The long reach of Budget 2012, and it's impact on Canadian research

Is there an aspect of Canadian research that is not impacted by the 2012 federal budget?

 

As implementation of the 2012 Federal budget begins, researchers across the country are raising the alarm about resulting cuts to a variety of research programs in Canada. Marine research, climate research, archaeology, archives, and the fund for purchasing scientific equipment are all subject to cuts. 

Researchers are calling the cuts a disaster for Canadian Science

Over the past few weeks I have attempted to collect information on cuts to research programs resulting from the 2012 federal budget. What follows is what I have found – please add to the list, if you know of more.

ARCTIC RESEARCH
37 northern research facilities have been cut due to cuts to the federal science research funding agency, NSERC. This article discusses cuts to arctic research, notably Kluane research station.

Ontario’s Experimental Lakes Area, famous work that removed phosphates from cleaners, will also face cuts.

Some scientists say budget cuts are causing dispersal of Canada's ice core library, but the government is contesting this.

[In case you, like me, are unaware of the ice cores, here is a description from the article:
The collection of ice-cores was drilled from ice caps and ice fields throughout the Canadian Arctic. It comprises more than 1,000 metres of ice cylinders documenting thousands of years of climate history. Most of the cores contain ice dating back to the end of the last glaciation, about 12,000 years ago, but some may contain ice up to 80,000 years old. The longest of the cores, extracted from the Agassiz ice cap on Ellesmere Island, is longer than 330 metres.

Cores are important sources of data on past climate change, because they can contain dust, gas bubbles and chemical isotopes that give clues as to atmospheric and temperature conditions when the ice was laid down. The resolution of the information is often sharper than that in other proxies, such as ocean sediments.]

I have heard from faculty that the ice cores are valued world wide, and cost a hefty amount to collect and set up storage -- money that will be wasted if they are indeed lost to budget cuts.

FUNDING FOR EQUIPMENT

I’ve also heard from people in the sciences that the NSERC fund Canadian scientists in universities use to purchase their equipment will end in one year -- meaning that right across the country, all labs will have to make due with whatever they have now and can obtain in the next twelve months.One casualty of this cut is the Neutron Beam Centre at the Chalk River Nuclear Plant and another is Canadian meteor research.

BAMFIELD RESEARCH STATION

Bamfield's world renowned marine research centre (near Tofino) is also facing drastic cuts. The Pacific Marine Analysis and Research Association (PacMARA) blog has attempted to catalogue cuts that will impact marine research, but says they are “surely incomplete”.

ARCHAEOLOGY

Parks Canada cuts are described as “draconian” by the Canadian Archaeological Association because of their on archaeological research. Archaeologist and blogger Tim Rast has catalogued cuts to archaeology here. In many cases, regional labs will see their artefacts transferred to central storage in Ottawa.

ARCHIVES

The sciences are not the only researchers feeling the pinch in this budget.

You may have heard archivists speaking out about cuts to an archival program that ensures support to small community archives, and development of online access to archives. UVIC’s archivist, Lara Wilson, joined an “Ottawa trek” of archivists modeled on Canada’s historic “On to Ottawa Trek”. The campaign, and the reasons our archives are important to more than historians, are featured in this CBC radio story. One estimate says the cuts could close 800 of Canada's smaller archives.

CAUT’s RESPONSE

CAUT has harshly criticised cuts to research in the recent federal budget, noting cuts to funds that make it possible for professors to take research time. CAUT raises concerns about government interference in research areas, funding “bricks and mortar” while cutting the programs that fund the use for these facilities. They also state they were told to “shut up” by the policy advisor to Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for Science and Technology, when they met to raise their concerns.

SSHRC campaign presents 17,000 signatures to the house of commons

I just received this email from the campaign to stop the changes to SSHRC. Congratulations to the organizers of this campaign.

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Hello, Thank you for being one of more than 17,000 people who have signed the written petition in opposition to the government's earmarking of Canada Graduate Scholarship funding within SSHRC.
Once we started our campaign against this earmarking, petitions flooded our office from every province and territory in Canada, as well as the United States, Britain, Germany and Japan.
It was an incredible response.
In this last legislative session, I had the honour of presenting this petition in the House of Commons on your behalf. Together, we have made a powerful statement in opposition to the government’s attack on the social sciences and humanities and its overall disregard for the fundamental principle of academic freedom.

