Events to mark the occasion held across British Columbia
Vancouver- Events are being held across the province this week in response to the deepening student debt crisis. On Wednesday, January 21st, for the first time in Canadian history, total Canada Student Loan debt will surpass $13 billion.
In the past eight years, tuition fees have risen by more than 100% in British Columbia, resulting in massive increases to student debt. BC Students and their families face an average debt load of $27,000 upon graduation, higher than the national average. The $13 billion debt load does not include provincial loans or private loan debt, such as lines of credit. Events calling on the provincial and federal governments to take action to reduce student debt are being held in communities across the province including Victoria, Vancouver, Nanaimo, Kelowna, Castlegar, Prince George, Port Alberni, Courtenay and Campbell River.
The Canadian Federation of Students is Canada’s largest student organization. It is composed of more than 80 university and college students’ unions across Canada with a combined member of over one-half million students, including 150,000 members in British Columbia.