Is higher education free in British Columbia?
Higher education in British Columbia
In the report, "Campus 2020: Thinking Ahead", the creation of a Higher Education Price Index is recommended to reflect education costs so that each institution can set its own tuition levels independently, but subject to the limits imposed by the provincial government. Regarding the issue of funding higher education in British Columbia, "research-based allocation" of resources will increase the efficiency of these funds. In relation to the system, more funding is necessary to focus on the specific targets of post-secondary achievement by progressively introducing outcome and performance measurements and accountability into the budgeting process.
Students' union
Different provinces have different rules governing student unions. In British Columbia under section 27.1 of the University Act, student unions may only raise or rescind mandatory student union fees through a democratic referendum of the membership. Once fees are passed through this mechanism, the board of governors of the respective institutions are then required to remit those fees to the student union, and may only interfere in the internal affairs of the student union if it fails to complete annual audits of its finances, giving these student unions strong autonomy over their institutions. In Ontario, the autonomy of student unions is set by standards outlined by each institution, giving university administrators a broader scope of powers over the finances of student unions.
University of British Columbia
UBC has the second highest average entering grade among Canadian universities, with an average undergraduate entrance grade of 89.6%, only behind McGill University with 90.3%. In the 2019 "Times Higher Education World University Rankings" UBC was ranked second in Canada, 37th overall. The 2018 "Academic Ranking of World Universities" ranked the university second in Canada, and 43rd overall. The University was ranked 3rd in Canada, and 47th among world universities in the 2019 "QS World University Rankings". In the 2019 "U.S. News and World Report" ranking of world universities UBC placed second in Canada, and 29th overall. In 2018, UBC was ranked 3rd in Canada among all its major/research universities in the "Maclean's" annual rankings. In "Newsweek"s 2011 global university rankings, the university was ranked eighth among institutions outside the United States, and second in Canada. , according to the "University Ranking by Academic Performance" (URAP), UBC was ranked second in Canada, 16th in North America and 21st in the world.
Supreme Court of British Columbia
The Supreme Court of British Columbia (BCSC) is the superior trial court for the province of British Columbia, Canada. The BCSC hears civil and criminal law cases as well as appeals from the Provincial Court of British Columbia. There are 90 judicial positions on the BCSC bench in addition to supernumary judges, making for a grant total of 108 judges. There are also 13 Supreme Court masters who hear and dispose of a wide variety of applications in chambers.
Higher education in British Columbia
In 1963, the provincial legislature passed an act to establish Simon Fraser University. The University of Victoria was established in 1963 and moved to the Gordon Head campus. Also, the legislature charted Notre Dame University College of Nelson as a private, Catholic university. The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) opened in 1964. Simon Fraser University opened in 1965. This same year saw the opening of the first college recommended by the MacDonald report; Vancouver City College. Vancouver City College was the first autonomous community college in BC, formed by amalgamating Vancouver Vocational Institute, Vancouver School of Art, and King Edward Continuing Education Centre.
University Canada West
University Canada West was founded as a for-profit university by David Strong, the former president of the University of Victoria, and a group of investors. It was intended to cater to British Columbian students who had been turned away from the province's public universities as well as the Asian Pacific market and had projected an eventual enrollment of 3000 students. The establishment of the university marked the first time in British Columbia that a for-profit institution had been authorized to use the designation "university," the result of the province's recently enacted, controversial Degree Authorization Act. UCW was approved in 2004 and opened its doors in 2005 in the former Blanshard Elementary School in Victoria, British Columbia. It initially offered undergraduate degrees in commerce, communications, geography, tourism, and economics and a Masters degree in business. However, the geography, tourism, and economics programs were later dropped.
Higher education in British Columbia
"Public post-secondary institutions in British Columbia receive about one-half of their total revenue from the provincial government in the form of grants from AVED. The rest they receive from tuition, ancillary services, federal grants, donations, endowments, investments and research revenue."
Higher education in British Columbia
Research universities such as the University of British Columbia (Vancouver and Okanagan), University of Victoria, Simon Fraser University, and the University of Northern British Columbia operate under a bicameral structure composed of a Board of Governors and a Senate. Thompson Rivers University uses a tri-cameral system, which includes a Planning Council for Open Learning. Teaching intensive universities, such as Royal Roads University, colleges and institutes each have a Board of Governors, but instead of a Senate they have a council (e.g. Academic Council) . In addition to those bodies, Royal Roads University has a Program and Research Council. Before the legislation of the "College and Institute Act" in 1996, these institutions used to follow a form of governance based on administrative or governing board authority. When the new act came into effect, the bicameral governance permitted faculty to play a role in board governance in a senate-type body where before decisions were made by administrators and board members.
Cecil Howard Green
Some of Green's philanthropy at the University of British Columbia (UBC) was encouraged by William Carleton Gibson, a neurologist in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Both Gibson and Green referred to Gibson as "Cecil Green's most expensive friend" due to his encouragement to fund the Cecil and Ida Green Visiting Professorship and Green College, University of British Columbia. In 1998, the UBC Alumni Association gave Green and Gibson alumni "Lifetime Achievement Awards" in recognition of their support for the University. This issue of UBC Reports is also online in PDF form. This issue of UBC Reports is also online in PDF form.
List of universities in Canada
There are eleven public universities and five private universities in British Columbia. Eight of these universities – Capilano University, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, University of the Fraser Valley, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Trinity Western University, Simon Fraser University, the University Canada West and the University of British Columbia – are in the Metro Vancouver region, the most populated region of British Columbia (with the exception of the University of British Columbia Okanagan - the major UBC campus located in the Okanagan Valley), and three of them – Vancouver Island University, Royal Roads University and the University of Victoria – are on Vancouver Island. The University of Northern British Columbia houses a main campus in Prince George, with regional campuses in Quesnel, Terrace and Fort St. John. Three public universities, Capilano University, University of the Fraser Valley and Kwantlen Polytechnic University, along with the private Quest University Canada, are primarily undergraduate institutions. Two US based private universities campuses in Vancouver namely New York Institute of Technology and Fairleigh Dickinson University both are in Vancouver primarily for undergraduate and graduate students.
