NEWS RELEASE
November 1, 2024
OUSA responds to the 2024 Fall Economic Statement
TORONTO - On Wednesday, the Ontario government released Building Ontario for You, the 2024 economic outlook and review of provincial spending. As an organization vested in the interests of students, OUSA is disappointed to see a continued lack of commitment to better funding post-secondary education.
“Public education should be publicly funded and financially stable enough to provide quality education to future generations,” said Michelle Wodchis-Johnson, OUSA President and Vice-President External Affairs at the University Students’ Council at Western University. “Investing in the post-secondary sector is an investment towards Ontario's economic future.”
For the past few years, OUSA, like many other stakeholders, have been urging the government to increase operating funding so that universities return to being publicly-funded institutions rather than publicly-assisted. Despite a recommendation by the Blue Ribbon Panel for a $2.5 billion investment, the province committed $1.3 billion earlier this year as reflected in the Fall Economic Statement. However, projected spending for 2026-27 remains lower than that of actual spending in 2023-24. Funding caps exacerbated by an unchanged enrollment corridor model are placing immense pressures on universities to deliver high-quality programming and services amid high demand and limited revenue. As the needs of students rapidly evolve, universities must be ready to provide resources that promote inclusive and responsive campuses. Academic quality, mental health services, and accessibility supports, among many others, are at risk of diminishing in quality without immediate provincial funding that keeps institutions operating. This negatively impacts the post-secondary experience and, ultimately, discourages students from enrolling and remaining within Ontario’s system. We continue to recommend that the province further increases their operating contributions so that students are funding no more than a third of these budgets. Additionally, OUSA recommends that the value of weighted grant units reflect the variation in enrolment distribution for various programs and inflationary increases in program delivery.
OUSA is also disappointed by the lack of investment in student financial assistance. While the continuation of the tuition freeze is commendable, students are still facing affordability issues due to insufficient OSAP funding. Costs that contribute to educational expenses like housing, food, and transportation, are not supported by current OSAP disbursements. Students already juggle multiple responsibilities and minimal financial aid forces them to take on multiple jobs, adding to their stress levels and diverting focus from their studies. The $400 million clawback of OSAP in 2020-21 has never been reinvested into the program, a move that could increase the overall amount of funding available to students in-need. OUSA calls on the province to eliminate interest on the provincial portion of student loans and increase investments into the base funding for OSAP.
Notably, the financial outlook iterates progress made towards expediting the construction of student housing, which offers a promising step in alleviating the housing crisis for students. OUSA is cautiously optimistic about these measures, being mindful that the cost of construction should not be downloaded onto students and that more still needs to be done to protect student renters from exploitative landlords.
Affordability of education remains a top concern for students. The cost of living crisis is affecting millions of Ontarians, and students experience this challenge in unique ways given the cost of tuition and academic materials. As the province considers its next fiscal commitments, we implore the government to invest in our students in order to invest in our futures. To read our last budget submission, please visit: https://www.ousa.ca/ousa_budget_submission_2024
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About: OUSA represents the interests of 160,000 professional and undergraduate, full-time and part-time university students at nine student associations across Ontario. Our vision is for an accessible, affordable, accountable, and high quality post-secondary education in Ontario.
Contact:
Tiffany Li Wu
Manager of Operations and Communications
Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance
416-341-9948 | [email protected]