The local Chair of the Canadian Federation of Students is pleased that Memorial is dedicating $70 million to address deferred maintenance, however he believes both the provincial and federal governments have roles to play to keep the cost of education down while supporting MUN.

Nicholas Keough says funneling provincial debt relief from the Core Science Building to finish work on refurbishing Memorial’s aging tunnel system is good news, but more needs to be done.

“It’s definitely a start, but it doesn’t go far enough because anyone can see that $70 million is not going to fix anything if $500 million is needed, especially over eight years. I’m sure in eight years’ time it will be more than $500 million.”

Education falls under the jurisdiction of provincial governments, however Keough believes Ottawa has a role to play in supporting post-secondary institutions.

“I think that Canada as a country should step in and have sustainable, reliable funding for post-secondary education.”