Mount Allison convocation procession. Photo: Mount Allison University Facebook
Mount Allison could lose its provincial grant and become a private university under a range of options the New Brunswick government presented last week to university and college presidents.
“There is nothing specifically on the table,” Post-Secondary Education Minister Jean-Claude D’Amours told CBC today, adding the government’s ideas are a subject for discussion.
Other possibilities include merging St. Thomas University with the University of New Brunswick and closing Université de Moncton’s satellite campuses in Edmunston and Shippagan.
Mount Allison President Ian Sutherland sent an e-mail today to students and staff seeking to reassure them that the government hasn’t made any final decisions.
“To be crystal clear, to date, the government has not communicated any specific decisions, budgetary or otherwise, to Mount Allison, nor any other post-secondary institution,” he wrote.
Noting media reports about the province’s $1.3 billion deficit and possible implications for public education, Sutherland added: “should the government wish to discuss significant budgetary, policy, or structural change, such discussions cannot be responsibly carried out with short notice, a few weeks before the Government presents its budget.”
That budget will be brought down on March 17th.
Mount Allison’s latest financial statements show that the university received $27.5 million from the provincial government in 2025 with an additional $3.9 million in federal grants.
Student fees totalled $43.9 million.
Last year, Maclean’s magazine named Mt. A. the #1 undergraduate university for the 26th time.
A university news release in October credited Mount Allison’s continued success to its “small class sizes, close-knit community and hands-on learning opportunities.”
To read CBC coverage, click here.
Brunswick News has published a screenshot of the two-page document presented to university and college presidents listing questions for them to consider. Among other things, it asks whether the province could provide a “transition trust fund” to Mt. A. so that it could become “an independent Canadian Premiere University.”
Sounds like an interesting idea.
If MtA went private, would they finally have to pay property taxes like the rest of us?
“All real property in New Brunswick is liable to assessment and taxation, subject to the following exemptions from taxation:
(l) real property owned by a university funded under the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission Act and listed in Schedule B, but not including real property or any portion of real property that the Director determines is used for commercial purposes in accordance with any criteria that may be prescribed by regulation;”
https://laws.gnb.ca/en/document/cs/a-14
Harold, Right now GNB pays the local property taxes of public universities, schools, hospitals and other provincial property. They say there is only one tax payer but there is also only one family hoping to educate their young people at either university or the community college. Lore has it that back in the mists of time Mount Allison itself did study the viability of privatization and the answer was ‘no’, it can’t work — I expect the answer would be the same today. Is Canada ready for a US-style, secular institution, with $20,000 undergraduate tuition but no billion dollar endowment to keep it afloat? I think not.
Thanks, Geoff. Does GNB set the assessed value and does the municipality get the taxes for market value, as they do with residential properties?
That will mean Mt A continuing its drive to prefer wealthier students, and cutting unprofitable departments?
Cutting education sounds like Susan Holt’s program for provincial suicide, abandoning the future in favour of spending money on useless consultants, public relations, rebranding, and contracts for government party donors.
Just coincidence that the universities most affected, St. Thomas ceasing to exist as an intependent university and Mount Allison losing all provincial funding, are both in opposition (Green) ridings?
Great idea.
Not so sure if it is a coincidence Jon. Governments do this all the time. Recall the Higgs government attempt to close 6 rural hospitals, including ours here in Sackville a few years back? If I recall correctly, 5 of the 6 were in the then Liberal Opposition ridings.
As for the current situation with the Holt government wanting to privatize MtA, no doubt this is her government giving us some “payback” for opposing her plans regarding the Tantramar gas plant.
It’s short term thinking on the part of government for sure but this seems to be “the” pattern of this government. How to oppose things? Make even more noise in opposing things and letting the government know what we think.
Holt has nothing to lose with this riding. Politically, it makes sense for her to eliminate universities in Green ridings, put gas plants in them… This riding hasn’t voted for a Liberal in years.
IMO, nothing says “come to NB for education” Than “closing” the “#1 undergrad university… for the 26th time”
I think Premier Holt is a bigot, she closed 2 museums that were English: The MacDonald Farm in the Miramichi and the museum on Ministers Island, which was very popular. Now she is after the English-speaking universities. While the University of Moncton gets all kinds of money every year from the Provincial and Federal governments.
UdeM is listed as one of the possible universities to be ‘under the gun’.
Harold, I think Service New Brunswick sets the assessed value and they are not at arms length from GNB, and municipalities and journalists have argued that universities, colleges, schools and hospitals are undervalued. I think GNB pays the municipalities at the residential rate (even if some of the operations are similar to commercial), though Michael Beal of the Town of Tantramar would know for sure.