Higher education in British Columbia
Currently in British Columbia there are three Aboriginal institutions, Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, Native Education College (a private Aboriginal College), and Wilp Wilxo'oskwhl Nisga'a. These institutions offer academic, vocational, technical, and continuing education for adults, striving to provide bilingual, bicultural certificate, diploma, and degree programs in areas such as forest rangers/technicians, fishery technicians, biologists, and scientists and training in hospitality and tourism, social services, trades, and financial planning. The following universities offer the largest number of programs designed specifically for Aboriginal students and also have some of the largest enrolments of Aboriginal peoples: Thompson Rivers University, Simon Fraser University, University of Northern British Columbia, University of Victoria, University of British Columbia, and Royal Roads University.
Vancouver
There are five public universities in the Greater Vancouver area, the largest being the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Simon Fraser University (SFU), with a combined enrolment of more than 90,000 undergraduates, graduates, and professional students in 2008.
UBC consistently ranks among the 40 best universities in the world, and is among the 20 best public universities.
SFU consistently ranks as the top comprehensive university in Canada and is among the 200 best universities in the world.
UBC's main campus is located on the tip of Burrard Peninsula, just west of the University Endowment Lands with the city-proper adjacent to the east. SFU's main campus is in Burnaby. Both also maintain campuses in Downtown Vancouver and Surrey.
The other public universities in the metropolitan area around Vancouver are Capilano University in North Vancouver, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and Kwantlen Polytechnic University whose four campuses are all outside the city proper. Six private institutions also operate in the region: Trinity Western University in Langley, UOPX Canada in Burnaby, and University Canada West, NYIT Canada, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Columbia College, and Sprott Shaw College, all in Vancouver.
Higher education in New Brunswick
Higher education in New Brunswick (also referred to as postsecondary education) refers to education provided by higher education institutions in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Higher education has a rich history in New Brunswick. The first English-language university in Canada was the University of New Brunswick. Mount Allison University was the first in the British Empire to award a baccalaureate to a woman, Grace Annie Lockhart, B.Sc. in 1875. Education is the responsibility of the provinces in Canada and there is no federal ministry governing it.
Higher education in British Columbia
In 1915, McGill University closed McGill University College. The provincial government changed the provincial university's name to the University of British Columbia and it opened to classes at the Fairview facilities recently vacated by McGill University. With the opening of UBC, Victoria College closed. A second Provincial Normal School was also opened in Victoria in 1915. President Wesbrook died in 1918, and Leonard Klinck became UBC's second president. UBC added the Nursing degree program in 1919. This was the first such program in the British Empire. In 1920, the Anglican Theological College opened in downtown Vancouver.
Andrew Wilkinson
During his time as Advanced Education Minister, Wilkinson oversaw the creation of 19,000 full-time equivalent spaces for in-demand training and education in British Columbia. His ministry committed over a billion dollars for infrastructure upgrades to B.C. post-secondary schools. He also targeted government investments at increasing access to skilled trades programs, adding 3,730 new seats in schools throughout the province. Additionally, as a strong advocate for access to post-secondary education, he created the BC Completion Grant for Graduates and expanded the BC Loan Forgiveness Program to help students get out of debt faster.
Knowledge Network
Knowledge Network, also branded as British Columbia's Knowledge Network, is a Canadian publicly funded educational cable television network serving the province of British Columbia. It is operated by the Knowledge Network Corporation, a Crown corporation of the Government of British Columbia, and began broadcasting on January 12, 1981. Rudy Buttignol is president and CEO of British Columbia's Knowledge Network.
Education in Canada
Kindergarten is mandatory in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, and is optional elsewhere. Dependent on the province the age of mandatory entry to the education system is at 4–7 years. Starting at grade one, at age six or seven, there is universal publicly funded access up to grade twelve (age seventeen to eighteen), except in Quebec, where secondary school ends one year earlier. Children are required to attend school until the age of sixteen (eighteen in Manitoba, Ontario, and New Brunswick). In Quebec, the typical high school term ends after Secondary V/Grade eleven (age sixteen to seventeen); following this, students who wish to pursue their studies to the university level have to attend college (see Education in Quebec). Quebec is currently the only province where Grade 12 is part of postsecondary, though Grade 11 was also the end of secondary education in Newfoundland and Labrador prior to the introduction of grade 12 in 1983.
Trinity Western University v British Columbia College of Teachers
Trinity Western University v British Columbia College of Teachers, [2001] 1 S.C.R. 772, 2001 SCC 31, is a leading Supreme Court of Canada decision on the freedom of religion and the court's ability to review a private school's policies.
Columbia College (Alberta)
In 1997, the College began working on a plan to deliver free education to learners around the world. This will take many years to implement fully. Initial courses will be designed for learners in primary and secondary education.
Higher education in British Columbia
British Columbians with disabilities attending post-secondary institutions have access to some of the most accessible campuses in Canada. Disability services are prevalent at almost all campuses.
Cardus Education Survey Canada
According to Cardus, Quebec has the highest proportion of students going to private high schools in North America (17%). Most of these are Catholic. The Quebec government subsidizes the schools on a per student basis, so that a student's tuition is about one-third of the cost. About half of the total sample of 500 Quebec students survey identified themselves as coming from a Catholic independent school. The number of graduates of independent non-religious schools was too small to draw any conclusions. What the Cardus study was therefore able to do is compare the Quebec graduates who attended fully funded government schools with those who attended partially funded Catholic independent schools.
Point Grey Campus, University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia's (UBC) Point Grey Campus is the main campus of the university. It is located on the Point Grey peninsula in British Columbia, Canada. It is home to close to 55,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The campus is also home to a numerous residential housing developments that were built by UBC in conjunction with private developers.
Higher education in British Columbia
Tuition fees vary across specific program areas, and detailed information on tuition rates is available from each institution directly. The average tuition for domestic students paid by undergraduate students in 2006-07 was $4,636, which was claimed to be the fourth-lowest in Canada. Domestic students are defined as both Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents. Foreign and International students were required the unsubsidized cost of training, which could total as much as three to five times the tuition fees paid by domestic students.
Higher education in British Columbia
The provincial government made amendments to the Public School Act in 1894 and 1896 to allow any Canadian university to affiliate with any of the high schools in British Columbia. The high schools could then be incorporated as colleges of these institutions. McGill University was the first to take advantage of this new amendment. By 1898, an affiliation between McGill University and Vancouver High School was established. The high school curriculum was extended to include the first two years of Arts and part of the school become Vancouver College in 1899. McGill University controlled the curriculum, set and marked exams, and approved the hiring of instructors. Students were required to travel to McGill to complete their studies. The provincial government granted a lease for land at Point Grey to the Royal Institution. Construction started in 1911. In 1913, the provincial government appointed Frank Wesbrook as the university's first president, in anticipation of it opening in the near future. However, in 1914, the onset of World War I halted the construction at Point Grey. There would be no more construction for almost a decade.
