Nauman Farooqi stands outside his office at Margaret Norrie McCain Hall. (Polina Kozlova/AQ) Nauman Farooqi, president and vice-chancellor of St. Thomas University, said that the province’s latest budget will put continued pressure on universities, even without an immediate reduction in funding. “It’s a zero per cent increase, but effectively it is a cut because it’s not keeping pace with inflation,” he said, following the release of the 2026–27 provincial budget. The gover