Media Advisory - Students available to comment on 2015 Ontario Budget

TORONTO, April 23, 2015 /CNW/ - Representatives of the Canadian Federation of Students–Ontario will be available to comment on the 2015 Ontario Budget immediately following its release on Thursday, April 23.

Students presented a number of recommendations to government for the provincial budget including reducing tuition fees to 2005 levels, introducing a 50 per cent reduction in graduate tuition fees when students are in the research and thesis writing portion of their degree, re-integrating international students into public health insurance and earmarking funds for projects to prevent, mitigate and respond to sexual violence on college and university campuses.

STUDENTS RESPOND TO 2015 ONTARIO BUDGET:

DATE:	Thursday, April 23, 2015
TIME:	4:00 p.m.
PLACE:	Queen's Park
WHO:	Rajean Hoilett, Chairperson-elect
	Anna Goldfinch, National Executive Representative

JUST THE FACTS:

• Tuition fees in Ontario are the highest in Canada. In 2011, data collected by Statistics Canada showed 53 per cent of university enrolments and 42 per cent of college enrolments came from students in the highest income quartile of families, highlighting a socio-economic divide on campuses across the province.
• The average debt for a student who must take on financial assistance to go to school is $27,000 after a four-year degree. Collectively, students in Canada owe $15 billion to the federal government and Ontario students owe $2.6 billion to the provincial government.
• Ontario has the lowest per student funding in Canada, 23 per cent below the Canadian average. Public funding now accounts for less than half of university and college operating budgets. At some institutions less than 40 per cent of funding comes from the government.

The Canadian Federation of Students–Ontario unites more than 350,000 college and university students in all regions of the province.

SOURCE Canadian Federation of Students - Ontario

Anna Goldfinch, National Executive Representative, 416-925-3825 (office) or 647-339-4070 (cellphone) or [email protected]