University of British Columbia
In the academic year 2011/2012 most research-based graduate programs assess tuition of $4,263.87 per semester for Canadian students and permanent residents or $7,490.88 for international students. International students without external funding that meet the general eligibility criteria will be supported with guaranteed funding of up to $3,200 per year. Tuition for professional Master's programs varies.
Squamish, British Columbia
Capilano University offers post-secondary education through its Squamish campus, including diploma programs and university transfer courses. Quest University, which opened in September 2007, is Canada's first private, non-profit, secular university.
Higher education in British Columbia
There are associations involved with Aboriginal peoples in higher education, such as the Indigenous Aboriginal Higher Learning Association and the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) Post-Secondary Sub-Committee.
University of British Columbia
In 2001–02, UBC had one of the lowest undergraduate tuition rates in Canada, at an average of $2,181 CAD per year for a full-time programme due to a government-instituted tuition freeze.
UBC Faculty of Medicine
The UBC Faculty of Medicine is the medical school of the University of British Columbia. It is one of 17 medical schools in Canada and the only one in the province of British Columbia. It has Canada's second-largest undergraduate medical education program and the fifth-largest in the U.S. and Canada. It is ranked as the 2nd best medical program in Canada by Maclean's, and 27th in the world by the 2017 QS World University Rankings.
List of master's degrees in North America
The University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada offers a part-time program within the Faculty of Education, focusing on curriculum design and technology integration.
Independent school
In Canada, "independent school" refers to elementary and secondary schools that follow provincial educational requirements but are not managed by the provincial ministry; the term "independent" is usually used to describe not-for-profit schools. In some provinces, independent schools are regulated by the Independent School Act and must offer a curriculum prescribed by the provincial government. Ontario has the most independent schools in Canada. These include Ridley College, Havergal College, Crescent School, St. Andrew's College, Columbia International College, The York School and Ashbury College. Examples of independent schools in British Columbia are Brentwood College School, Shawnigan Lake School, St. Margaret's School, and St. Michael's University School.
University of British Columbia
Tuition fees vary significantly between Canadian citizens (and permanent residents) and international students. In addition, for both undergraduate and graduate programs, tuition rates vary among the university's faculties. Students must also pay for various living expenses such as housing, food and health care. , these expenses were estimated at around $13,000 CAD per academic year.
Alma Mater Society of the University of British Columbia Vancouver
The highest decision-making body of the AMS is the Student Council. Meeting every two weeks during the Academic Year, and every three weeks during the summer, this body has representatives from each of the Schools and Faculties of UBC, as well as the five members of the Executive, two representatives of the Student Senate Caucus, the two Vancouver student members of the UBC Board of Governors, and several non-voting positions including the Executive Coordinator of Student Services, the Ombudsperson, and representatives from Regent College and the Vancouver School of Theology. Members of Council are the Directors of the Society (as defined under the Society Act of British Columbia) and are responsible for all high-level financial and legal decisions made by the AMS - including the overseeing of internal procedures (known as the Code of Procedure), a $21.6 million budget, the Student Union Building, and policy statements.
Justice Institute of British Columbia
Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) is a public, post-secondary educational institution in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, that is focused on training professionals in the justice, public safety and social services fields. JIBC also has campuses in Victoria, Okanagan, Chilliwack, Pitt Meadows, and Maple Ridge.
Higher education in British Columbia
Private career and college institutions fall under the auspice of the "Degree Authorization Act", but only if they provide degrees or call themselves "university." Institutions that offer only diploma or certificate programs are legislated by the "Private Career Training Institutions Act", and have to register with the Private Career Training Institutions Agency (PCTIA). This self-regulating agency is governed by a board of appointed industry representatives and the board's responsibility is to provide information and consumer protection to the students of registered institutions and to establish standards of quality that must be met by its accredited institutions.
Higher education in British Columbia
Nearly all of the post-secondary institutions in British Columbia have an international students office and student association. International students interested in studying in British Columbia can contact the international office at the institutions they are interested in. In addition, the Government of Canada's Department of Citizenship and Immigration has information for international students about studying in Canada and applying for student visas.
VIA Vancouver Institute for the Americas
VIA Vancouver Institute for the Americas (1998–2007), was a Canadian organization of Higher education dedicated to the research and projects implementation of Education for sustainable development centered in the academic integration of the Americas, under the guidance of the International Bureau of Education.VIA operated from their main training center located at 470 Granville Street, Vancouver BC, Canada, and from their Southern regional training center located at Las Condes, in Santiago, Chile. VIA was an organization incorporated in the province of British Columbia, Canada, with a subsidiary registered in Santiago, Chile. VIA was an institute registered at the Ministry of Advanced Education of British Columbia as a provider of higher private education, allowing to provide accredited certifications and its programs qualified for provincial financial assistance and Canadian government scholarship programs.
Higher education in British Columbia
In 2007, the population of British Columbia (BC) stood at 4,383,000. Approximately 433,000 people were enrolled in public post-secondary institutions in BC during the 2006-2007 academic year. More than 17,250 identified themselves as Aboriginal students and approximately 10,500 were international students. In the 2011 calendar year, 151,774 applications took place through BCcampus, a publicly funded organization whose role is to support higher education by providing leadership in the use of ICT (Information and Communications Technology).
List of universities in Canada
The oldest university in the province is the University of British Columbia, established in 1908, with its newest major campus in Okanagan established in 2005. Five institutions in British Columbia were officially designated as universities on September 1, 2008: Capilano University, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, the University of the Fraser Valley, and Vancouver Island University. University enrolment in British Columbia ranges from Quest University Canada with 700 students to the University of British Columbia with 45,484 students.
University of British Columbia Press
The University of British Columbia Press (UBC Press) is a university press that is part of the University of British Columbia. It was established in 1971. The Press is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and has editorial offices in Kelowna, British Columbia, and Toronto, Ontario. UBC Press is primarily a social sciences publisher. It publishes books of original scholarship that draws on and reflects current research. Each year UBC Press publishes seventy new titles in a number of fields, including Aboriginal studies, Asian studies, Canadian history, environmental studies, gender and women’s studies, health and food studies, geography, law, media and communications, military and security studies, planning and urban studies, and political science.
University Endowment Lands
An unincorporated entity, the UEL has no mayor or municipal government. Rather, it is mostly ruled by the University of British Columbia, the Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD) and the Province of British Columbia, and they control three entities: the University of British Columbia, University Hill and Pacific Spirit Regional Park. It is part of Electoral Area A of the GVRD.
