New student coalition plans protests over budget cuts

A new organization representing more than 60,000 post-secondary students across Saskatchewan is planning a series of co-ordinated protests aimed at stopping further cuts to spending on universities and technical institutes.

The Saskatchewan Student Coalition (SSC) was constituted in the wake of the government’s 201718 budget, which slashed $25 million from post-secondary institutions. The protests are scheduled for Sept. 29 in Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert.

University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union (USSU) president David D’Eon said the protests are aimed at reversing the latest cuts and preventing future reductions as the province chips away at its $1.2 billion deficit.

“We really can’t risk this happening again,” D’Eon said.

The SSC is run by the USSU and student leadership organizations from the University of Regina, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT), Briercrest College and the U of S Graduate Students’ Association.

The province’s two largest universities have been struggling to cope with reductions to their operating grants. Funding for the U of S in 2017-18 dropped $18 million, while the U of R lost $7 million.

Funding for Sask Polytechnic, SIIT and the Gabriel Dumont Institute was reduced to $150 million from $156 million in 2016-17.