Campaigns

Students are facing a housing crisis, with historically low rates of availability for affordable dwellings that are close to campus. Vacancy rates across Calgary are extremely low in general, with rental prices skyrocketing. Affordable and safe housing is becoming a scarce commodity for many. The Government of Alberta and the City of Calgary must step up to address the current housing challenges that students are facing.

• Introduce rental increase caps to provide students with more stability and predictable rents for longer periods of time.
• Increase housing supports that prioritize housing security, such as rent subsidies and rental allowances.
• Establish affordable housing near the university to allow students to be included in the vibrant campus community, without having to sacrifice safety.
• Implement a robust landlord licensing strategy that incentivizes responsible landlord behaviour and protects individuals from negligent landlords.
• Prioritize redesignation or rezoning projects that promote densification near the university.
• Implement projects that prioritize affordable housing and multi-unit dwellings.

Mental health is a pressing student concern, with most post-secondary students falling within the highest-risk age group for mental illnesses. Current mental health funding from the provincial government is not equitable. Funding for mental health should be allocated based on the number of students at a particular institution to ensure consistency across campuses and accessible programming. This funding should go strictly to frontline programs and services that students access.

• Consult with students and institutions to determine a per capita amount for student mental health funding and consistently fund institutions based on the number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) enrolled at an institution.
• Require institutional reporting to ensure that funding is going to the frontline mental health services students are using.
• Extend the Government of Alberta’s Post-secondary investment into mental health services to allow for continued mental health supports on campus.

Despite announcing two jobs programs, the Alberta government has failed to support students to find summer work. As a result, there are fewer opportunities available to students in recent summers. The Alberta government must step up and help students make ends meet.

• Re-instate the STEP program to help connect students to employers.
• Alternatively, ensure students can be eligible for the job subsidies included in the Jobs Now program.
• Work with student groups to provide a program to support student summer work.
• Implement employment programs similar to B.C. and Ontario that offer temporary positions in the provincial public service and other fields for students.

Students at UCalgary and across Alberta have endured large and unpredictable tuition increases for five years running. Students deserve to know the approximate cost of their four-year degree, yet they have not had the certainty to plan a budget since 2019.

Provincial investment into post-secondary funding has significantly decreased, resulting in much of the burden falling on students via rising tuition.

• Regulate tuition increases for all students, domestic and international.
• Implement stronger regulation for Exceptional Tuition Increases (ETIs).
• Require institutions to demonstrate, through data-based reporting, how programs have improved through reliance on student tuition dollars.

The University’s reporting on how it spends student dollars acquired from MNIFs is lacking. Reporting on the 2022/23 fiscal year provided an overview of amounts spent without demonstrating value for money. Furthermore, it is unclear to students and student leaders what is, can, and cannot be included in student service fee spending. We therefore want to see reporting on the Student Services, Campus Recreation, and Dinos Athletics fees that adequately inform students on where their money goes.

• The university is not able to increase MNIF fees beyond inflation in a given year.
• Annual reports on the spending of fee revenue include justification of significant increases to spending in departments.
• The university should set out certain metrics to achieve with the spending of fee revenue.
• The university should consult with the SU on what items can be included in MNIF spending and require the consent of students to add in additional initiatives or departments.
• The Dinos account to the university’s Tuition and Fees Consultation Committee, providing annual reports on how student dollars are spent as well as efforts to diversify revenue streams. Should no additional benefit to students be demonstrated, the athletics fee should not be optional.

Commitments to address the sexual and gender-based violence at Alberta post-secondary institutions must be made by the government, post-secondary leadership, and community members to support students effectively. Students deserve to feel safe, respected, and welcome in their learning environments free from all forms of violence, this must be reflected in funding, policy, and programming.

• Foster awareness and education through a province-wide campaign around consent at Alberta post-secondaries sponsored by the Ministry of Advanced Education.
• Create a working group that allows stakeholders and representatives to contribute to long-term plans.
• Prioritize province-wide educational campaigns and programming to address disproportionately high rates of violence during the beginning of classes.
• Provide consistent and equitable funding to support survivors and sexual and gender-based violence prevention plans that are sustainable and long-term.
• Implement housing solutions and investment into university residences to support students seeking emergency or temporary housing accommodations (see housing issue brief for more information).

As the post-secondary system changes in response to government funding cuts, the government must make appropriate changes to address this when it comes to student financial aid. It must ensure that all eligible students receive funding. The system is heavily debt-based and could be adjusted to bring Alberta in line with other comparator provinces from the MacKinnon Report.

• Re-balance student financial aid to a better mix of loans and non-repayable grants, more in line with MacKinnon Report comparator provinces.
• Ensure all eligible students have consistent access to student financial aid programs.
• Reinstate the tuition tax credit or use the money to create new non-repayable grants.
• Expand eligibility for the Alberta Student Grant to include post-secondary undergraduate students.