Ontario set to announce tuition cuts

Toronto.citynews.ca
Jan 17, 2019
The Canadian Press

The Ontario government is set to announce a 10 per cent cut to tuition fees in the province, but critics and others worry the announcement will be paired with cuts to student grants.

Documents indicate that Merrilee Fullerton, the Progressive Conservative government’s minister of training, colleges and universities, will announce the mandated drop in tuition for colleges and universities on Thursday.

The Canadian Federation of Students wrote on Twitter that it was concerned about the government’s intentions, and whether the move would truly make education more affordable in Ontario.

The federation warned that the province’s auditor general “set the stage” last month for major cuts to student grants under the Ontario Student Assistance Program.

In her December report, Bonnie Lysyk found that costs for OSAP jumped by 25 per cent in 2017-2018, and the program could cost Ontario $2 billion annually by 2020-2021.

The Tories are in the midst of trying to trim a deficit they peg at $14.5 billion, although the province’s financial accountability officer says it’s closer to $12 billion.