First impression of Alberta Budget 2023

Dear Colleagues,

Like many of you I am deeply disappointed in the support for post secondary education outlined in the provincial budget this week. While there are no further cuts, with the impact of inflation,  we are essentially asked once more to do more with less. The last four years have removed millions of dollars from provincial grants and the implications of this for the quality of education, the development of sustainable workloads and fair remuneration for academic staff have been unquestionably negative.

While there is much talk about the importance of  universities the government has chosen to do very little to ensure that Alberta continues to possess world class universities. A failure to reinvest in a time of substantial surplus is particularly discouraging. 

I am not able to characterize elements of this budget as ‘positive’ and will continue to push for expanded funding, fair wages and better working conditions. I hope the Board of Governors and the University Administration will do the same. 

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David K Stewart

President of The University of Calgary Faculty Association and Professor of Political Science