Some additional funding for post-secondary institutions
The Ford government has announced a package of new funding valued at $1.3 billion to offset a tuition fee freeze at colleges and universities across the province for a further three years.
Colleges and Universities Minister Jill Dunlop says the freeze is necessary.
“We are having an affordability crisis in this province and across Canada. We are not going to put this on the backs of students,” says Dunlop.
“We’re hearing from far too many students, the cost of living, the cost of gas, of rent. The increases that we’re making today to ensure that our schools have sustainability and predictability moving forward will not be on the backs of students.”
However, the freeze is only for students from Ontario, as institutions will be able to increase tuition but up to five percent for out-of-province domestic students.
The freeze and the funding go against recommendations of a blue-ribbon panel that suggested colleges and universities needed at least $2.5 billion and an end to the tuition freeze that went in place in 2019 after the Ford government lowered them by 10 per cent.
“And I thank the blue ribbon panel for the recommendations. They worked very diligently in the past months, consulted with the institutions and looked at several submissions from not only institutions but also from various industries across Ontario,” says Dunlop.
“But I am not going to apologize for not increasing tuition in this province, as was one of the recommendations from the blue ribbon panel.”
There is also legislation attached to the funding that would if passed, increase the transparency of fees incurred by students, support student mental health and safe and inclusive campuses.
To stabilize post-secondary institutions there are directives within the package including;
- $903 million over three years through a new Post Secondary Education Sustainability Fund, to start in 2024-2025, which has $203 million in top-up funding for institutions with greater financial need.
- $167.4 million over three years in extra funding for capital repairs and equipment.
- $10 million in additional one-time funding through the Small, Northern and Rural Grant for colleges and Northern Ontario Grant for Universities, this is to support institutions while the province works with them on efficiency initiatives.
- $15 million over three years beginning this year through the Efficiency and Accountability Fund to support third-party reviews to identify actions which can be taken by colleges and universities to drive long-term cost savings and positive outcomes for both students and communities, it will also target structural, issues and operational policies to improve sustainability and student experiences.
- $100 million in 2023-2024 supporting STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) program costs at publicly assisted institutions with enrollments above currently funded levels.
- $65.4 million to support research and innovation, split between $47.4 million for an infrastructure refresh of Ontario’s Advanced Research Computing systems and $18 million for ongoing operations and maintenance.
- $23 million in enhancements to mental health supports, with $8 million set aside for the Post Secondary Mental Health Action Plan over the three years.
If the Strengthening Accountability and Student Supports Act, 2024 is passed it would allow the Minister to issue directives to colleges and universities to provide information on ancillary fees and other student costs, including those for textbooks and other learning materials.
The province says it will be consulting with colleges and universities to create tuition fee transparency to help those who pay them understand how those fees are used.
Measures are also being introduced to protect students and improve the integrity of career colleges by integrating enforcement efforts across ministries to improve oversight, directed specifically at those who make decisions at colleges and universities.
This comes from recommendations from a blue-ribbon panel that will see the government work with institutions to establish core competencies for board members, including financial literacy and risk management.
