It’s about to get tougher, financially, for students in Ontario. Premier Doug Ford is lifting the freeze on tuition fees and cutting back on the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). Many students worry about the difficulties of repaying a much larger debt load and fear the government moves will put higher education out of reach.
Ford said his government is committing $6.4 billion over four years to post-secondary institutions. But at the same time, because of a funding crisis, he's lifting the tuition freeze and cutting back on the amount of financial aid grants available to students.
Ford said the main problem came after the federal government put a cap on the number of international students allowed into the country. Many institutions relied on those students because they pay more in tuition fees.
Ford also repeated that taxpayers expect students to take courses that will drive economic growth in Ontario. Colleges and universities will be able to increase tuitions by up to 2 percent a year for the next three years, and OSAP grants would be cut from about 85 percent of total funding to about 25 percent beginning this fall.
But Ford also took some flak for this slice of advice to students:
"I mentioned to the students you have to invest in your future," he said. "Because a lot of the students — I’m not one to say — you’re picking basket weaving courses. And there’s not too many baskets being sold out there."
University and college students already struggle with the high cost of housing and food. Many also face significant challenges in finding part-time or summer jobs.
"He is going to literally leave students across this province struggling with debt for decades," said Marit Stiles, leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party. "He’s got to reverse course, there’s no question in my mind. Not everybody was raised with the kind of privilege he was raised with. And when I hear the premier’s comments, I think that really comes through. He is the premier not just of the wealthy and the powerful; he is the premier of everyone in this province. And he’d better step up and act like it."
The minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security, Nolan Quinn, is defending the changes.
"The historic $6.4 billion of funding that we’re providing, the largest in Canadian history, is going to insure that we have stability and sustainability of the sector," he said.
And the schools also appear to be on board.
"We are facing huge pressures in our system," said Steven Orsini, the president and CEO of the Council of Ontario Universities. "But this announcement tackles the real challenges that universities face, that will support our students."
