North Island College Students Criticise Provincial Student Aid Cuts

    Student Aid Cuts Constitute A Broken Election Promise
     
    North Island-By slashing six separate programs, Premier Gordon Campbell is breaking an election promise to maintain funding for student aid, says the North Island Students' Union (NISU). "This is the worst possible time to be cutting financial aid. Young workers are usually the first to be laid off and we rely on student aid programs to get through rough patches," says Toni Gore, NISU executive.

    It was reported in the Vancouver Sun that there has been a $16 million cut to the student aid budget in BC.  These cuts include the elimination of the following student aid programs: the Permanent Disability Benefits Program, Debt Reduction in Repayment, Loan Reduction for Residential Care Aide and Home Support Workers Programs, Health Care Bursary (phased elimination), Early Childhood Educator Loan Assistance Program, and the Premier's Excellence Award. "Based on the nature of the programs cut it is clear that the decisions of the provincial government will disproportionately hurt people with a disability and women," suggested Gore, referring to the Permanent Disability Benefits Program and loan forgiveness in areas dominated by women, such as early childhood education and healthcare.

    An internal government memo leaked to media stated the Health Care Bursary Program for nursing students would be reduced from $2.6 million to $1 million. "This will have a direct impact on students in the nursing program at North Island College, many of whom depend on the program to alleviate the growing cost of attending post-secondary in BC.  It also comes at a time when additional cuts to healthcare in BC make the employment picture for nursing students a lot less optimistic," said Mickey Lin, recent nursing graduate from NIC.

    In 2004, the BC Liberal government eliminated the province's grants program. Since then, BC has gone from having the second lowest tuition in Canada to the second highest outside of the Maritimes and now ranks last in Canada in proportion of student assistance expenditures on non-repayable aid.
     
    The North Island Students' Union is North Island Colleges student organization, representing 4000 students throughout the north island region. It is non-partisan and is affiliated with Canada's largest national student organization, the Canadian Federation of Students.