You’re concerned about your pocketbook:
Most York students spend the majority of their money on three things: their social life, transportation, and tuition. While no party has committed to help reduce the cost of alcohol, the New Democratic Party (NDP) is promising reductions on the other two fronts.
The NDP has a plan to freeze transit fares at their current levels for four years. The freeze comes alongside the NDP’s commitment to expanding transit projects and upgrading transit systems province-wide.
The NDP has also committed to freezing tuition fees for all students, which will give students a breather from the annual five-per-cent increase cap.
You’re a Birkenstock-wearing environmentalist:
Everyone’s heard of the Liberal party’s commitment to creating 50,000 new jobs in clean energy by the end of 2012—but what about the Green party?
The Greens have promised to expand training and certification programs in job growth areas, such as sustainable transportation, and renewable energy. Moreover, for campus commuters concerned with their carbon footprint, the Green party is the only party that has committed to incentives for ride-sharing, more high-occupancy vehicle lanes, and tax credits for public transit users. Without question, the Green party leads the way in environmental conservation for students.
You plan on staying in school forever:
Once again, the NDP come out on top. The Liberals have committed to expanding the interest-free period for OSAP from six to 12 months after graduation for those who work for non-profit organizations.
The NDP, however, says they will scrap the interest on the provincial portion of OSAP loans, which will save students a substantial amount on all student loans. If your plan is to pull a Van Wilder during your undergrad, at least you’ll save a bit on the debts you’ll rack up.
The NDP also says they’ll increase per-capita student funding: money that can be used to hire more professors, reduce class sizes, and improve education.
You want a job after the big graduation day:
McGuinty’s Liberals have promised an “Innovation Agenda”: a commitment to create incentives to ensure innovative student-created companies have the capital to grow, while allowing those businesses to gain access to new markets.
Moreover, the Liberal party will continue its commitment to attracting foreign investment for the creation of new jobs, especially in the manufacturing sector. This includes the Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) program, which provides guaranteed rates for renewable energy.
This is where the 50,000 clean energy jobs come into play, providing students with jobs when they finally finish their education.
