by Meagan Simpson
Students in Ontario are digging deeper in their pockets to pay for university than any other province in Canada according to recent statistics.
A report published by Statistics Canada revealed that the average tuition in Ontario is 42 percent higher than the average tuition across Canada. The province’s university students are currently paying around $7,539 for this school year, compared to the Canadian average of $5,293.
Ontario’s tuition fees are consistently higher then any other province and have also been rising at one of the highest rates. Since 2012 tuition has risen at 4 percent each year, which for students means an additional $300 a year.
The province’s Ministry of Education regulates tuition fees. One of it’s policies is placing a cap on the allowable amount tuition can rise in one year. In 2013 they decreased the cap for undergraduate tuition from 5 percent down to 3 percent.
Yet analyzing the numbers from Statistics Canada shows that the province’s tuition rose 3.9 percent from 2013 to 2014, regardless of the 3 percent cap.
Reza Moridi the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities argued that the numbers aren’t as bad as they seem. The student financial assistance programs in Ontario are one of the best in Canada, he said, offering as an example the 30% Off Tuition grant that was implemented in 2012.
Moridi said, “Once all government supports are factored in, the students with the greatest need pay substantially less tuition and virtually no student pays the full sticker price.”
However not everyone agrees with Moridi. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released a recent report stating that such grants do not apply to all students and do not reduce tuition fees.
The 30% Off Tuition grant only applies to certain students. It excludes part-time students, students who have been out of high school for more than four years and those over a certain income level.
Moridi states that the grant is still useful for many students. “[The grant] helped approximately 230,000 college and university students in 2013 to 2014 alone,” said Moridi.
If the numbers are correct the amount of students who benefited from the grant were less than half of students enrolled in university and college programs across Ontario according to enrolment numbers from the Association of Universities and Colleges Canada.
The report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives also predicted Ontario’s students would be paying $9,483 by the year 2017. In contrast it predicted the average Canadian tuition would be $7,000.
Student organizations like the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) are protesting such high increases. The CFS supports students and works for their rights across the country and in each province. It released a statement in May, denouncing the provincial government of Ontario’s treatment of tuition fees.
In the release it argued that the Liberal government’s policies have made Ontario the most expensive province for post-secondary students. It states, “This government is condemning a generation to a future of financial insecurity and uncertainty.”
Despite government grants and protest from student unions like CFS, tuition in the province is still on the rise and doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon.