Laurier Students Sound Alarm Over OSAP Reforms
Mar. 4, students at the University of Waterloo walked out of class as part of a campus-wide strike, calling on Premier Doug Ford and the provincial government to reverse proposed changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). The protest began at 11 a.m. in the Arts Quad outside the Dana Porter Library on UW’s main campus.
Dozens of students gathered before marching through campus, holding signs and chanting, “We will not give up the fight, education is a right.”
Remington Aginskaya-Zhi, one of the event’s organizers, said the turnout reflected how strongly students feel about the issue, “It goes to show how much students care about these issues and each other,” Aginskaya-Zhi said.
“We are hoping today is just the first step for further action.” Aginskaya-Zhi encouraged students to contact their local MPPs and to attend another protest scheduled for March 24 at Queen’s Park in Toronto.
Several UW students reported a stronger sense of community following the protest, such as Nafeesa Khan, “Feeling solidarity with your fellow students motivates people to show up. I’m hopeful that people continue to organize these events.”
Another student, Andrew Chang said he was encouraged to see faculty members in attendance, “It was nice to see faculty showing up, showing their support and solidarity to our cause,” Chang said, adding that instructors are also affected by provincial funding decisions.
Premier Doug Ford’s latest changes to OSAP are raising serious concerns among students across the province, including those at Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU). Many argue the reforms will create greater financial barriers for students pursuing post-secondary education without slamming them with a mountain of debt.
Announced earlier this February, the changes made by the government impacts student aid. Student grants will drop from a maximum of 85 per cent to 25 per cent, with 75 per cent offered as a repayable loan. For example, a Laurier student who previously received 8,500 dollars in grants on a 10,000-dollar need will now receive only 2,500 dollars, with the remaining 7,500 dollars becoming a repayable loan. This shift, combined with an annual 2 per cent tuition increase, discourages low-to middle-income students, effectively privatizing education in Ontario.
Ford continues to defend the changes, stating that students must take greater responsibility when accessing taxpayer-supported financial aid, emphasizing that education is no longer a freebie and that public resources are limited.
Students, however, strongly disagree.
“It’s an awful idea,” says Roisin Polgar, second-year psychology major at WLU, “A privileged man who dropped out of university doesn’t get to tell students what they should be doing. He is making it harder for people from low-income families to even think about getting a degree. Going to university is a big thing; for Doug Ford, it was just a formality.”
Though the province has committed 6.4 billion dollars in funding to support post-secondary institutions, cuts to OSAP are expected to result in a surplus of student debt. Ford’s policy prioritizes the economy over education, and as a result, concerns are mounting that these changes may undermine Ontario’s post-secondary sector, as international education serves as a massive economic driver for the province.
Laurier understands that affordability and financial support are major concerns for students. Ontario’s universities collectively invest more than $1.4 billion each year in student financial assistance and 10 per cent of all new domestic tuition revenues will be reinvested directly into student aid, ensuring that qualified students with the greatest financial need continue to have access to a university education.
Laurier also emphasized its commitment to supporting students in financial need. From bursaries to donor-supported awards and scholarships, partnerships with employers to provide paid work-integrated learning placements such as co-ops, and an expansion of on-campus employment opportunities, the university maintains that we will continue to find ways to help students achieve their educational aspirations.
Some members of the Laurier community are responding to these changes with immediate action. Multiple protests are occurring all over Kitchener-Waterloo, including Ontario Protest, an online organization composed of Laurier students.
“I appreciate [Ford] saying these things, because it shows other people how uninformed he is about education.” Says Alicia Tatham, BSc Biochemistry and Biotechnology at WLU and representative of the organization, “It does come off as insulting; he wants to tell others that their degrees are not worth anything.” Tatham asserted the importance of all fields; artists are people who matter, too, and should not be considered a lesser career.
Tatham also urged students to involve their friends, family, and everyone in the discussion, “This isn’t the end, we need to be persistent. We, as a group, are willing to fight in the most peaceful way possible. These cuts will negatively affect thousands of people in the province.”
As debate continues, the future of student financial assistance in Ontario remains a pressing concern for many who fear these policy changes could reshape access to higher education for years to come.
Contributed Photo/ Margo Norcliffe
