“Now’s not the time for status quo,” say UBC Students.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, Feb 17, 2026. Vancouver, BC
“Students are disappointed in the 2026 budget”, said AMS VP External Solomon Yi-Kieran. “For over 400,000 post-secondary students in BC, this budget was a disappointing document that failed to invest in our futures.” Instead of investing in the future workforce of our province and planning for long-term economic growth by supporting our students, the province is seeking short-term relief by cutting its deficit on the backs of students and the working class.
Post-Secondary Funding
Budget 2026/2027 promises $15,130,000 in increased funding for post-secondary institutions. This is just a 0.46% increase from last year, making it under a quarter of what is needed just to keep up with inflation. “From the smallest public college to the largest research universities, BC’s post-secondary institutions are all financially struggling due to decades of chronic government under-funding and an unsustainable funding formula. If we want a strong workforce, investments in our colleges and universities must least keep pace with inflation.” said Yi-Kieran.
This news is followed by no net growth to student service programs, which amounts to a real cut to student aid, scholarships, bursaries, and loan forgiveness programs. Student food insecurity has risen drastically since COVID, with an 1800% increase to the AMS Food Bank at UBC, and students relying on government student loans are finding it increasingly hard to afford tuition, rent, and groceries.
The provincial government is threatening to cut 15,000 public service workers. Beyond a 2,500 cut to the BC public service, another 12,500 jobs need to be cut from school districts, health authorities, Crown corporations, and post-secondary institutions. Given the ongoing Post Secondary Review by the provincial government, students worry about losing academic staff, student service staff, and other essential support staff on our campuses.
Transit
Disappointingly, the 2026 budget only mentions pre-existing investments on the Surrey-Langley Skytrain and Broadway Subway Project, which would only end at Arbutus.
This budget makes no mention of the UBC SkyTrain Extension (UBCx) project that would actually connect campus to the rest of the city. After 18 years of inaction across the tenures of 4 premiers, the business case for the project is overdue and over-budget. After 15,000 Metro Vancouverites and students called for urgent action for UBCx last year, it is inappropriate and irresponsible to continue delaying this popular and vitally important transit investment.
After 18 years of waiting, the AMS continues our call for the BC Government to:
