NEWS RELEASE
January 22, 2025
OUSA Releases 2025 Pre-Budget Submission
TORONTO - Today, OUSA is releasing student-centred recommendations to the provincial government as a part of the 2025 pre-budget consultations. As we enter a fiscal year with competing priorities across all industries and sectors, it is critical that post-secondary education remains top of mind for the government. The academic outputs that come from universities, including skilled graduates, push our communities and local economies forward; however, this cannot be accomplished unless the provincial government takes meaningful financial commitments to comprehensively support students.
“Investing in post-secondary education is an investment in Ontario’s future,” said Michelle Wodchis-Johnson, OUSA President. “Students are prepared to drive innovation and become the leaders of tomorrow, but they need a system that supports their success. The province must prioritize a well-funded post-secondary sector that is accessible to all to ensure that no talent goes to waste.”
OUSA’s submission focuses on sector sustainability, student financial aid, mental health, and gender-based and sexual violence. These reflect the current concerns of students and where stronger financial commitments from the Government of Ontario would improve the provincial and institutional programs and policies that students interact with and benefit from.
The province’s post-secondary sector is in a precarious state. Chronic underfunding, the international visa cap, and the cost-of-living crisis are actively making post-secondary education inaccessible and unaffordable for current and prospective students. Ontario needs to reposition itself as a top destination for higher education - this comes from investments into the sector that enable students to thrive in their studies, graduate highly skilled members of the workforce, and shape them to become leaders who can tackle today’s challenges.
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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]