Fight the Fees

High tuition fees have a discriminatory impact on students from middle- and low-income households, who are more likely to need loans to fund their education. Because Ontario charges interest rates on student loans, those from middle- and low-income backgrounds end up paying more than students who can afford to pay the sticker price.

These barriers are made worse for students from marginalized communities. Indigenous and racialized students are more likely to come from lower income households and therefore less likely to be able to pay for school without taking on debt. Students facing other forms of oppression, such as ableism, homophobia, transphobia, and sexism are less likely to have the services and support needed to access education.

Because of the enormous financial investment university and college education demands, students are pressured to choose educational fields according to what pays. Science and technology programs continuously get more funding, while liberal arts programs are threatened with cuts.

The provincial government regulates tuition fees through a tuition fee framework. The current framework allows domestic tuition fees to go up by three to five per cent every year. International students fees are unregulated, which means post-secondary institutions can increase them by however much they like. The current framework has been in effect since May 2013 and will expire in 2017, so now is the time to act.

Considering these realities, students launched the Fight the Fees campaign to persuade political leaders to make funding for post-secondary education a priority.