(Featured: Arati Sharma and Rick Theis of CASA, Hon. Niki Ashton, and from CFS Graham Cox, Federico Carvajal and Gaétan-Philippe Beaulière)
We must continue to work together. The battle continues in the face of ongoing actions and interference of the Minister of Science and Technology, Gary Goodyear. In advance of the next budget, we will continue to make it clear that not only is discipline-related earmarking unacceptable but that social sciences and humanities research in Canada is vital. The contributions made by students, researchers, academics and people working in the social sciences and humanities are integral to moving our country forward.
Thank you again for joining me, and the thousands of others who have spoken out in opposition to the actions of this Government.
I invite you to watch the embedded video link of my presentation to the House: https://mail.uvic.ca/owa/redir.aspx?C=856195e385fa4f9aaab6b65e26669bdb&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.youtube.com%2fwatch%3fv%3d-ms6o_LlUc0
I look forward to staying in touch!
Niki

Has UVIC just elected its last chancellor?

Murray Farmer was just elected as UVIC's new chancellor in July.
According to the Ring, 3838 members of convocation voted. Convocation includes UVic alumni, current and former Board of Governor and Senate members, UVic current and retired faculty, staff who have worked at UVIC for 12 months and hold a university degree,

But if the BC government gets its way, Farmer will be the last UVIC chancellor who is elected by convocation. Deep in the University Amendment Act 2008, bundled in with the creation of about a billion new universities all at once, lies the amendment to make the Chancellor appointed rather than elected.

The Chancellor will be appointed thus:

(1) There must be a chancellor of each university, who is to be appointed by the board on nomination by the alumni association and after consultation with the senate or, in the case of the University of British Columbia, after consultation with the council.

(1.1) The chancellor holds office for 3 years and after that until a successor is appointed.

Granted, you could argue the Chancellor is a figure head. But he or she also represents the University all around the world, confers degrees, and is an ex-officio member of BOG and Senate. The right to elect the person who plays that role gives the convocation the ability to decide the "face" of UVic.

I do wonder what the motivaton is. It's not as if no one participates--3838 people just voted at UVIC at the peak of summer holidays! And it certainly seems like we have had excellent people elected in past. So what exactly needs fixing?

BC Budget Consultations

You can give input into the BC 2008 budget by filling out a short online survey here.

I would be very interested to hear the perspective of grad students with expertise in survey design about the structure of the survey as I think the questions are leading. For instance, one of the questions is:

Last year, Balanced Budget 2007 provided an additional $476 million over four years towards housing supports for everyone from the homeless to homeowners. Are there other housing initiatives you would like us to consider?

Seems to me what is described is funding, not an initiative, and it looks at cost only which I would argue inhibits suggestions of spending more. if the questions said "Victoria has 1,242 homeless people in the 2007 homeless count, what housing initiatives would you like us to consider" my guess is there would be a stronger interest in housing those people even if it is expensive.

In any case, whether your issue is how funding for graduate students has been implemented, housing, childcare, or climate change you have until October 19, 2007 to have your say.

The First Nations Day of Action: Why we should support it

Thursday June 28, 2pm
Grad Centre Room 108 (board room), UVIC.

Come join the GSS for tea and coffee and an informal round table discussion with:

Chiinuuks, an MA student in Indigenous Governance who is from the Nuchalnuth First Nation

Glen Coulthard, a Dene activist and PhD student in political theory at the University of Victoria who teaches courses in the Indigenous Governance Programs and the Department of Political Science.

What is the day of action?
National Chief Phil Fontaine issued an invitation to all canadians to join a peaceful First Nations Day of Action to improve the lives of First Nations people. Information on June 29th activities and the campaign can be found at http://afn.ca. Chief Fontaine also discussed many of the issues faced by First Nations in this short YouTube statement about the Day of Action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skV_UB32fxA

For more information about this event, contact Stacy at gssmgr@uvic.ca

BC Govt releases Campus 20/20

This document is a discussion of the BC government's vision for post secondary education in BC.

Report recommendations for graduate studies and research include:

"40. Limit granting of doctoral degrees to the four provincial universities.

41. Building on the recent commitment to create 2,500 new graduate student
spaces by 2010, develop a plan to implement the BC Access and Excellence
Strategy target of the highest per capita enrolment of graduate students in
Canada by 2015.

42. Allocate the new graduate student spaces to UBC, UVic and SFU in proportions
similar to the existing distribution of research funding and graduate student
enrolment.

43. Establish an expanded program of graduate student financial aid to ensure no
qualified applicant for graduate studies is denied access on the basis of financial
circumstances.

44. Increase and thereafter maintain direct investment in research and innovation in
public post-secondary institutions sufficient to ensure BC is in the three highest
spending provinces by 2010.

45. Implement a “Georgia Strait” research cluster initiative by ensuring that at least
95 per cent of all provincial research funding is awarded to UBC, SFU and UVic.

46. Establish a continuing commercialization strategy to ensure that the province
and post-secondary institutions are maximizing opportunities to benefit from
commercially realizable research discoveries.

47. Task the Higher Education Board to develop and report on performance
measures with respect to results from provincial funding for research."