Students Rally Against Doug Ford’s OSAP Cuts

The mood on the University of Windsor campus Thursday was mixed. On the one hand, students were frustrated with the changes to OSAP and tuition fees made by the provincial government. On the other, there was excitement and optimism as students across the province were united in standing up to Doug Ford and fighting for the education that they feel they deserve.

Roughly one hundred students, MPPs, union members and professors gathered outside of the CAW student centre at the University of Windsor campus Thursday for what is being called an emergency rally for affordable and accessible education. The rally is part of a province-wide movement called #Wearethestudents that is pushing back against the changes to OSAP introduced by Doug Ford’s provincial PC government.

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For university of Windsor alumni Bree Arbor, who helped organized the event, the changes have made her re-consider coming back to school.

“If OSAP is being cut and I won’t be able to qualify anymore that’s a big problem,” she said.  “Most people I met in my university career rely on OSAP more than I have. And most people come from lower income families than me. I have seen a lot of people drop out of university because they couldn’t afford it, or be in dire and desperate situations because they couldn’t afford it.”

Earlier this month, the Ontario provincial government announced that it would eliminate free tuition for low-income students by reducing the grant portion of funding. This means that students will graduate with an even larger debt load than they would otherwise. On top of that, the 6-month grace period will be eliminated and student loans will begin to accumulate interest immediately after graduation.

Universities are also feeling the pressure of the cutbacks. Starting in fall 2019, Ontario university tuition will be reduced by ten per cent, forcing universities to find ways to absorb the lost revenue into their budgets.

While many students are up in arms about the changes, not all students see the cutbacks as a bad thing. University of Windsor student Edward Jones understands these cuts to be necessary for dealing with the deficit in the provincial budget.

“This province has a huge deficit, and as soon as Mr. Ford tries to cut spending, there is this huge outbreak likr this” said Jones. “It’s kind of sad that a lot of people look at it that way. More people should look at is as a way to get a good job and a way to save money on tuition as well.”

Yesterday’s rally was just the first step according to student organizers, who will begin to hold organizing meetings on Monday in order figure out how to keep the pressure on Doug Ford.