Students Call for Public Funding for Post-Secondary Education in Northern Ontario amid Laurentian University Financial Precarity

TORONTO, Feb. 2, 2021 /CNW/ - The Canadian Federation Students-Ontario is deeply concerned with the news that Laurentian University has filed for court protection under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act.

Laurentian University is not only a vital institution providing high-quality education for over 9,000 students who are studying to become nurses, scientists, teachers, social workers and much more, but there are over 850 faculty and staff who strive to make that happen every day.  Laurentian is also known for its tricultural mandate and, in particular, offering a hub for Indigenous learning and research. These programs are now faced with funding cuts that are a major loss to the local communities that benefit from such research. Northern communities thrive on the educational and employment opportunities generated by the University. The news from Laurentian University needs to be a wake-up call to the provincial government that Ontario's post-secondary institutions are underfunded and cannot take any more austerity.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the long-standing underfunding of post-secondary education in Ontario, and we are starting to see the disastrous effects. We are deeply concerned about the implications for students both in the north and across the province," said Chairperson Sébastien Lalonde. While students in Ontario already pay the second highest tuition fees in Canada, government funding for post-secondary institutions has shifted from publicly funded towards publicly assisted, placing financial pressure on institutions like Laurentian University.

Robust post-secondary education is a foundational piece for building back our economy. The Canadian Federation of Students – Ontario calls on the provincial government to ensure that students are not forgotten in the pandemic and to ensure a high-quality and accessible post-secondary education for all students is maintained at Laurentian University.

The Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario is the oldest and largest student organization in Ontario, representing over 350,000 college and university students in every region of the province.

SOURCE Canadian Federation of Students - Ontario

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