Kanchi Uttamchandani | Assistant News Editor
Featured image: Premier Kathleen Wynne visits Ontario’s post-secondary institutions to “wynne” over students with new OSAP changes. | Anton Mak
Premier Kathleen Wynne headed back to school when she visited York this past Monday as part of her Ontario post-secondary tour.
Wynne highlights that the provincial government has expanded OSAP to include mature students in their free tuition plan for low-income students.
“Often it is very challenging for mature students to find their way back into school, and one of the things that is a barrier in those situations is the cost of tuition,” says Wynne.
Meagan Harris, fourth-year political science student, says many mature students no longer live with their parents and have greater responsibilities such as utilities, rent, children and other obligations that younger students may not experience.
“As a student from a low income family, I will now have access to more grants and overall increased funding through the new initiative,” says Harris.
Gayle McFadden, national executive representative for the Canadian Federation of Students, points out that while the Ontario Student Grant, or OSG, is a tremendous step forward, colleges and universities continue to be underfunded.
“It is important to note that this is not ‘free’ education. It is a grant that will cover all or most of the costs of tuition fees for low income students,” she says.
There is a concern that in calculating the average tuition fees, the new system neglects to include more expensive programs such as engineering, law and business.
Allison Buchan-Terrell, spokesperson for MPP Deb Matthews, has emphasized that students in first-entry programs like engineering and second-entry programs like law or medicine can access institutional aid through the Student Access Guarantee.
Meanwhile, McFadden asserts that the costs of education extend far beyond tuition fees to include things such as meal plans, books, course materials, transit, rent, groceries and much more.
Wynne points out that living costs are built into the grants, so the system recognizes that going to school is not just about tuition, with other support available.
“My main concerns, however, are: from where is this new funding coming? Is it displacing someone else’s funding? Is this funding a pre-election carrot or is this a permanent commitment?” asks Edward Fenner, founder and former president of York University Mature Students’ Organization.
Wynne responds that the system has been rearranged in order to offset the costs.
She highlights the previous system, where there was support for low- and middle-income students, a 30 per cent off tuition for students living in families that earn $160,000 or less and certain tax credits for wealthier families.
“We’ve changed that. We’ve cancelled those tax credits and that is funding the […] tuition for lower-income students,” she says.
Wynne adds that the criteria will be the same for mature students in that it will consider income, the number of people in the family that will be supported, the region and the program of study.
In addition, students in Ontario who qualify would be eligible for eight semesters, whether it be for undergraduate or post-graduate studies.
Aeri Medina, third-year psychology student, points out that there is a lifetime limit on the OSG of eight semesters for students without disabilities and 12 semesters for those with disabilities. She expresses concern that this can be a barrier for some students who struggle to take full course loads due to work and family responsibilities.
Wynne states that the threshold of financial need is determined by the OSAP assessment process. It remains unclear what other financial factors will be considered in the new OSG system.
Hezekiah Davies, fourthyear political science student, applauds the legislation and thinks making tuition free may create an incentive for mature students to pursue further education.
