Edmonton, AB - Edmonton, AB - The Council of Alberta University Students (CAUS) is deeply concerned about the news regarding the Government of Alberta’s changing eligibility requirements for the province’s Student Grant for Full-Time Students. In particular, CAUS has noted the absence of communication around this eligibility shift, both to student advocacy organizations and to the individual students who rely on these funds.

Edmonton, AB - Today the Government of Alberta announced new initiatives and funding to address dating, domestic, and sexual violence on Alberta campuses. The Council of Alberta University Students (CAUS) is pleased to see this announcement as it has been calling for action since CAUS released its campus sexual violence research paper in 2019. Among the recommendations in the paper were calls to improve sexual assault policies to better protect survivors and establishing a standardized province wide survey to better assess the situation.

Edmonton, Alberta - While the new Alberta 2030 strategy promises to improve how the province handles student financial aid, campus sexual violence, mental health, and other high priorities, students remain concerned about the cost and accessibility of education, as well as a lack of details on implementing the strategy's goals.

Edmonton, AB – After a year of unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ten student organizations across Canada have released Shared Perspectives: A Joint Publication on Supporting Students During and After COVID-19.

Edmonton, Alberta - On March 27, post-secondary student leaders, representing over 200,000 students across Alberta, met to discuss the challenges that students and the post-secondary sector are facing.

“A gathering that represents this many Alberta students is unprecedented,” said Rowan Ley, Chair of the Council of Alberta University Students (CAUS). “The students at Alberta’s colleges, polytechnics, and universities are deeply concerned about funding cuts, rapid increases to tuition, online course delivery, and on-campus supports.”

Edmonton, AB, March 2, 2021 - With the release of Budget 2021, the Government of Alberta has cut teaching and research supports to post-secondary institutions by $175 million compared with last year's budget. This is the third budget with a significant cut to post-secondary operations, removing over $400 million in total, and the government is proposing another 7% cut next year. As Albertans return to universities for training and upgrading their skills, this government continues to increase costs to students and their families, claiming that the government cannot bear the costs.

Edmonton, Alberta - The 2021 Budget for the Government of Alberta, tabled today, has sent a clear signal to students: quality is going down, but costs are going up. Since 2018, the Government of Alberta has cut funding for Advanced Education by over $300 million, offloading the cost onto students who faced an equivalent $300 million increase to their tuition. Student Financial Aid relies increasingly more on student loans with more than $731 million being added to student debt in the coming year.

Budget 2021 delivers post-secondary funding cuts and tuition increases, impacting affordability and accessibility of education. Now is the time to invest in Alberta’s post-secondary sector as a proven means of economic recovery, yet this budget increases costs for Albertans at the worst possible time. Students call on the Government of Alberta to restore funding to the Campus Alberta Grant, reduce the three year 22.5% tuition increase, provide additional upfront needs-based grants, and eliminate interest on student loans.