Opinion: The Mintz moment: Alberta’s post-secondary future will be decided now

In the next few weeks, the Commission on the Funding and Function of Post-Secondary Education will make its final recommendations to government on how Alberta funds its colleges and universities. As presidents of the provincial organizations representing faculty and staff unions in the sector, we know that this report will determine whether our post-secondary system begins to recover from six years of damage or slips past the point of repair.

Chaired by University of Calgary economist Dr. Jack Mintz, the commission — widely known as the Mintz panel — carries the responsibility of shaping Alberta’s post-secondary future for decades to come.

The choice could not be more urgent. Since 2019, government cuts have stripped nearly half a billion dollars from institutional budgets. Political int