(Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge College & U of L lose millions in funding

Feb 26, 2022 | 8:21 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Lethbridge’s two largest post-secondary schools are facing big budget cuts.

The 2022 Alberta Budget, which was unveiled on Thursday, was highlighted by it being the first provincial budget in several years to forecast a surplus, but not all is rosy.

READ MORE: Alberta presents balanced budget for 2022

The University of Lethbridge (U of L) confirmed to LNN that its overall operating grant will be reduced by 5.1 per cent for the upcoming year, or $4.8 million.

They add that it is far from the first reduction in funding they have seen in recent years.

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“The U of L’s operating grant has been reduced by 21 per cent since the 2019/20 fiscal year.”

The university, however, is pleased to see the province include a “targeted enrolment expansion for programs with a high market demand,” as well as maintaining the same levels of support for students who have disabilities or who are struggling with their mental health.

Similarly, Lethbridge College says its overall operating grant will be 5.7 per cent smaller, meaning they will get $2.2 million less in funding than in 2021-22.

President and CEO Dr. Paula Burns reports that this is the college’s fourth reduction in funding in a row.

She issued a similar statement to the university about the positives this budget will have on post-secondaries in the province.

“We are pleased to see the budget’s alignment with the government’s Alberta 2030 initiative and an investment in targeted enrolment growth in selected areas, and we look forward to exploring opportunities to access this funding in areas such as technology and agriculture.”

“Lethbridge College continues to work closely with industry partners to meet their needs, which aligns with the goals of Alberta 2030, and as such, welcomes the announced increased funding support for areas that are already priorities for the college, such as apprenticeship training, work-integrated learning, micro-credentials, dual credit courses, and Indigenous learning.”

The U of L said it will need some time to fully analyze the impacts that the budget cuts will have, if any, on its operations and programming going forward.

The university’s board had already been telling the University of Lethbridge Faculty Association that previous funding reductions were keeping it from meeting the salary demands of striking educators. We have reached out to the U of L to see how the new budget cut may impact negotiations with the ULFA.

Note: Lethbridge College originally told us that they would be losing $2.8 million in funding, but the correct amount is $2.2 million.