report, due March 15, 2026. Chief among his tasks are an examination of governance structures, finding ways to "reduce programmatic duplication across institutions" and identifying opportunities to respond to revenue challenges in the short and long term.
Since the NDP formed government in 2017, the annual operating grant provided to the 25 public post-secondary institutions has grown by $1.2 billion, from $1.83 billion in 2016/2017 to nearly $3.1 billion in 2024/2025. For much of the past decade, UBC has consistently accounted for a third of those funds.
Here are some of the reactions to the review so far:
UBC
In an emailed statement, Matthew Ramsey, director of university affairs at UBC Media Relations, said that the university “look[s] forward to participating in this process and providing UBC’s perspective to government.”
He emphasized the importance of the sustainability of the post-secondary sector to the province, and wrote that “UBC stands ready to productively engage with the province to find solutions that will benefit the sector as a whole.”
A significant portion of UBC’s budget comes from provincial funding. This year, nearly 41 per cent of its net operational revenue came from the province.
“UBC continues to take steps internally to ensure fiscal responsibility and optimize the use of public resources,” he wrote.
Alma Mater Society
Any review that ends in “higher tuition, fewer services, or shuttered campuses” amounts to a “direct attack” on students, the AMS said in a joint statement with the Alliance of BC Students, calling the review a “rushed” and “opaque” endeavour. Earlier that day, the two organizations and other student unions held a press conference outside the Legislature in Victoria.
The statement casts doubt on the meaningfulness of the review, expressing concern that it will be “used to justify predetermined cuts at the expense of students.”
“Students are already visiting campus food banks in record numbers, juggling multiple jobs, and skipping meals just to afford tuition,” AMS VP External Solomon Yi-Kieran said. Without committing to continue the Tuition Limit Policy’s 2 per cent cap, the government's review is “a farce that students will not accept," they said.
Graduate Student Society
Speaking from Victoria, GSS President Emily Tang and VP External Aditi Adhikari told The Ubyssey they were disappointed by the short time frame the review is expected to be completed in.
“I don't know what you can really do in four months,” Adhikari said. Tang called the review “performative” and expressed concern that the Tuition Limit Policy might not survive. “We’re really fighting for that 2 per cent cap for all students," Tang said.
UBC Faculty Association
UBC Faculty Association Vice President Mark Mac Lean told The Ubyssey he's with students on the timeline of the review, saying he is "skeptical the timeline is sufficient." He adds that BC's "enormous geography" and the diversity of post-secondary institutions across the province complicates the review's feasibility.
Whatever the final report concludes, Mac Lean wants to see universities' operational autonomy respected — which he raises because of Avison's mandate to consider "programmatic duplication."
"What does duplication mean?" Mac Lean asked. "And again, in four months ... how do we even assess and imagine what that looks like?"
On the Tuition Limit Policy, Mac Lean does not think the present financial situation warrants any amendment to it. "I personally don't think we should break that cap," he said.
Association of Administrative and Professional Staff of UBC
AAPS Executive Director Joey Hansen told The Ubyssey in an email statement that while AAPS welcomes the announcement, it will "require a great degree of open communication, transparency, and commitment from the province."
"It is deeply important that any funding decisions that are made as a result of this review not come at the expense of staff, students, and faculty. Language in the review’s Terms of Reference point toward the idea of 'structural realignments' to streamline costs. Any realignments should not get in the way of workers and their jobs."
Hansen stated that the association wants to "see an outcome that strengthens and stabilizes the sector without causing workers to lose their jobs, and without students taking on undue burden through exorbitant tuition increases."
This article was last updated at 2:34 p.m. on December 1 to add comment from AAPS Executive Director Joey Hansen.
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