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BCFS demands cap
on international

Coquitlam reviews
housing initiative

> Public consultations to be held in May

tuition Increases

> International tuition increased 64
per cent since 2006, BCFS says

in line with our campaign goals
(i.e. elimination of interest on
student loans) so we will continue
to put pressure there,” he said.

International students at
Douglas College chastised Douglas
College administrators about tuition
increases during a student budget
consultation at the college in February.

Christen McDonald, an
international student who studies
environmental science at Douglas
College, addressed administrators
during the consultation and blasted a
9.4 per cent increase in her tuition.

“Douglas College unexpectedly
raised my tuition fees for fall 2017
by 9.4 per cent with no warning to
the people paying that,” she said.

“Like many international students,
my parents are not wealthy. With
uncapped tuition increases,

my education is at stake.”

Tracey Szirth, chief financial
officer for Douglas College, said during
the budget presentation that the
college increased international student
tuition by 1.9 per cent annually for
three years, but they received feedback
from students who said annual
increases were difficult to plan for.
Consequently, the college increased
international student tuition by 9.4 per
cent in the 2017/2018 fiscal year, but
there will be no international student
tuition increases for the following
two years, according to Szirth.

Jake Wray
News Editor

 

he British Columbia Federation

of Students (BCFS) is asking
the provincial government for an
annual cap on tuition increases for
international post-secondary students.

Tuition for domestic students can
only increase by two per cent each
year in British Columbia, but no such
regulation exists for international
students. Provincial funding for post-
secondary institutions has decreased
in recent years, while operating costs
for those institutions have increased,
leading most post-secondary
institutions to rely on international
students’ tuition payments as a
primary source of revenue growth.

“Due to government
underfunding, institutions have come
to depend on the revenue they receive
from increasing fees for international
students,” a post on the BCFS website
said. “However, unpredictable
fees make budgeting impossible,
meaning some international
students are forced to leave Canada
before completing their studies.”

Aran Armutlu, chairperson of
the BCFS and former finance director
for the DSU, said the Fairness for
International Students campaign is
currently in a “soft launch” for the
summer but it will be in full swing by
September. He said BCFS members
will lobby the provincial government
and their respective schools.

“One of the main ways our
members will be doing that is by
sending postcards to the Minister
of Advanced Education asking them
to implement policy,” Armutlu said
in an interview with the Other
Press. “They will also be sending
postcards to their respective
[post-secondary] administration
requesting the same thing.”

The BCFS also plans to lobby
for increased provincial funding for
post-secondary institutions, which
could counteract any future revenue
compromised if international
tuition increases were capped,
but Armutlu said that will be a
separate campaign, which could
begin as soon as January 2019. A
dearth of provincial funds for post-
secondary schools “is the underlying
issue that is causing many of the
other issues,” Arumtlu said.

Armutlu said BCFS campaigns
generally follow election cycles
to maximize lobbying impact,
but the current NDP government
has demonstrated openness
to issues the BCFS values.

“The NDP have made a

Colten Kamlade
Staff Reporter

 

f housing is a concern for you, it

should come as welcome news
that the City of Coquitlam is seeking
to address this issue through their
Housing Choices Program.

According to the City of Coquitlam
website, the program is meant to
provide more options for those looking
to invest in a home, but who are stuck
choosing between an expensive house
and a tiny apartment. It is also meant
to provide seniors with the option
to stay in familiar neighbourhoods
when they wish to downsize.

Recently, the City has decided
to review the program and consult
with the community. The first half of
public engagement began in the fall
of 2017 and continued into early 2018.
This was on the proposed expansion
of backyard suites in Southwest
Coquitlam. The second stage has already
begun, and the city will be focusing on
bringing more duplexes, triplexes, and
quadraplexes into areas of Coquitlam.

There will be several opportunities
to participate in this round of
consultation. Specifically, there will
be an online survey open until May
14, a community information session

 
 
  

on May 3 at the MacDonald-Cartier
Room at Poirier Community Centre,
and a pop-up kiosk at the Poirier
Street Farmers Market at Dogwood
Pavilion on May 6. Community input
will help shape the objectives of the
program, which will again be subject
to revision after another survey.
In an email interview with
the Other Press Andrew Merrill,
community planning manager for the
City, elaborated on the focus of this
phase of community engagement.
“This first round of consultation
in this second phase of the Housing
Choices Review will look at the
community’s values and objectives as
they relate to housing options, infill
policies and neighbourhood character
in existing areas that are designated as
being allowed to have Housing Choices
units such as garden cottages, laneway
homes, duplexes, or triplexes,” he said.
In the future, a third phase will
deal with a wider swath of Coquitlam.
“The previously-endorsed Phase
3 will be replaced by a new, separate
project which will involve a broader
review of housing options and land
uses across Southwest Coquitlam, and
could be initiated after the end of the
Housing Choices Review (anticipated
in early 2019),” Merrill said.

 

 

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