no trickle down in port city

2008 March 19
tags: ,
by Debra Lindsay

According to UNB President John McLaughlin, there will be no impact on the budgeting process at UNB as a result of the $12 million designated for post-secondary education in the provincial budget. He states: “Based on what we have heard today, we anticipate no change to our current budget planning and will continue to manage our current resources in such a way that allows us to bring excellence to New Brunswick through our students, our teaching and our research.” (19 March)

This leaves me scratching my head.

At a minimum, shouldn’t we see adjustments away from the budgetary cuts now being made to programs and facilities on the UNB SJ campus?

Also, it would be nice to think that some of that $12 million could be used to undo the damage done to this campus as a result of the PSE Report. If the provincial government can devote $1 million to getting itself out of the public relations pickle it finds itself in as a result of poor advice and even poorer decisions, surely there should be something in the treasury to repair the damage done as a result of the government accepting a report to “transform” UNBSJ (as well as the U de M campuses in Shippagan and Edmundston) into polytechnics. Hmmm…

And where is the funding for the new and improved NBCC sought by local “stakeholders”?

I don’t like the smell emanating from this budget one little bit.

from → Liberals, UNBSJ

One Response
  1. 2008 March 21
    Greg Cook permalink

    It is abominable that the Liberal Government of NB has not addressed the damage caused to UNBSJ and the northern campuses of UdM by Shawn Graham and company’s mishandling of the PSE Commission and its report.

    It is totally mystifying how the eight wise persons handed the Shawn Graham Government’s hot potato – those same eight representatives of the institutions consulted in the PSE Commission process at the outset and/or before that – have taken so long to reveal their crystal ball results.

    Otherwise, one can only think that the process has been entirely politicized in favour of a stall past the Spring (which officially has arrived) promise for its report – until university students currently enrolled have graduated and/or gone of to summer work; and/or until the Liberal Government is campaign-ready to call the next election.

    Every day of delay results in mounting damages to the institutions – particularly the so-called satellites of UNB and UdM. If the current Government doesn’t pay at the polls, it appears that subsequent government(s) will have to pay up front.

    It’s time some dog sat up and barked.

    Website: http://writers.ns.ca/Writers/gcook.html

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