Ontario Premier discusses OSAP with UOIT students

Wynne said to a group of about 50 students at UOIT’s Automotive Centre of Excellence Feb. 6. that starting in September 2017, college and university tuition will be “free, almost free, or better than free,” for about 210,000 students from families with combined household incomes of $50,000 or less, www.durhamregion.com news reports said.

Wynne clarified that better than free meant eligible students may also get financial help with living expenses.

“It is a fundamental change,” said Wynne.

The new OSAP system would help students from families in different income brackets. For families with incomes between $50,000 and $80,000, four out of five students will be eligible for free tuition. Students from families with an income higher than $80,000 will receive 30 percent off their tuition.

“Our underlying principle is that students should have access to college and university based on their ability, based on their capacity to do the work, rather than based on their or their family’s income,” Wynne noted, www.durhamregion.com news reports said.

Wynne explained that for these changes in OSAP funding to take effect Ontario government would consider redirecting $400,000 million--being distributed to high income families through a tax credit--to lower income families.

Students from high income families are four times more likely to get post-secondary education, said Wynne.

Mature students and adult learners with family incomes of less than $50,000 will qualify for free tuition, and would also be eligible toward child care costs.

Mike Hoar, a diploma-to-degree student in his final year of the game development program at UOIT, asked why the province was not making tuition free for everyone.

Wynne explained that financially sound families who are able to help their children, should do so.

Nancy Arulnathan, a third year bachelor of commerce student, was curious to know how Wynne dealt with abusive unaccountable comments and false information on social media.

Wynne noted that this was a relevant question because during recent times there had been homophobic and sexist Facebook posts and tweets directed towards Ontario premier.

Wynne said although these comments aggravated her but she tried to segregate herself from much of it.

The bigger concern, the premier said, was the influence this ugly online landscape had on political climate in Ontario.

“I think it starts to poison the political discourse,” she said. “It’s not about my personal feelings, it’s about how are we going to get people to go into politics? How are we going to get people into public life, if they know they’re going to be exposing themselves to that kind of hate speech?”

The premier also visited Ajax Seniors Friendship Centre, and St. Francis Centre for Community Arts and Culture in Ajax.

(Reported by Asha Bajaj, Image of Kathleen Wynne: Wikipedia)