THUNDER BAY — Lakehead University's board of governors recently approved a budget that includes a $5-million deficit, but its leadership expresses optimism that a recently released provincial report includes a roadmap for financial security for post-secondary institutions.
A blue-ribbon panel issued a report last week, calling for a tuition hike of five per cent next year and a minimum increase of two per cent annually thereafter. It also recommended that provincial funding should go up by 10 per cent next year, followed by hikes of at least two per cent a year.
A statement by Lakehead University president Gillian Siddall that was provided to media on Thursday outlined that the school's position, and confirmed the provisional deficit.
“Despite Lakehead's history of consistently balanced budgets, Lakehead University's Board of Governors recently approved the Administration's recommendation for a provisional $5.284 million budget deficit for 2023-2024 fiscal year. The recommendations in the Blue-Ribbon Report, if implemented, would go a long way toward mitigating Lakehead University's deficit,” the statement read.
The Progressive Conservative government introduced a 10-per-cent tuition cut in 2019, as it cancelled the former Liberal government's free tuition program for low- and middle-income students, and has frozen fees at that level since then.
With regard to Northern Ontario schools, the panel said there is a need to propose specific measures including allowing slightly larger enrolment reductions before government funding is negatively affected.
Confederation College president Kathleen Lynch said Tuesday that the college reduced their tuition by ten per cent in 2018 and then froze them a year later, which has meant that the institution has lost $8 million in tuition revenue.
“We're hoping that definitely [the provincial government will] at least lift the freeze and apply some kind of increase,” Lynch said when asked about the recommendations put forward by the blue-ribbon panel. “When you look at a 5 per cent increase though, it's only $135 a year on the average tuition at colleges. I know students are always worries about any tuition increases. We want them to come here and [not have to worry about] that financial burden.”
The panel stated that ending the tuition freeze and boosting per-student funding would greatly help post-secondary institutions.
This report comes on the heels of university students across Canada, including a group at Lakehead University, increasing their calls for free and accessible education for all post-secondary students.
