New Brunswick Finance Minister René Legacy presented the provincial budget on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ron Ward) New Brunswick’s record deficit is prompting changes to post-secondary education as the province freezes funding to universities, colleges and directs institutions to find internal savings that won’t be passed on to students. The 2026-27 provincial budget forecasts a $1.3 billion deficit, mainly due to increased health care and social ser

Affordability pressures in Fredericton have intensified the debate over whether wage policy alone can keep pace with rising living costs. (Credit: Ali Ahmed Iraqui) When rent goes up, groceries go up and everything from transit to textbooks costs more, the instinctive response is simple: wages should go up too. In New Brunswick, that instinct has turned into renewed calls for a “living wage,” a rate of pay meant to reflect what it costs to sustain yourself every day. While