news // 6

Federal budget changes rules for

student loans and grants

» A $419 million total investment

Lauren Kelly
News Editor
© news@theotherpress.ca

he Canadian government

has recently revealed its
2015 Federal Budget, which
includes significant changes to
the Canada Student Loan and
Canada Student Grant programs
for 2016-17. These changes will
make it easier for both current
and prospective students
to attend post-secondary
institutions.

With the new guidelines,
low- and middle-income
students entering programs
that last at least 34 weeks will
now be eligible to receive a
student grant; previously, the
number was 60. This change will
facilitate entry into the many
one-year and shorter programs
that help quickly move students
into the work force. These grants
do not have to be paid back
to the government. The new
budget promises an investment
of $184 million over four years.
According to the budget, the
2012-13 year saw students receive
$695 million in grants.

Another change will come
with the elimination of in-study

: Currently, every dollar over

: $100 a student earns per week is
: deducted from the amount they
: receive. This is being changed

: so as to not penalize students

: for working during their

: education. This will also mean

: that students will receive extra

: money even if they have the

? means to contribute due to their
: employment. :
: The new guidelines will also:
: reduce the expected parental
: contribution with an investment !
: of $119 million. Currently, the :
: student loan programassumes — :
: that the student’s parents will be :
: contributing a certain amount of :
: funds to their studies based on!
: their yearly earnings. Although
: this will not be eliminated :
: entirely, the students will receive :
: more money than before.

Further proposed changes

: that should benefit students

: are the amendments to the

: Canadian Labour Code, which

: include increased protection

: for interns. There will be tighter
: regulations on the conditions

: under which an unpaid :
: internship can be offered, as well :
: as ensuring that interns have

: “occupational health and safety

 

Although some of these

> provisions make it easier to

: with record levels of debt,
: and there are already over

: 200,000 graduates struggling to
: make payments each month,”
: Jessica McCormick, National
: Chairperson of the Canadian

: receive student loans, and in

: higher amounts, this can be

: seen as a negative for students.
: “Students are graduating

: protections.”

: Overall, a total of $419

: million will be invested over four
: years.

earnings altering students’
loan amounts by investing
$16 million over four years.

theotherpress.ca

Image via medtechboston.medstro.com

: Federation of Students, said ina
: press release by the organization.
: “Weighing Canadians down

: with enormous debts as they

: start their careers drags back

; economic growth.”

 

Compass Card rolls out for Douglas College

» Wave three brings about largest increase in Compass Card usage

Lauren Kelly
News Editor
© news@theotherpress.ca

Sans this month, students
at Douglas College will be
replacing their paper U-Pass BC
passes with Compass Cards as

part of wave three of the Compass

Card U-Pass rollout.

The Compass Card system
allows users to load any passes to
the card or add stored value for
individual fares. Users will tap in
on card readers and fare gates.

When they leave transit, they will

tap out to show that their trip
has ended. TransLink eventually
intends to eliminate the old

fare system entirely, and place
turnstiles in the fare gates that
will only allow Compass Card
holders through.

There has been much
criticism from the general public
over the Compass Card system,
which TransLink had promised
to have operational by 2013.
However, issues—such as the tap
taking a few seconds each time as

@ompass

: opposed to the 0.3 seconds they
: anticipated, and the tap-out not
: always registering—delayed the
: distribution.

Wave three is the largest

@ompass

 

: step of the U-Pass BC Compass

: Card integration so far, adding

: 128,000 new Compass Card users
: tothe 2,300 from waves one and
: two. There will be no changes

: to the U-Pass program other

:; than the medium it is released

: in. Students who take the West
: Coast Express can still purchase
: discounted tickets from the WCE :

Image via bartallan.com

: ticket vending machines in the
: same manner as with the paper
: U-Pass.

Students will no longer have

: to line up to receive their pass

: each month. Instead, they will

: goon the U-Pass BC TransLink
: website at upassbc.translink.ca.
: Here, they can link their card to
: their student account and load

: their U-Pass from the website

: each month, which takes about
: 24 hours to process each time.

: New U-Passes are available to

: load starting on day 16 of the

: previous month, and students

: can also sign up for email

: notifications so they never forget
: when their U-Pass is available.

In the event that a Compass

: Card is lost, students will have

: to unlink their lost card on the

: TransLink website and then link
: it toa new card obtained at the

: Cashier’s Office. Students can

: still use their Compass Cards

: even if they have graduated and
: are no longer eligible for the

: U-Pass BC program by loading

other passes and fares onto them.