Media Advisory - Students available to comment on 2012 Ontario Budget

TORONTO, March 26, 2012 /CNW/ - Representatives of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario will be available to comment on the 2012 Ontario Budget immediately following its release on Tuesday, March 27. Students in Ontario will face the seventh consecutive tuition fee increase this coming September. Students hope to see the Ontario tuition grant turned into a tuition fee reduction to fulfill the Liberal's 2011 election promise.

JUST THE FACTS:
At $6,640 for undergraduate and $7,578 for graduate students, tuition fees in Ontario are the highest in Canada.

National student debt has surpassed $15 billion this past year. Students in Ontario can borrow up to $29,200 over four years in public student loans. Average student debt including private loans is $37,000 for a four-year degree.

Ontario has the lowest per student funding in Canada. At $10,222, Ontario spends $3,500 less per student on post-secondary education than the Canadian median and $15,000 less per student than Alberta, the province with the highest per student funding.

Despite improvements and investments made to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), for every $1 made available to students in financial aid, $1.42 was clawed back in higher tuition fees.

Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario responds to 2012 Ontario Budget:

DATE:   TIME:   PLACE:  WHO:

Tuesday, March 27, 2012 4:00 p.m. Queen's Park Nora Loreto, Communications Coordinator: 416-846-6672 Sarah Jayne King, French media contact: 613-863-6820

The Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario unites more than 300,000 college and university students in all regions of the province.

Sandy Hudson, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario, 416-772-8842
Nora Loreto, Communications and Government Relations Coordinator, Canadian Federation of Students, 416-846-6672