JASON SETNYK
At Queen’s Park, SDSG MPP and Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn spent two straight days defending the Ford government’s changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), as opposition parties accused the province of making postsecondary education less accessible for students already squeezed by rent, groceries, and weak job prospects. The exchanges put Quinn at the centre of a broader debate over whether Ontario is stabilizing student aid or shifting more of the cost of higher education onto those least able to afford it.
The sharpest exchange came with NDP Leader Marit Stiles, who framed the issue as part of a wider affordability crisis facing young Ontarians. She accused the government of “turning its back on the next generation,” arguing students are being pushed further into debt at the very moment many are struggling to afford daily life. Quinn rejected the criticism and insisted “OSAP is not going away,” telling the Legislature the changes are meant to keep the program sustainable for future students rather than eliminate support.
Stiles pressed the government again, saying students who rely on aid could face thousands more in annual borrowing and warning that some are already reconsidering college or university offers. Quinn answered by pivoting to tuition history and affordability measures under the Progressive Conservatives, saying the government froze and cut tuition over the past eight years and had saved the average university student about $1,800 annually and the average college student about $450. He also argued Ontario’s revised grant-to-loan balance is now closer to other provinces, a point he returned to repeatedly in defending the shift.
The same day, interim Ontario Liberal leader John Fraser broadened the attack, tying OSAP to rising household and provincial debt. Fraser said the government had chosen to “break OSAP” and accused Premier Doug Ford of making life harder for families trying to help their children pursue a degree, diploma or trade. Ford responded in his trademark combative style before shifting to familiar government talking points, saying his government cut tuition by 10 per cent when it took office and held it down for years while previous Liberal governments allowed major increases.
When the issue returned, Stiles read into the record a message from a Mohawk College nursing student who said OSAP was “the reason I am able to stay in school,” using the story to personalize the impact on mature students and parents balancing education, child care, and reduced income. Quinn again argued the previous framework was unsustainable and pointed to targeted programs such as the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant, saying the province would “continue to be there for our students.” Later in the same exchange, after Stiles attacked the Premier as out of touch, Quinn responded with a more personal defence.
“I am proud to be the first Minister of Colleges and Universities that is a college grad-and that was on purpose. We came from a one-income family. I had no silver spoon in my mouth. I’ve been called a burger flipper many, many times. I stayed because I wanted to open a business and going to university would have put debt on my career. I had to ensure I stayed local. I made the choice to stay local because I wanted to open a small business. I made the difficult decision to ensure I stayed local so that I afforded college to be able to open a small business.”
The government’s broader argument rests on the funding package announced in February, when Ontario unveiled a $6.4-billion investment over four years for colleges and universities. The province said the plan would raise annual operating funding to about $7 billion, increase base per-student funding by six per cent, and support up to 70,000 additional seats in high-demand programs, while also providing targeted help for smaller, northern, rural and Indigenous institutions. Quinn has positioned that package as the largest postsecondary investment in Ontario history and evidence that the government is supporting the sector even as it resets OSAP.
Opposition members, however, argued that the new money does not answer the core affordability problem raised by students. Their case was that operating support for institutions should not come alongside a reduced grant share for those who depend on aid to get through school.
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