In late March, the Newfoundland and Labrador provincial government delivered its 2023 budget titled: ‘Your Health. Our Priority’. Indeed, this was very much a healthcare budget, with the government promising increases in spending, healthcare authority amalgamation, and changes to provincial ambulance providers.
However, there were some promises that students at Memorial University may want to keep an eye on that will directly affect post-secondary education in the province.
Perhaps most expected, the province continued with the annual phase-out of the Memorial’s operating grant. This year Memorial’s operating grant is decreasing again by $17 Million to $295 Million, its most significant decrease so far.
In defending this policy, the provincial government continues to assert MUNL as Canada’s most subsidized university in Canada.
The province has also announced increases to the Student Financial Services Program through student aid, bringing the total funding available to post-secondary students to $28 million. It should be noted that this funding is only available for provincial students and requires those interested to go through an application process.
Furthermore, students graduating from a four-year degree program with existing provincial loans are eligible for 100% student loan forgiveness (also only available to provincial students).
Additionally, in keeping with the theme of healthcare, some changes are coming to the Faculty of Medicine. The province has allocated $58.4 Million for the Faculty of Medicine, adding up to 15 more seats for NL students in MUNL’s Medical Education Program. This represents a 25% increase in the number of seats.
The province also announced the allocation of $150,000 for a new school of nursing in Western Newfoundland.
Lastly, the province made a comment in its budget that the Auditor General’s ongoing review of Memorial University will “provide accountability for the institution and taxpayers.” This comes following ongoing discussions surrounding administrative mismanagement and a general sentiment of mistrust of the MUNL administration.
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