BY MARYSSA MCFADDEN
Ontario students have paid the highest tuition fees in the country for the sixth year in a row according to a report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
Released Sept. 10, the report looked at trends in tuition and compulsory fees in Canada since 1993 and estimated fees for each province for the next four years. They also ranked the provinces on affordability for median- and low-income families.
An article on the Canadian Federation of Students’ website further proves this; it states undergraduate students pay 29 per cent more than the Canadian average while graduate students pay 41 per cent more.
The federation, the largest student organization in the country, provides a 
voice on provincial and federal issues for more than 500,000 students.
The article also said, on average, tuition fees in Ontario have increased by five per cent annually.
While these statistics are for university tuition, college students don’t want the same high fees to eventually affect them.
Reza Moridi, Ontario’s minister of training, colleges and universities, commented on the report by the CCPA, saying Ontario students often end up paying less than students across the country because of the loans and grants available to them.
However, in a Sept. 10 Toronto Star article, it said even with the financial help, a student living at home with a family income of $80,000 would still pay one of the highest net tuitions in Canada.
Students are also required to start making loan payments within the first six months after graduation. Those payments are expected to come in whether students have found a secure job or not.
“While students are going deeper and deeper into debt each year, they won’t be contributing to the economy. They’ll be focused on making payments,” said James Clancy, National Union of Public and General Employees’ (NUPGE) national president.
The Canadian Federation of Students said if changes are not made and the price of education continues to grow, many students will have limited possibilities, if any, for furthering their education.
This is of great concern, not only for university students, but for college students as well.
The views herein represent the position of the newspaper, not necessarily the author.
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