By: Maya Barillas Mohan, Staff Writer
Despite concerns that rain could dampen turnout, Cole Reinbold, secretary treasurer of the BC Federation of Students (BCFS), said the significance of their cause would keep people engaged.
Reinbold was right: On January 31, in front of the Vancouver Public Library, a healthy crowd veiled in clear plastic ponchos gathered for a rally organized by the BCFS despite the weight of the downpour. The issue of deepening financial inaccessibility to education was important to everyone who congregated at West Georgia and Homer — a location selected because “libraries are publicly funded, just like universities are,” Reinbold told The Peak. “We wanted to be as visible as possible to the public, premier, and federal government.”
Public funding for post-secondary education “has dropped from 68% in 2000 to just 40% today,” according to the BCFS. “This budgeting shows education is not a priority,” forcing institutions to “cut themselves to the bone.” Reinbold expressed that currently, entire programs are being cut, thousands of staff are being laid off, and some campuses are closing. The rally sought to draw attention to the severity of the situation.
“Tuition fees are the only thing that has kept pace with inflation,” said Reinbold. “We knew the system was built on a precarious foundation propped up by international student tuition,” but then Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada cut international study permits and sent many institutions into a deficit. She also noted that grants haven’t increased since 2003, and the tuition limit policy is in danger. The policy states the “limit for tuition and mandatory fees is 2%,” but in November 2025, the government was “considering removing, weakening, or making exceptions” to it.
“British Columbians should be angry,” Reinbold continued. “When we price people out of the system, we won’t have enough nurses to take care of your parents, not enough teachers to teach your kids, and not enough social workers to help community members that need them.
“It’s not about students demanding more, it’s about students taking that step up for all of BC and demanding better.” — Cole Reinbold, secretary treasurer of the BC Federation of Students
Reinbold and another speaker at the rally, James, noted that first-generation learners and lower income families have to work harder and might even reconfigure plans due to cost and competition. Reinbold said she wouldn’t have been able to complete her degree if tuition went up any further, as she was already working three jobs.
James proclaimed that paying for university-level education in 1999 was difficult but doable on a minimum wage. His fragile financial situation made his journey back to school take 20 years.
Another speaker, Anabelle Lee, an Okanagan College Student Union representative, raised a similar point, saying, “Students are not just learners, they are renters, caregivers, workers, taxpayers, and community builders.” She added that many students are forced to choose between their education and their lives, as support services like food banks are overwhelmed, and students skip meals for tuition.
Reinbold concluded, “It really is that simple to fix; we need our government to prioritize education.”
“When students have a chance to succeed, society benefits as a whole,” Lee shouted. “When classrooms disappear, communities disappear with them.”
The BCFS created an email template for contacting the Minister of Post-Secondary Education at www.cutssuck.ca.