Residential and commercial taxes are paid directly to the provincial government.
Higher education in Newfoundland and Labrador
Since the early 1990s, average Canadian tuition fees have increased nearly three times for undergraduate students from $1,464 in 1990-91 to $4,347 in 2006-07. By 2014-15 this national average is expected to reach $5,959. In order to keep post secondary education affordable, and in an effort to keep enrollment high, the government of Newfoundland began a program to freeze tuition fees in 1999-2001. Since then, the provincial government has steadily increased core funding to the College of the North Atlantic and Memorial University. After funding cuts over the previous years, these increases have resulted in both institutions now receiving nearly the same funding they had at the beginning of the 1990s. In an even bigger move, from 2002 to 2005, tuition was lowered each year for a total decrease of 22.7%, then frozen again. In the 2008 Speech from the Throne, it was announced that the freeze will continue for a further four years. In the most recent Fact Sheet of Budget 2015, the government states that it will continue to support the tuition freeze. In lieu of tuition increases, the White Paper on Public Post-Secondary Education recommended that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador provide increased funding to MUN and CNA as follows: $4.3M in 2005-06; $8.9M in 2006-07; and $12.4M in 2007-08. This replacement funding was followed by a commitment in the 2008 Provincial Budget of $56 million over the next four years specifically to continue the tuition freeze at Memorial University and the College of the North Atlantic. As a result, Newfoundland and Labrador's public post-secondary tuition has been second only to Quebec's in Canada for some years. For 2012-13, Quebec's average undergraduate tuition per student stood at $2,565 compared to $2,649 for Newfoundland and Labrador. However, starting from 2013-2014, Newfoundland and Labrador's undergraduate tuition fees for Canadian students became the lowest of $2,631, while Quebec's tuition was $2,657. The average tuition fees for undergraduate full-time Canadian students in Canada were $5,767 in that year.
Open educational resources in Canada
The Campus Alberta Open Educational Resources (ABOER) Initiative was a 3-year $2 million government-funded initiative designed to assist with reducing the costs of a post-secondary education for students; and to provide students and faculty members with flexibility, offering updated, relevant content for learning. In March 2013, the Alberta Ministry of Innovation and Advanced Education entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with BC and Saskatchewan to collaborate on the development of common OER within their respective advanced-education sectors, recognizing the benefits of sharing existing OER with a focus on mutual areas of interest. This MOU was foundational to the establishment of the ABOER Initiative. Through partnerships with BCcampus, the initiative launched an ABOER Collection within SOL*R for open educational resources created or adapted by Albertans.
Higher education in British Columbia
The Great Depression put a halt to any further plans for higher education. UBC came close to being shut down due to government cutbacks, but Professor Henry Angus helped prevent this. In 1936, Columbian College was closed, yet in the same year; the Nanaimo Vocational School opens and starts providing vocational education. The Extension Department (later called Continuing Studies) at UBC is established, enabling UBC to bring higher education to all parts of the province.
Higher education in British Columbia
On April 29, 2008, changes to the "University Act" established five new teaching universities: University of the Fraser Valley (formerly University College of the Fraser Valley), Kwantlen Polytechnic University (formerly Kwantlen College), Vancouver Island University (formerly Malaspina University College), Capilano University (formerly Capilano College), and Emily Carr University of Art and Design (formerly Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design).
New Westminster Secondary School
New Westminster Secondary School is a secondary school in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. It is one of the largest high schools in British Columbia. Enrollment of students is open to those within grades 9 through 12. The school is home to the International Baccalaureate program, facilities such as an Automotive shop, and a 1 year apprenticeship program. In 2007, the Fraser Institute ranked the school well within the top 50 secondary schools in British Columbia. This was out of the 279 public and private secondary schools operating in the province. 
The School is located in Metro Vancouver in BC's Lower Mainland region while the campus is centrally located within the region on the north side of the city of New Westminster. It encompasses an area of three city blocks by two city blocks.
Higher education in British Columbia
Higher education institutions in British Columbia have particular mandates and serve specific community needs. They are able to decide how to achieve their mandate and deal with the various levels of administrative details with regard to operations, faculty, staff, and students.
Higher education in British Columbia
For Aboriginal students, resources are available at First Nations Education Steering Committee's Scholarships and Bursaries and the federal government's Aboriginal Bursary System. For students with disabilities, resources are available at National Educational Association of Disabled Students. The federal government also has listings for British Columbia in a section of its web-site dedicated to youth, "Scholarships and Bursaries". The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) manages more than 150 scholarship programs on behalf of the federal government, domestic and foreign agencies, and private sector companies. International students with a permit to study in Canada are usually qualified to apply for entrance or transfer scholarships, and they should contact their intended institution's awards and financial assistance office for further information.
University of British Columbia
The campus offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in Arts, Science, Engineering, Nursing, Education, and Management. The Okanagan campus experienced a $450 million CDN expansion with construction of several residential, teaching and research buildings in 2011. The expansion features the Charles Fipke Centre for Innovative Research, the Engineering Management and Education building, the Arts and Science building, and the Health Science Centre. Plans to double the academic and research space are in place for the next two decades.
Andrew Wilkinson
""Opportunity is key to what we do. It's what my family found when we got off that ship and landed in British"
"Columbia and found this place to be a receptive place where you could get ahead. British Columbia has an"
"excellent record of access to higher education, but we can still do better. You've all heard the"
"stories of very very capable kids coming out of grade 12 who don't have these sky high"
"grades in the mid 90s to get into education, to get into engineering, to get into commerce"
"programs. We have to address this folks. We've got to make sure that if these capable kids"
"are coming through our school system that we have the spaces available in our colleges and"
"universities for them to get into the programs they want to be in, so they can get ahead and"
"have the same success that we've enjoyed right here in British Columbia.""
British Columbia
The capital of British Columbia remains Victoria, the fifteenth-largest metropolitan region in Canada, named for Queen Victoria, who ruled during the creation of the original colonies. The largest city is Vancouver, the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada, the largest in Western Canada, and the second-largest in the Pacific Northwest. In October 2013, British Columbia had an estimated population of 4,606,371 (about 2.5 million of whom were in Greater Vancouver). The province is currently governed by the British Columbia New Democratic Party in a minority government supported by the Green Party of British Columbia, led by John Horgan, who became premier as a result of a no-confidence motion on June 29, 2017.
Student loan
The province of British Columbia allows the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia to withhold issuance or renewal of driver's license to those with delinquent student loan repayments or child support payments or unpaid court fines.
Students need to meet the qualification with an individual’s direct educational costs and living expense to get the certificate to obtain a loan and this policy is directly controlled by the government.
Higher education in British Columbia
There are also a wide variety of scholarships and bursaries for all types and levels of students, many provided through corporations, private organizations, and individual donors that are associated with a particular institution and information about these financial awards are available from the awards and financial services at each institution.
List of school districts in British Columbia
This is a list of school districts in British Columbia. British Columbia in Canada is divided into 60 school districts which administer publicly funded education until the end of grade 12 in local areas or, in the case of francophone education, across the province.
Higher education in British Columbia
International students have been coming to British Columbia for post-secondary education for almost as long as the higher education system has been established in the province. Globalization and modern technology has made it easier to obtain education in other countries, and governments are taking note when they consider their post-secondary student populations as a possible source of skilled workers to join the local economy.
Brockton Preparatory School
Brockton School' is an independent, co-educational school located in the Lynn Valley neighbourhood of the district municipality of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It comprises both a Junior and a Senior School, with students from Junior Kindergarten to grade 6 and grades 7 to 12 respectively.
Brockton School is a member of the International Baccalaureate Organization. It received authorization for the Primary Years Programme (PYP) in April 2008 and for the Middle Years Programme (MYP) in August 2009. Brockton is accredited by the Ministry of Education of British Columbia and is a member of the Federation of Independent School Associations of British Columbia.
Higher education in Ontario
There are eight associations in Ontario that provide representation for faculty, staff, institutions, and students by interacting within the structure of higher education in Ontario.The public funding of higher education in Ontario primarily relies on cooperation between the government of Canada and the government of Ontario. Public funding of higher education involves direct public funding of institutions for instruction, investment, and research combined with funding of students. To fund public higher education institutions, the government of Ontario can use funds from the Canada Health Transfer, Equalization and Territorial Formula Financing programs for financing instruction and investment. Funding of research is supported by the
Canada Foundation for Innovation, Canada Research Chairs program, the Indirect Costs of Research program, and through Networks of Centres of Excellence. Both governments of Canada and Ontario provide funding and support for post-secondary students.
Tuition fees in Ontario are higher than any other province in Canada. On average, undergraduate students pay 29% more and graduate students pay 41% more compared to the Canadian average. In the last 20 years, Ontario college tuition fees outpaced inflation by 435% and undergraduate tuition fees by 601%. Universities in Ontario educate more students with less provincial funding per student than any other province.
Prince George, British Columbia
Prince George's education system encompasses 40 anglophone elementary schools, eight secondary schools, and eight private schools. The anglophone public schools are all part of School District 57 Prince George. It is also home to a public francophone elementary and secondary school, both of which are part of School District 93 Conseil scolaire francophone, a province-wide francophone school district. Post-secondary education choices include the regional College of New Caledonia (CNC), which offers two-year university-transfer courses, plus vocational and professional programs. Several BC universities, British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and the Open Learning Agency have integrated their local programs with CNC. Prince George is also home to Guardian Aerospace Flight School.
Alma Mater Society of the University of British Columbia Vancouver
On December 1, 2013, the AMS formally founded the Alliance of British Columbia Students, a not for profit confederation of British Columbia student societies advocating for a better post-secondary landscape in BC. The organization now represents nine student associations, including the Kwantlen Student Association, University of Victoria Students Society, Graduate Students Society of UBC Vancouver, BCIT Student Association, Capilano Students Union, University of Fraser Valley Students Union Society, Langara Students Union, and Royal Roads Student Society. The organization advocates on behalf of 165,000 students across BC, and holds an annual Lobby Days at the provincial legislature meeting with local MLA's, Ministers, and members of the civil service.
Technical University of British Columbia
The Technical University of British Columbia (TechBC) was a special-purpose university in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, that operated from 1999 until 2002, when it was closed by the BC government. Its students and programs were transferred to Simon Fraser University to become the core of SFU Surrey and the School of Interactive Arts and Technology.
Technical University of British Columbia
The policy of both Social Credit and New Democratic Party (NDP) governments of the day was to grant degree-granting status to the existing post-secondary institutions in the region, today's Kwantlen Polytechnic University and University of the Fraser Valley. By the mid-1990s, however, the ability of these institutions to keep up with rapid population growth was increasingly in question. Of greater concern was the Fraser Valley's abysmally low university participation rate—a rate that contributed to BC's ninth-place standing among Canadian provinces on this factor.
Higher education in British Columbia
The total number of international students in British Columbia for the year of 2006 was 44,799, up from 23,011 in 1997. This does not include students enrolled in programs of less than six months. This seems contradictory to the statistic of "more than 140,000 international students choosing to study in British Columbia each year" the British Columbia government claims in its Campus 2020: Thinking Ahead report. The top 10 source countries for long-term international students in 2003-2004 were: China, Japan, South Korea, United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Mexico, India and the United Kingdom.
The federal and provincial government aim to increase the international student population, reasoning that international students enhance the educational experience for all students and that the students’ "cross-cultural skills enhances future business and cultural development" and provides "an economic sector generating significant revenue." The government expects that with international students will also help address labour market needs.
Higher education in British Columbia
After World War II, UBC's President Norman MacKenzie declared any returning veteran was guaranteed a space at UBC. As a result, student numbers tripled to over 9,000 by 1947 and UBC experienced a crunch in classroom space and a lack of faculty to teach the extra classes that were needed. In 1949, the Vancouver Vocational Institute opened. By 1956, a new provincial Teacher Training Program was established at UBC, and the Victoria and Vancouver Normal Schools were closed. In 1960, the British Columbia Vocational School opened under direct management of the provincial government.
The Peak (newspaper)
Like many student newspapers in British Columbia, "The Peak" is formally run as a registered non-profit society under the Society Act of British Columbia, known as the "Peak Publications Society". Technically all SFU students are members of the Peak Society, and refundable membership dues are imposed on all students at SFU as part of the university's student activity fee, which are used to partially fund the paper's operations.
Trinity Western University
In 1995, Trinity Western launched a teaching certification program, but the British Columbia College of Teachers denied accreditation of the university's program, arguing that the "Responsibilities of Membership" agreement students must sign (replaced in 2009 with the Community Covenant) is discriminatory and that those graduating from Trinity Western's program will discriminate against gay students. The lower courts in British Columbia and, later, the Supreme Court of Canada, ruled in favour of Trinity Western University, stating that there was no basis for the BCCT's decision, and, moreover, that "the concern that graduates of TWU will act in a detrimental fashion in the classroom is not supported by any evidence".
