University Affairs: 2018 provincial budgets: highlights for universities

After the most recent provincial budget (March 12, 2018), which saw a decrease in overall funding to universities and colleges,  the University of Manitoba committed to continuing to advocate with government for appropriate levels of funding. A competitive post-secondary sector, in particular a research-intensive university like the University of Manitoba, is the driving force behind increased innovation and growth. But, according to a recent article in University Affairs, Manitoba post-secondary institutions are underfunded in comparison to those in most other provinces.  

As the University Affairs article states: 

Saskatchewan unveiled its provincial budget on April 10 – the last of the provinces to do so this year. New Brunswick was the first out of the gate with its budget on January 30, followed by British Columbia in February and the rest of the provinces in March and early April.

There was good news for universities in Quebec, with the provincial government announcing a nearly six percent increase in operating funds for 2018-19, following years of what many university administrators considered to be serious underfunding. Universities in British Columbia and Saskatchewan also will see increases in operating grants above inflation, while most other provinces saw minor increases or decreases.

The following chart summarizes changes to operating funds for universities from the previous fiscal year, based on numbers provided by Universities Canada…

Manitoba

• Operating grants for universities total $676 million, along with capital funding of $9.8 million.
• The Manitoba Bursary Program will see $2.7 million in additional funding, an increase of 25 percent.
• Overall non-repayable student assistance will decline 0.4 percent over the previous year.

Read the full University Affairs article here.