For the students or for the government: Part 1

BY: BRITTNEY CHANNER

Writing about social justice issues has always been a challenge for me for several reasons; one of them being that I never wanted to seem too “preachy” or educate the masses about an issue without contributing some form of a solution. In addition, those who write about issues pertaining to social justice may not have some sort of connection to the topic directly which can essentially affect the way they choose to write about it.

Nevertheless, I do believe as educators of some sort, whether it be through writing, speaking or through casual conversation, there must be some sort of drive or purpose in discussing issues that can potentially be of some concern to your fellow man; and with that being said, I think it is best to start off with Doug Ford and the Conservative party’s changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) and the elimination of free tuition for low-income students.

In 2016, the Ontario government that was under the leadership of the Liberals made changes to OSAP, which made individuals from low-income families attain a post-secondary education. This change officially began in 2017 which allowed potential students to receive a large proportion of financial assistance in the form of grants which almost covered the full cost of tuition for families that were earning less than $50,000 per year.

On January 17^th, 2019, the Ford government eliminated free tuition for low-income families on the basis that the grants have become “unsustainable” and it was time to refocus and primarily help students in the most financial need. With such cuts, the Ford government also announced a 10% decrease in post-secondary tuition fees which would somehow benefit students in the long term with relation to their education.

The new reduction is hopefully aiming to ensure that money continues to stay within the pockets of students and their families while making sure that the price tag of OSAP doesn’t continue to balloon over the estimated amount of 2 billion dollars that it’s at right now. Ontario students pay the highest tuition rates in Canada with university tuition ranging close to $9,000 while college tuition ranges from $3,400 dollars and due to this fact, the new reduction implemented by the Conservative government is seen as a need in order to create and maintain sustainable change.

For many students, including myself, these new changes came as a sudden shock and had many wondering how they were going to receive the financial support needed to continue with their studies. One of OSAP’s most significant changes that sent many students into a wave of despair is the changes to the repayment period. Before the adjustments were made, student were allotted a six-month interest-free grace period after graduation that allowed many to get on their feet and try to find a job before they started making payments towards their loan. Now, the government had decided to get rid of this clause which essentially means that regardless if one has a job lined up or not, payment is required giving students less time to save up money and pay off their student loans.

For the 2019/2020 school year, these changes will officially take effect and according to the government of Ontario, OSAP will:

1. Continue to provide grants to students with the greatest financial need
2. Reduce the family income thresholds associated with eligibility for the Ontario Student Grants while providing some provincial loans to low-income students and increase the per-term cap for the Ontario Student Loan
3. Increase the share of funds going to low-income families from 69 to 72 percent
4. Maintain the current $25,000 annual threshold for the Repayment Assistance Plan, ensuring that students can get on their feet after school before they need to start repaying their loan.

All of these stipulations along with many others have been promised by the Conservative government not to affect students negatively and will essentially help them for the better. However, as a student who has had the opportunity to obtain a post-secondary education through the realms of OSAP, I can easily identify how the Ford government’s new rules surrounding tuition could deter many from achieving higher education.

The new stipulations that will be implemented at the beginning of September have been said to perpetuate the continuous cycle of poverty, leaving students who consider themselves low income continuously in a state of oblivion not knowing where their educational futures may lead.

As Trina James, the national treasurer for the Canadian Federation of Students stood in front of a podium to announce the 600 million dollars worth of cuts to students grants, there read a sign that said “For the Students”; but I ask, is it really for the betterment of ALL students?