Kingston College (British Columbia)
Kingston College offered degrees from the American University in London, which is an unaccredited university. The Private Post-Secondary Education Commission of British Columbia (PPSEC) made several attempts to get Kingston to cease this practice before the PPSEC was disbanded in 2004 and replaced with Private Career Training Agency of British Columbia (PCTIA). Under PCTIA directives, any out of country institution offering degree programs in Canada should be accredited.
2017 British Columbia general election
Unlike the Federal government or most provinces, British Columbia has no limits on political donations. Wealthy individuals, corporations, unions and even foreigners are allowed to donate large amounts to political parties there. On January 13, 2017, the New York Times published a story calling British Columbia the "Wild West" of Canadian political cash. According to the New York Times, "critics of [Premier Clark] and her party, the conservative British Columbia Liberal Party, say the provincial government has been transformed into a lucrative business, dominated by special interests that trade donations for political favors, undermining Canada's reputation for functional, consensus-driven democracy." The article also explored Premier Clark's practice of taking an additional salary from the BC Liberals, beyond her Premier salary, financed by political contributions. The Globe and Mail also followed up with a special investigation of "British Columbia: The 'wild west' of fundraising". The investigation found that lobbyists are giving tens of thousands of dollars in their own name – and some power brokers are breaking one of the few rules the province has in place. With no limits on political donations in B.C., the provincial Liberals raised $12.4 million last year – $4.5-million from individuals and $7.9-million from corporations.
On March 5, 2017, Elections BC announced it was launching a probe into Liberal Party fundraising. The official opposition, the BC NDP, has promised to ban corporate and union donation if elected, as well as limits on individual donations, but continues to accept corporate and union donations at the present time. The BC Green Party announced in September 2016 that it would no longer accept donations from corporations or unions.
Higher education in British Columbia
Higher education in British Columbia started in 1890 with the first attempt by the British Columbia government to establish a provincial university, "An Act Respecting the University of British Columbia" that established the first convocation of the "one university for the whole of British Columbia for the purpose of raising the standard of higher education in the Province, and of enabling all denominations and classes to obtain academical degrees." In the same year, Whetham College opened as a small, independent institute located in downtown Vancouver that was intent of preparing "its students not only for the Army, Navy and Civil Service examinations and for Matriculation Examinations in any university or college, but also for first and second year examinations in Arts leading to the degree of Bachelor of Arts in any university;" unfortunately, it closed only three years due to financial difficulties. A second independent post-secondary institution opened in 1892 known as the Columbian Methodist College. It was opened by the Methodist Church of Canada in New Westminster, and it was affiliated with Victoria College of the University of Toronto and offered courses towards Arts & Theology degrees.
Higher education in British Columbia
The University College of the Cariboo and the Open Learning Agency amalgamated in 2005 to become Thompson Rivers University. Also in 2005, Okanagan University College is split to become UBC's Okanagan campus and Okanagan College, and the British Columbia government approves new private degree programs at Sprott Shaw College, University Canada West, and Columbia Colleges. In 2006, Canada and British Columbia's first private sector, for-profit, university, University Canada West, opens in Victoria. Former University of Victoria president, David Strong is the first president of UCW. A year later in 2007, Canada and British Columbia's first private, non-profit secular liberal arts and sciences university, Quest University Canada, opens in Squamish. Former UBC president, David Strangway is the first president of QUC.
Andrew Wilkinson
In 2015, as Minister of Advanced Education, Wilkinson told a CBC interviewer that "...70 per cent of students go through their higher education with no debt whatsoever,". That fact was quickly refuted by the Canadian Federation of Students who pointed to a B.C. Stats report from 2013 which recorded that, in fact, 51% of students leave post-secondary debt-free.
Cannabis in British Columbia
Cannabis in British Columbia (BC) relates to a number of legislative, legal, and cultural events surrounding the use and cultivation of cannabis in the Canadian province of British Columbia. As with the rest of Canada, cannabis became legalized on 17 October 2018, following the enactment of the Cannabis Act, or Bill C-45. Prior to that, though the drug was illegal in Canada (with exceptions for medical use), its recreational use was often tolerated and was more commonplace in the province of BC as compared to most of the rest of the country. The province's inexpensive hydroelectric power and abundance of water and sunshine—in addition to the many hills and forests (which aided stealth outdoor growing during prohibition)—made it an ideal cannabis growing area. The British Columbia cannabis industry is worth an estimated CAD6 billion annually, and produces 40 percent of all Canadian cannabis, making cannabis among the most valuable cash crops in the province. The province is also the home of the cannabis activist and businessman Marc Emery.
Free education
In Russia, prior to the destruction of the USSR, tuition was free for everyone obtaining sufficient grades. Since 1991, if a student obtains sufficient grades, he or she is still eligible for a free education (on a competitive basis) in state or private universities, but he/she can also pay for studying if grades are above minimal threshold, but not enough to be enrolled into desired university for free.
In Sri Lanka, free education is provided by the government at different levels. Government funded schools such as national schools, provincial schools and piriven provided primary and secondary education free, while assisted schools and semi-governmental schools provided the same at subsidized rates. At the university level, the universities provide undergraduate courses free, however, this totals only about 10% for those qualified for university entrance. Grants and scholarships are provided for a limited number of study allowances. Hon.C.W.W.Kannangara who was the Minister of Education made education free for all Sri Lankan students in 1940 s. Kannangara's significant achievements in areas of education have led him to being commonly referred to as the Father of Free Education in Sri Lanka. Health services of Sri Lanka are also free.
Tuition freeze
In Canada, where government regulation of college tuition is practiced, it is applied (currently) at the provincial level, as education (including post-secondary education) is a provincial responsibility under the division of powers between provincial and federal governments. Currently, the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland have tuition fee freezes in place. The provinces of British Columbia and Ontario have previously had tuition fee freezes.
University of British Columbia
, eight Nobel laureates, 71 Rhodes scholars, 65 Olympians, eight Fellows in both American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the Royal Society, and 208 Fellows to the Royal Society of Canada have been affiliated with UBC. Three Canadian prime ministers, including Canada's first female prime minister Kim Campbell and current prime minister Justin Trudeau have been educated at UBC.
