NDP vows to make city an education destination

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This article was published 24/09/2011 (5510 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Standing next to the construction site of Brandon University’s $20-million Healthy Living Centre and flanked by several members of the Brandon University Students’ Union, NDP provincial election candidates Drew Caldwell and Jim Murray pledged to make Brandon a national post-secondary destination location.

In re-announcing his party’s post-secondary platform, Caldwell said an NDP government would continue investing in infrastructure at BU and Assiniboine Community College.

“At ACC’s (North Hill campus), we are going to create the most architecturally outstanding campus in Western Canada,” he said. “At Brandon University, we have had an established national reputation for decades now … this athletic facility will be second to none outside the city of Winnipeg and will go a long way towards further developing Brandon University as not only a provincial destination, but as a national destination.”

While no timeline has been committed to for the complete relocation of ACC to the North Hill, Caldwell noted that they’ve already funded Phase 3 engineering and architectural work to the tune of $5 million.

The NDP has also committed $350,000 to study the feasibility of a medical school program at BU, Murray added.

“I would like to see something that’s going to attract more doctors into western Manitoba and that will retain doctors here,” he said. “I would like to see a program that would allow students in this area to be able to attain that type of education without having to travel further away to do it.”

At the top of the NDP’s list of post-secondary promises are pledges to tie tuition fee increases to the rate of inflation and to increase operating funding to universities by five per cent each year for the next three years.

In reacting to yesterday’s NDP “photo op,” Brandon West Progressive Conservative candidate Reg Helwer pointed out that the Tories are also committing to tying tuition increases to inflation and striking a multi-year funding plan for post-secondary institutions.

However, Helwer said they aren’t going to commit a specific increase for operating grants because they are not going to make any promises they can’t keep.

“That’s something that’s dependant on a particular university, all universities are different,” he said. “I don’t believe you can treat all of them the same.”

Brandon East PC candidate Mike Waddell personally said he’s like to see such multi-year funding set out on a four-year term, adding that the NDP has failed to give institutions a sustainable funding formula.

“This is a government that has given universities no stability. When Drew Caldwell was the former minister of education, he grandstanded on a tuition freeze, but failed to backfill the funding to post-secondary institutions,” he said. “Our plan would be to provide stable, ongoing funding agreements that would allow universities to make long-term plans so they are not guessing as to what they can or cannot offer students.”

Both Helwer and Waddell suggested that the location of yesterday’s NDP media conference — on the sidewalk in front of a construction project that the NDP had a part in funding, but are not allowed to officially announce their involvement with because of new election advertising laws — smacks of desperation.

“As an alumnus of Brandon University and as a past-president of BUSU, I don’t want to see BU used as a political pawn,” Helwer said.

“I personally would not have done that,” Waddell added. “To grandstand and ride right up to the line on an election announcement law — not something I personally would have done.”

Brandon East Liberal candidate Shaun Cameron said he’d rather voters focus on who will represent Brandon’s post-secondary needs in the legislature rather than getting involved in the optics of the NDP announcement.

The Liberals’ plan, he explained, would provide incentives in the public school system for people to attend Manitoba’s post-secondary institutions.

“Beginning in Grade 4, we would provide credits to you at a post-secondary level and students that would reach the maximum level of credits will have the cost of their first year and a half covered as an incentive to remain in school, to strive to be successful and to make sure they are good community citizens,” he said. “It’s an advantage for Manitoba youth.”

Brandon West Liberal candidate George Buri suggested the party would also commit to more money for bursaries and added he would personally like to see Brandon University have more masters programs.

“We need more programs, we need more professors,” he said. “Especially if we are looking at the long view of the medical school, I think we need to do that.”

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