At least 300 students across UBC Vancouver and Okanagan may be experiencing delays with accessing provincial student aid due to the ongoing British Columbia General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) strike, according to AMS President Riley Huntley.
Out of 23 provincial ministries, 16 are fully on strike — fighting for better wages and improved benefits — including the Ministry of Post Secondary and Future Skills. Its key duties include overseeing post-secondary institutions and providing financial support for students, including through the StudentAid BC program. Due to the labour dispute, StudentAid BC has delayed student-loan payments and access to the online application system is not available, according to a banner on the organization’s website.
According to the Ministry of Post Secondary Education and Future Skills, most students enrolled in post-secondary institutions this fall have already received their funding and will not be affected.
“Since the start of this academic year in August, StudentAid BC has processed financial assistance for over 46,000 students across B.C. to help cover tuition and living costs,” Jessie Sunner, minister of post-secondary education and future skills said in a statement to The Ubyssey.
Additionally, UBC confirmed that more than 98 per cent of students have their loan funding for the term and that UBC is working with remaining students on a case by case basis.
“There are more than 10,000 students with a B.C. student loan, and less than 200 have contacted us with this issue. All of them have deferrals in place,” Director of University Affairs Matthew Ramsey wrote in a statement to The Ubyssey.
Despite this, the AMS was informed by UBC Student Housing that around 300 students across both campuses may experience delays in receiving their loans due to the strike. The figure was based on information provided by UBC Enrolment Services.
“[The figure] appears to be in reference to the number of students that are on student loans but have not yet made payments,” Huntley said in a statement to The Ubyssey.
StudentAid BC also administers aid for students intended to cover costs for shelter, food, local transportation, and miscellaneous expenses. In an email to The Ubyssey, AMS VP External Solomon Yi-Kieran, wrote that the AMS's Academic and University Affairs Office has been advocating to the university to ensure leniency towards students with unpaid housing. However, the impact for students not living in student housing who haven’t received their loans remains uncertain.
In an email to The Ubyssey, the British Columbia Federation of Students (BCFS) highlighted that before the strike, students across BC were already facing delays in their studies caused by decades of government underfunding.
“Supporting workers and properly funding the system go hand in hand to ensure that students can access the courses, services, and financial aid they need to succeed,” Debi Herrera Lira, chairperson of the BCFS stated. “[The government] must support the workers who provide these services and negotiate a fair settlement quickly; otherwise, they will not be able to assist students in accessing the funding they need for the upcoming winter/spring semester.”
Job action began on Sept. 2, 72-hours after the BCGEU issued a strike notice after members working for the BC Public Service conducted a strike authorization vote in August. 92.7 per cent voted in favour.
“What we're fighting for is for the government to recognize, not only the situation our members are in, but also the impact to British Columbians of having the withdrawal of these services,” Paul Finch, president of the BCGEU said in an interview with The Ubyssey.
The previous public service collective agreement took effect April 1, 2022, and expired March 31 this year. Negotiations for the new agreement began in January and talks between the BCGEU and the BC Public Service Agency, the employer, broke down in July.
The BCGEU is seeking a 4 per cent general wage increase per year for two years for all public service members under the contract, which was determined upon evaluating increases in average weekly wages in the province and inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index. From 2016 to 2024, consumer prices in British Columbia increased by an average annual inflation rate of roughly 2.9 per cent. The government’s current and counter offer remains at a 2 per cent general wage increase per year for two years.
“Over the last decade, [public service] average weekly wages have fallen behind by over 12 per cent percentage points [compared to overall wages in B.C.],” Finch said.
A Leger poll performed in September 2025 found that 81 per cent of British Columbians support wage increases at or above inflation for public service workers.
Out of the bargaining unit’s 34,000 members, about 25,000 are conducting strike action while the majority of remaining members are considered essential workers who continue to work. BCGEU is one of several public unions striking this year, including Air Canada, Canada Post and the Alberta’s Teacher’s Association.
“We're seeing strikes in areas where wages have significantly lagged behind the increases in the cost of things going up, and nowhere is that more true than the civil service,” Finch said.
The BCGEU and government have since entered mediation on Friday Oct. 17 and continued discussions over the weekend. BCGEU members will maintain picket lines across the province until a tentative agreement is reached and will need to pass a vote among members before it is finalized.
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