MEDIA ADVISORY - Students available for comment on changes to Ontario Student
Assistance Program (OSAP)

TORONTO, Dec. 20 /CNW/ - Joel Duff, spokesperson for the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario, is available for comment on the Ontario Government's announcement at the University of Windsor today about changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).

Today's announcement is expected to address positive improvements to loan repayment, but also measures that will increase student debt upon graduation. With these changes to OSAP, students graduating this December will have six worry-free months to find a job and start their careers, but current and future students can expect to struggle with more debt as rising tuition fees and loan amounts threaten to make their post-graduate burden significantly heavier.

Students have called on the McGuinty government to make investments to improve access to post-secondary education by reducing tuition fees and student debt. Ontario's students currently pay the highest tuition fees in the country while studying in the largest classrooms, with the least student-professor contact. Students believe that investments in the accessibility and quality of post-secondary education will deliver long-term economic benefits to the province.

The Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario unites more than 300,000 college and university undergraduate and graduate students studying at public post-secondary institutions across the province.

For further information:

Joel Duff, Media Liaison: 416-925-3825 or 416-707-0349 (cell)