CBC/ Yahoo!: Sad, nervous, not surprised: Students react to new bill allowing tuition hikes
Education Minister Ian Wishart said universities and colleges will still be required to maintain average tuition rates lower than those in other western provinces. If it goes above, the institution’s provincial grants may be reduced….
The new legislation is a step in the right direction, University of Manitoba President David Barnard said. “I think it’s a question of what’s a reasonable thing for people in Manitoba to pay,” he said on CBC’s Up To Speed. “We have no desire to have fees that are unreasonable, but we do want to have fees that are reasonable relative to the rest of the universities that are trying to provide the services that we are trying to provide.”
CTV:
Reporter: “But not everyone is upset with the prospect of fee hikes. University of Manitoba president Dr. David Barnard says removing the cap is good for his school.
David Barnard: “If our tuitions were increased to the same level of the University of Saskatchewan. It’s not the highest level but most geographically closest we would have an additional 43 million-dollars of revenue.”
Reporter: “Revenue that the university says it would use to provide services to students. And when the U of M is allowed to hike tuition the president expects it will do. So now if universities or colleges were to raise their rates to 5% plus the rate of inflation the province would claw back grant to the university in question.
Anchor: “Are there going to be measures made to support low-income students?”
Reporter: “Yes, Maralee, the province says it’s going to be increasing the amount of money available through the Manitoba scholarship and bursaries. 6.75 million over the next school year and it will result in $20 million available for students.” “Thank you, John. The Canadian average for tuition costs is just over $6,000 a year. Manitobans spent about 4,000.”