Ontario minister of training, colleges and universities John Milloy announced improvements to OSAP on March 29.
The wallets of Ontario university and college students will soon take another hit: the province’s tuition fees will once again rise, after the provincial government has released its new framework to fund post-secondary education.
The funding plan, announced at Queen’s Park on March 29, extends the current funding framework for two more years, capping annual tuition fee increases at five percent. The plan also adds some extra perks for those students who currently receive funding from the Ontario Student Assistance Plan (OSAP).The new framework also requires universities and colleges that choose to increase tuition fees by the maximum amount to set aside 10 percent of the additional revenue brought in by the increase for scholarships and
bursary programs.
Students with part-time jobs will now be able to earn more money, without having it affect their ability to collect OSAP. Students will be able to earn $100 dollars per week, up from the previous maximum of $50.
The maximum amount a student can borrow from OSAP will also increase. Despite the changes, Ontario will remain the most expensive province to study in.
Nora Loreto, a spokesperson for the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario, said that while the news isn’t all bad, the government has the wrong idea. “ ere are ways to make sure that post-secondary education is properly funded. Unfortunately, they’re taking the easy way out by trying to have students borrow more and get more student debt,” said Loreto.
John Milloy, the minister of training, colleges and universities, said the Liberal provincial government “took an already generous plan and enhanced it even further.”
“We brought in a budget that contains some tough news, and, in it, we found some more money for post-secondary education to support the institutions,” said Milloy.
“We’ve also brought forward a package which limits tuition increases and greatly enhances student support,” he added.
Milloy stressed that the government looked into the framework and said it’s working. He also noted that he had to strike a balance between student debt and the needs of postsecondary institutions.
Andrea Horwath, the leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP), said it is “shameful” that Ontario’s fees are the highest in the country and dismissed the suggestion that the de cit situation automatically
equals hard times for students.
“I think it’s unacceptable all around. We have been calling on this government to freeze tuition fees, and we’re calling on them again to do that,” said Horwath.
Tim Hudak, the leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative (PC) party, was equally unimpressed and slammed Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty for the current poor economic climate.
“Tuition costs are increasing, debt is increasing and [McGuinty] has failed to provide good jobs for Ontario students. It’s a tough economy for young people to graduate university or college,” said Hudak.
Jim Wilson, the PC critic of training, colleges and universities, agreed. “The Liberals are going to raise student tuition, and they are going to allow students to mortgage their future even further to pay for Liberal
tuition hikes,” said Wilson in a statement dated March 29.
In total, the Liberal plan will pour in an additional $81 million of nancial support for university and college students. It will also create 20,000 more spaces in colleges and universities purely for domestic students, backed by a $310-million investment.
THE RUNDOWN
•Continuation of current tuition fee framework, which caps the annual increases at 5 percent
•1,000 new graduate scholarships
•Increasing the amount of money students can earn while on OSAP from $50 to $100 per week
•An increase in the maximum amount that a student can receive from OSAP
•The government will pay the fi rst six months? interest on OSAP after graduation
•Debt forgiven if still outstanding after 15 years
