Message From BUSU

On November 5th, the Brandon University Students’ Union will be holding its annual “Day of Action”. Each year, the students of Brandon University take a day to raise the awareness on a variety of issues, ranging from tuition fees, laboratory equipment funding, and this year’s theme: Target Poverty.

Poverty in Manitoba includes students and graduates with massive student debt as well as thousands of potential students who are shut out of university and college due to high costs and lack of student support. Governments everywhere recognize that widely-available public education at all levels is one of the best ways to bring people out of poverty, yet inadequate federal and provincial resources are dedicated to improving access and quality. When governments expect students and their families to fill the funding gap, the results are disastrous. Economically and socially vulnerable groups are shut out of opportunity. That’s why ending the tuition fee freeze in Manitoba, in the midst of an economic crisis, was a mistake.

Education is the way out of poverty for many Manitobans. It’s time to reduce tuition fees, reduce student debt and target student poverty.

Here are some facts about poverty in Manitoba: 125,000 Manitobans, including one in five children, live in poverty. This is over 10% of our provincial population.

While 70% of new jobs require post-secondary education, average student debt in Manitoba is almost $20,000 and student aid recipients are expected to live at 30% below the poverty line. Social assistance recipients are not eligible for student loans and grants.

At 29% province-wide and a staggering 37% in Winnipeg, Aboriginal poverty is a crisis in Manitoba. Over 1000 Aboriginal students are on waiting lists to receive funding to access universities and colleges

Students with dependants face enormous challenges, on top of other financial barriers. Childcare can cost over $7200 per year, and waiting lists for childcare centres are as long as 2-3 years. Manitoba’s immigration strategy brought nearly 11,000 new Canadians to the province, yet 32% of recent immigrants in Manitoba live in poverty. Tuition fees for international students are now over three times more than what a domestic student pays at some institutions, forcing students from other countries into poverty, in direct contradiction of Manitoba’s immigration strategy. Manitobans with disabilities are among the hardest hit by economic pressures: 16% live in poverty. Many students with disabilities study part-time out of necessity, and they may not qualify for student aid.

Student unemployment across Canada hit an all-time high of almost 21% this summer, leaving many students unable to earn money to help pay for their post-secondary education, forcing them into further debt.

Women are disproportionately affected by poverty compared to men. Income disparity between men and women means that women make roughly 70% of what men do on average. This means it will take longer and cost more to pay of their tuition fees and student debt.

With a vacancy rate of 0.1% in Brandon and less than 1% in Manitoba’s urban centres, more and more people are left without acceptable housing.

Most universities and colleges now have food banks out of necessity, with food bank usage increasing year after year.

These are just a few of the reasons why we hope to see you all out for the November 5th Day of Action to Target Poverty. For more information, or to get involved, please contact me at pres@busu.ca or stop by the BUSU Office.

Let’s make poverty history in Manitoba!