Notice Board

This afternoon (October 24, 2019), the Alberta government released its first budget since this spring’s election. The 2019-20 budget addresses the current fiscal year but also includes a four-year fiscal framework. This budget and fiscal framework outlines the government’s plan to eliminate the provincial deficit within its first term of office.

The provincial budget outlines an overall reduction in provincial expenditures. Some major portfolios such as Health and Education saw their funding frozen or slightly increased while other portfolios, such as Advanced Education, have seen significant reductions.

The overall funds available to Advanced Education for Campus Alberta Grants will be reduced by 5% for the current 2019-20 fiscal year with further reductions expected in subsequent years. This reduction however will not be uniformly applied to all institutions. In the coming days, we will learn the specific details of the Campus Alberta Grant for the University of Lethbridge as well as other funding envelopes that we receive from the Government of Alberta.

Tuition revenue will remain the same for 2019-2020. However, it was announced that the current tuition freeze, which began in 2014-15, will be lifted and tuition may rise in 2020-2021 by 7% each year for the next three years.

This budget means change for the U of L and for all post-secondary institutions in Alberta. The U of L will continue to share information as we better understand the provincial budget and its impact on the University of Lethbridge.

As I mentioned in my message to the community last week, the U of L is a resilient institution and has weathered difficult budget scenarios in the past. While challenging, I am confident our collective efforts will allow our institution to continue to fulfill its mandate for the benefit of those we serve.

Mike Mahon, PhD
President and Vice-Chancellor