Free
education as a means of economical stimulation
Evans
February 16th
,2020
Free post
secondary education in BC could have far reaching positive effects on the
economy, family and community development. Creating opportunities for dedicated
scholars to gain an education and boosting opportunities for them to enter the
workforce with the skills to earn an income above minimum wage, which will
create a better future for workers with fewer education related debts and more ability
to stimulate the local economy.
“Education helps give individuals the tools
they need to participate in social and economic life and is key to the social
and economic development of a society.” Says a study by the Canadian federation
of students- Ontario. (https://cfsontario.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Factsheet-FreeEducation.pdf) Many levels of society have been
shown to be positively affected by post secondary education including health,
community development and civil engagement. Post secondary educated people volunteer
more often and have higher levels of trust in others.
As people enter
long term careers and create stable long-term income, they are more able to purchase
real estate. The more people that can become homeowners, the more rentals available
on the market. Areas like Victoria and Vancouver have had recent shortages in
retail and other lower income entry level jobs due to inability to afford rent.
When wage is not able to pay for rent in the city center people move outward to
smaller outlying communities and are more likely to look for employment in their
local area. A person making minimum wage working full time would be left with
about $1000 dollars after paying the average 1 bedroom rent in Victoria. In Vancouver
rent is even higher by about $400 for the same 1-bedroom accommodations. The
ownership of real estate also creates credit which encourages purchases like
cars and other credit building items further encouraging the economy.
Post secondary
education can also have a positive effect on the family dynamic. When children grow
up above the poverty line the economy benefits from strong, healthy individuals
entering the workforce. Almost one in every
five households spend over 50% of their income on rent, putting them at risk
for homelessness. Four million Canadians experience food insecurity with one in
8 children living in families that struggle to put food consistently on the
table. Children from a lower social economical household were shown to be at
five times the risk of abuse and neglect verses their higher economical
household peers in a study in the US. Information from the 2006 Canadian census
was shown that neighbourhoods with a lower social economical rating were 55%
more likely for out of home placements for children age zero through nine, even
with corrections for child and family functioning concerns.
By creating
greater opportunities through post secondary funding economic growth will be
created while supporting future generations by investing in family stability
and community engagement. Healthy families will create healthy communities and
healthy economic growth.
Sources:
Free post secondary school: the case for eliminating tuition
fees.
Canada Without Poverty: Just the facts.
Child and family poverty in Canada: Implications for child welfare
research
Children food insecurity factsheet: Food insecurity policy research
Times Colonist. Victoria’s advertised one-bed rental prices
soar 15.8% year over year: report
This is how much it costs to live as a young person in Vancouver
in 2019
I like all the data that you provide, it really helps to put into perspective the importance of what you are talking about here. I agree with you that there should be free tuition in Canada. It would help people to lift themselves out of poverty.
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