We The Students

• In 2017, over 234,000 students received non-repayable grants to cover the full cost of college or university.
• Recent government changes have reverted back to greater loans which will result in increased student debt.
• The average post-secondary student in Ontario graduates with over $28,000 in debt.

The government must increase funding for grants instead of loans and expand eligibility for non-repayable grants to ALL students.

• Tuition fees in Ontario have increased for over a decade to make up for government funding shortfalls.
• Even with a 10 per cent tuition fee cut, Ontario has some of the highest university tuition fees in the country.
• International students contribute $8 billion to the economy per year and still pay 3-4 times more in tuition fees compared to domestic students.

The government must reduce and eliminate tuition fees for ALL students.

• Ontario has the lowest per-student funding in Canada – roughly 35 per cent less than the national average.
• Less than 50 per cent of operating budgets for most institutions come from the government, making them publicly-assisted NOT publicly funded.
• Less public funding leads to large class sizes, less access to instructors, high tuition fees and crumbling campus infrastructure.

The government must publicly fund our public post-secondary education systems.

• Student media serves as an outlet for students to have their voices heard, as well as, a way to report on what matters to the student body as a whole.
• Student-led media publications hold administrations and governments accountable and are an essential aspect of campus life.
• Provide work experience and experiential learning opportunities.

The government must immediately eliminate the harmful Student Choice Initiative.

• Students’ unions exist on campuses around the world to provide students with a united voice, advocate for change and operate essential support services.
• Students have democratically voted to fund services, events, campaigns, student media and student groups through the collection of dues.
• Student union autonomy allows students to have control over what services, events and campaigns they value most on campus.

The government must protect the existence of students’ unions by passing legislation that recognizes their autonomy at post-secondary institutions.

This legal challenge seeks to contest the Minister of Training, College and Universities’ directives on the grounds that they are unlawful and were made in bad faith. It raises several grounds that warrant the court setting aside the directive, including that they:

• Represent an unprecedented and entirely improper intrusion upon the autonomy of colleges and universities and that the long-standing MOU’s and agreements that are in place with student associations to collect and remit fees that have been democratically approved by the student body.
• Were announced without notice, and implemented without any meaningful stakeholder consultation with those directly affected, including universities, colleges, student associations or the CFS.

The CFS hopes that the court sees that the provincial government is overreaching through the policy and motions to repeal the Student Choice Initiative, effective immediately. This will allow students’ unions, campus publications, radio stations and other student groups to continue operating under the previous fee collection and remittance policies, further allowing students to continue accessing quality services and resources.

The government’s attack on students’ autonomy is an issue that students and our solidarity partners consider extremely important. The CFS set up a legal fund acknowledging that student money should be spent on campaigns and services that students rely on. this legal challenge is fully supported by coalition partners such as the Ontario Public Sector Employees Union (OPSEU), Unifor, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). We are very grateful for their support and for the support of workers from across the province and country.