University of British Columbia
UBC again increased tuition by 30% in the 2003–04 year, again by approximately 15% in the 2004–05 season, and 2% in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 years. Increases were lower than expected because, in the 2005 Speech from the Throne, the government announced tuition increases would be capped to inflation. In 2006–07, the Canadian average undergraduate tuition fee was $4,347 and the BC average was $4,960. In 2014, the Board of Governor passed a one-time 10% tuition increase for all new incoming International students. In December 2015, UBC's Board of Governors passed a motion increasing international tuition by more than 46.8% for the academic years 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–2019. This announcement was met with indignation by many of the University's students as this was the second major increase in international tuition in less than a year, taking total international student tuition fee increases to above 60% within 4 years (minimum international tuition will be benchmarked at $35,071 CAD in the year 2018–19).
Trinity Western University
Trinity Western University traces its history back to 1957, when a committee was established by the Evangelical Free Church of America to study and consider the feasibility of a liberal arts college on North America's Pacific Coast. The committee decided on a location between Vancouver and Seattle in rural British Columbia, in what is now the Township of Langley. 
Trinity Junior College began as a two-year college in 1962, and its name was changed to Trinity Western College 10 years later, following a significant period of growth in enrollment and program options. After 20 years as a transfer college, Trinity Western began awarding baccalaureate degrees in 1980. 
In 1985 the British Columbia Provincial Government legislated the institution to its current position as a privately funded Christian university and it became known as Trinity Western University. It is the fourth-oldest university in the province of British Columbia after the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria, and Emily Carr University of Art and Design.
Open educational resources in Canada
OER universitas (OERu) offers free online university courses in collaboration with Canadian partners, offering formal credentials from the partner institutions. OERu is a consortium of more than 36 institutions and several organizations on five continents. It is dedicated to widening access and reducing the cost of post-secondary education for learners by providing OER pathways to achieve formal credentials. There are seven members of the OERu in Canada: three universities (Athabasca in Alberta and Thompson Rivers and Kwantlen in British Columbia); one community college (Portage College in Alberta); and three organisations (BCcampus, eCampus Alberta, and Contact North in Ontario).
Rankings of universities in Canada
Since September 2006, over 20 Canadian universities, including several of Canada's largest universities such as the University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, Concordia University, Dalhousie University, McMaster University, University of Ottawa, and the University of Toronto, jointly refused to participate. University of Alberta president Indira Samarasekera wrote that "Maclean's" initially filed a "Freedom of Information" request but that it was "too late" for the universities to respond. Samarasekera further stated, "Most of [the universities] had already posted the data online, and we directed "Maclean's" staff to our Web sites. In instances where the magazine staff couldn’t find data on our Web site, they chose to use the previous year's data."Notes
Works cited
Higher education in British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is home to the Crane Resource Centre and Library, which provides resources for students with print disabilities, including a collection of approximately 2000 Braille titles, including dictionaries and foreign language texts; 4500 titles on audiocassette, CD, or e-text; 75 titles in large-print format; and a collection of print books, reports, government publications and journals dealing with blindness and print impairment. Interlibrary loans are available to other post-secondary institutions in British Columbia.
University of British Columbia Graduate School of Journalism
The University of British Columbia Graduate School of Journalism is a two-year Masters of Journalism program offered on the University of British Columbia's Point Grey campus in Vancouver, British Columbia. The program is unique in that it requires students to focus on an area of reporting specialization. The school has also developed a reputation in teaching multimedia journalism and was one of the first programs in North America to replace craft streams with an integrated journalism curriculum. The program has 60 students a year, with close to 20 faculty members, adjuncts and staff. Faculty members come from a variety of traditional and new media organizations including CBC, BBC News Online, CBS News 60 Minutes, "The Globe and Mail", "The Vancouver Sun", and "The Tyee".
Midwife
In British Columbia, the program is offered at the University of British Columbia. Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta offers a Bachelor of Midwifery program. In Ontario, the Midwifery Education Program (MEP) is offered by a consortium of McMaster University, Ryerson University and Laurentian University. In Manitoba the program is offered by University College of the North. In Quebec, the program is offered at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. In northern Quebec and Nunavut, Inuit women are being educated to be midwives in their own communities.
Emergency Social Services
British Columbia is Canada's third largest province, and its most mountainous. PEP divides the province into regions for manageability reasons.Only persons over the age of 16 may sign up to become a volunteer. Persons aged 16–18 must have parental consent. There is no maximum age limit.
Universities in the United Kingdom
There are only five private universities (the charitable University of Buckingham and Regent's University London, and the for-profit institutions The University of Law, BPP University and Arden University) where the government does not subsidise the tuition fees. (There is also the non-profit Richmond, The American International University in London which essentially offers an American liberal arts education; this is not a UK university but is accredited by the American Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.) In April 2017 the House of Commons voted to increase the cap on tuition fees to £9,250 per year, which took effect for students starting in September 2017. Students in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are also eligible for a means-tested grant, and many universities provide bursaries to poor students. Non-European Union students are not subsidised by the UK government and so have to pay much higher tuition fees.
University of British Columbia
In 1877, six years after British Columbia joined Canada, the Superintendent of Education, John Jessop, submitted a proposal for the formation of a provincial university. The provincial legislature passed "An Act Respecting the University of British Columbia" in 1890, but disagreements arose over whether to build the university on Vancouver Island or the mainland.
Higher education in British Columbia
Each of the province's post-secondary institutions sets its own admission requirements. Generally, successful graduation from high school, with the required academic prerequisites, is needed for admission to programs. Special consideration may be given to mature applicants, Aboriginal peoples, and people with disabilities. Information about admissions and prerequisites is available from the registrar's office of each institution. ApplyBC.ca (formerly PASBC) is a system-wide application portal (developed by BCcampus) that allows people to apply for admission.
Columbia College (British Columbia)
Columbia College is a privately owned two-year university transfer college located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The college is owned and administered by the Columbia College Society, a non-profit academic society comprised by all Columbia College employees.
Technical University of British Columbia
Upon taking office in 2001, the BC Liberal government initiated a "Core Services Review" designed to identify savings in support of a 10% cut in government expenditures. Almost immediately, incoming Advanced Education Minister Shirley Bond initiated a review of TechBC's future. While TechBC prepared a series of business plans, each more aggressive than the last, deputy minister Gerry Armstrong solicited proposals from other BC post-secondary institutions. Simon Fraser University was the first to express its interest, and ultimately was best able to provide the province with a political "win" in the otherwise politically disastrous closure of the only university in the vote-rich Fraser Valley region.
