Tuition fees at post-secondary institutions around the province could increase in the near future.

"We've introduced a piece of legislation that removes the cap that had been placed on increasing tuitions," says Ian Wishart, Manitoba's Minister Education and Training. "What we're proposing, and it's not us that does the tuition it's the post-secondary institutions themselves, but we're proposing that we would put into the Act limits as to what they could do. It would limit them to a five per cent increase, which is a modest increase, and the cost of living increase, which is usually one or one point two per cent. Working towards, sometime in the unknown future, being closer to the western Canadian average for tuition, but to never exceed the western Canadian average. So we would always be the lowest cost universities in Western Canada."

Education and Training Minister Ian Wishart feels the tuition hike will benefit Manitoba's students in the long run. (File Photo)

The proposed advanced education administration amendment act would maintain Manitoba's average tuition fees as the lowest of those charged among western provinces. It will enable universities to set tuition at rates that better reflect the cost of delivering programs. It removes the unnecessary processes to review course-related fees and allow the provincial government to deduct a portion of the grants to universities if the average tuition fees in Manitoba are not the lowest among western provinces. And it will provide for a maximum permitted increase for tuition fees so increases must be limited to an annual rate of no more than five per cent plus the Consumer Price Index. (excerpt from government news release)

Wishart notes the proposed changes would come into effect for the 2018-19 academic year. He says the increase is going to better Manitoba's students in the long run.

"We know from the post-secondary institutions that they're feeling pressure because they have got quite a bit behind. They had a freeze on for a number of years and when they did get it opened up it was only for the cost of living increase. So they're quite behind other institutions and it has had an impact on their ability to offer a range of courses and to hire the quality of teachers they want. So we're trying to work with them to improve the quality of education of Manitoba."

"At the same time we've also made really major changes to the Manitoba Bursaries and Scholarships Initiative," he says. "Under the previous government, it came to about $4-million per year that was distributed, and we increased our share of the funding but we've also changed the ratio from private industry because they always contribute to that -- we changed how we handle endowments. we've gone from 4-million a year available to $20-million."

"We believe this is the right thing to do," adds Wishart. "We don't want to put in place anything that will limit people with low-incomes' ability to go to post-secondary institutions. So that hints our reasoning for increasing the Bursary Initiative in such a major way."