In response to the announcement by Doug Schweitzer, NDP Official Opposition Critic for Advanced Education, David Eggen, made the following statement.

“Today the UCP announced $2.1 million in grants for the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Red Deer College and Olds College through the province’s Research Capacity Grant – a cost-shared funding program that has already existed for decades.

This is not new money. This grant is less than 1% of the cuts already made to Alberta’s  institutions over 2019 and 2020. This grant will not replace the over 3,500 jobs lost this year alone. 

Alberta’s post-secondary institutions are key to the economic recovery of our province, and the UCP are making our institutions fend for themselves. This will result in higher tuition costs and diminishes the ability of these institutions to support staff and students in their capacity to drive innovation and prosperity.”