Columbia Bible College
Columbia Bible College (CBC) is an institution of higher education in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. The college states that its mission is to "equip people for a life of discipleship, ministry and leadership in service to the church and community". Theologically, Columbia Bible College is evangelical Anabaptist and is operated by two regional Mennonite conferences, British Columbia Mennonite Brethren and Mennonite Church British Columbia. Columbia is accredited by the international Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), and is registered with the British Columbia Private Career Training Institution Association (PCTIA). The musical group Close Talker was formed out of Columbia.
Social programs in Canada
In Canada, provinces and territories are responsible for their elementary and secondary schools. Education is compulsory up to the age of 16 in most provinces, 17 and 18 in others. Both elementary and secondary education is provided at a nominal cost. Private education is available, but its comparatively high costs and the relative quality of public education result in it being less popular than in the United States or Britain. 
Post-secondary schooling is not free, but is subsidized by the federal and provincial governments. Financial assistance is available through student loans and bursaries.
Harmonized sales tax
On 4 May 2011, an independent panel commissioned by the British Columbia government released a report on the impact of the HST in that province. The report concluded that "Unless you are among the 15 per cent of families with an income under $10,000 a year, you’re paying more sales tax under the HST than you would under the PST/GST: On average about $350 per family." The report also predicted that by 2020, the HST is anticipated to result in a BC economy that will "Be $2.5 billion larger than it would be under the PST. That’s about $480 per person or $830 per family." British Columbia residents voted in a referendum in August 2011 to repeal the HST, resulting in the province reverting to the former PST/GST model, with rates of 7% and 5% respectively, on 1 April 2013.
Higher education in British Columbia
BC Awards Online is a collection of scholarships, bursaries, and awards for British Columbia secondary students planning to attend a post-secondary institution in British Columbia. Other resources include Studentawards.com, a database of scholarships, bursaries, grants and fellowships operated by an online advertising and market research data collection company, ScholarshipsCanada.com (operated by EDge Interactive, a student recruitment company), and while searches can be tailored to focus on British Columbia, both websites require registration and personal information for access to the databases.
Education in Canada
Trinity Western University, in Langley British Columbia, was founded in 1962 as a junior college and received full accreditation in 1985. In 2002, British Columbia's Quest University became the first privately funded liberal arts university without a denominational affiliation (although it is not the first private liberal arts university). Many provinces, including Ontario and Alberta, have passed legislation allowing private degree-granting institutions (not necessarily universities) to operate there.
Okanagan College
Okanagan College is a public, post-secondary institution with over 120 certificates, diplomas, degrees and programs including apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship trades programs. Its largest campus is located in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1963, Okanagan College has since grown to be the largest college in British Columbia outside the Lower Mainland and Victoria with over 8,500 full-time students on four regional campuses and is the second-largest trade school in British Columbia. Approximately 1,000 international students from over 40 countries currently study at Okanagan College. The College also has one of the fastest growing populations of Aboriginal students of any college in the province; in the 2015-16 academic year Okanagan College delivered educational programming to 1680 Aboriginal students (more than three times the number that attended in 2005-06).
Free-roaming horse management in North America
The free-roaming horses of Western Canada have been subjected to repeated attempts to reduce or eradicate the population. As early as 1896 the Government of British Columbia passed the "Wild Horse Extermination Act" that made it lawful for anyone licensed by the Government to shoot or otherwise destroy an unbranded stallion over the age of twenty months east of the Cascade Mountains. In the 40 years following implementation of the bounty system in B.C. in 1924, it is estimated that about 15,000 horses were killed. In a 1925 roundup in British Columbia horses were driven into corrals and offered for sale at $5 a head; the thousands that were left over were shot. At the same time the Government offered a bounty of $2.50 for a pair of horse ears and a scalp.
Medical Services Plan of British Columbia
On 16 September 2016, Michael de Jong, Minister of Finance for British Columbia announced that the government will spend $500 million on housing affordability, while also canceling the planned increase in MSP premiums and possibly increase Welfare rates.
Higher education in British Columbia
The provincial government is responsible for higher education in British Columbia. It enacts legislation regarding the establishment, management, and operation of post-secondary institutions. The government also provides leadership and support for post-secondary education. As part of this support, the government manages the overall funding and program co-ordination for the public and private post-secondary education systems, as well as the provincial student financial aid programs for eligible students. In addition, it is responsible for intergovernmental issues, performance accountability, data management and analysis, and policy related to transitions within the post-secondary education system.
U-Pass BC
The Lower Mainland program is currently available to students attending the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Capilano University, Langara College, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Vancouver Community College, Douglas College, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, British Columbia Institute of Technology, and Nicola Valley Institute of Technology. The Justice Institute of British Columbia has opted not to participate in the program.
Higher education in British Columbia
Since de-regulation tuition fees have increased, doubling on average for undergraduate students and nearly tripling for graduate and international students. In 2005, the provincial government re-regulated tuition fees, capping increases to the rate of inflation. The government also altered its student aid provisions, eliminating student grants while enhancing loan remission. As a result, with funding falling short of institutional needs, operating costs of post-secondary institutions were shifted on to students via tuition increases, through the sale of endowment lands to developers for market housing, or relying more on corporation and private donations to maintain programs and build or restore facilities.
Higher education in British Columbia
In 1999, the Technical University of BC opened only to be shut down in 2002. Simon Fraser University assumed responsibility for the students and facilities of the former Technical University of BC and established its Surrey campus. Also in 2002, the Government of British Columbia passed the "Degree Authorization Act" that enabled private universities to grant BC degrees. The act also expanded degree-granting capacity for colleges (applied baccalaureates) and university-colleges and institutes (applied masters).
University of British Columbia
UBC tuition for 2012 was $4,700 before adding other mandatory administrative fees for a Canadian student in a basic 30-unit program, though various programs cost from $3,406 to $9,640. Tuition for international students is significantly higher (2.3–4.6 times higher than domestic students). In 2012, tuition for international students ranged from $16,245 CAD to $25,721 CAD.
Higher education in British Columbia
In 1983, the BC Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology established the International Education and Training Group (IETG), a forum for discussion between colleges, institutes and universities, and the ministries of Education and Advanced Education. Five years later in 1988, the provincial government commissioned a study on international education issues. The study reported that BC's institutions were uncoordinated in their internationalization efforts, were failing to present a professional image abroad, and that the province was not sufficiently proactive. In 1990, this led to the formation of the British Columbia Centre for International Education (BCCIE)—the first such organization in Canada.