Road to Victory Tour in the News!

The Daily News (Prince Rupert), Page 5, 16-Aug-2007

Young B.C. Liberals laud changes to northern education

By Leanne Ritchie

Young B.C. Liberals say the post secondary education system is better now than it was under the NDP, who held a tuition freeze in place for more than half a decade.

In town on Saturday handing out pamphlets as part of a provincial tour called "The Road to Victory," Chris Sandve, president, said by opening up new spaces at post-secondary education institutions, students across the province have been relieved of a whole lot of stress when applying to university.

"The expansion of post secondary spaces across the province has been critical," said Sandve. "When I was in Grade 9 and Grade 10 in high school, they were saying you had to have a 90 to 95 per cent average to get in to university but it's really hard, you've got to have your nose the grindstone." Sandve entered university a few years after the Liberals entered power and by that time spaces had opened up a bit. "I was quite grateful for the additional funds because spaces had opened up and the averages had dropped, it was a lot more reasonable."

While organizations such as the British Columbia Student Federation have attacked the Liberals for removing tuition freezes, causing higher costs for course enrollment, Donny van Dyk, vice president of the Young B.C. Liberals, says it is actually cheaper now for northern students to continue their education than it ever was in the past.

Van Dyk grew up in Terrace and took his first two years at the Terrace University of Northern B.C. campus. He said by investing in the University of Northern B.C., the Liberals have addressed the most painful cost of post secondary education for students in the north. "The fact is in the north tuition isn't the real cost of education, it's moving away from home... the fact you have to pay $15,000 to move away," he said.

He was able to complete his education with less financial burden because his first four years were completed at the Terrace and Prince George campuses. And by removing red tape for resource based industries, young people like his brother now have a choice -- to attend post secondary or move straight from high school in to resource industry, trades-related employment, he said.

While in town, the group of Young B.C. Liberals hand delivered 800 pamphlets to homes in Prince Rupert outlining the benefits of the B.C. Liberals' policy to northern residents. They are continuing their tour throughout the province.

"It's a tour to drop off leaflets and get the message out there what the Liberal government has done in the last few years," said van Dyk.