Budget Post-Secondary Investments Applauded

Prof. Stephen J. Toope, President of the University of British Columbia, today applauded new investments in post-secondary education announced in the 2009 provincial budget.

"The Government of British Columbia deserves great credit for recognizing that investments in teaching and research are critically important, particularly in times of global economic difficulty," Toope said.

"A $1.7 billion commitment to post-secondary infrastructure, support for clean energy research and an increase in operating funds for universities in the budget of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development demonstrate government’s underlying belief in the powerful multiplier effect of knowledge economy investments," Toope said.

"The budget also contains welcome new provincial initiatives in health care, including commitments to increasing the number of trained physicians, expanding health education programs for pharmacists and nurses in B.C. and support for health research through an infusion of funds into the Michael Smith Foundation," said Toope. "UBC is playing a significant role to ensure that the health care providers we train are the best in the world. This budget will only help strengthen those efforts."

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