The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) released its 2014 Ontario budget submission Jan. 21, requesting the province redirect funding for existing grant and loan programs.
The proposal, Education Works: Envisioning a Fairer Society for Ontario’s Youth, asks the government to redirect funding from tuition and education tax credits to these programs, to provide more “targeted, timely and effective assistance for students.”
OUSA president Amir Eftekarpour said two of three students don’t qualify for these tax credits and only 10 per cent of those who do receive more than $500.
“We’re asking, why is $340 million dollars of tax credits being used to give money to people who can already afford to go to university and get it easily?” Eftekarpour said. “We’re recommending that the province simply convert that money into a wide variety of financial aid programs like OSAP extensions.”
The recommendation aims to “reduce debt and make it far more affordable to be a student in Ontario at no new cost to the government.”
Another one of the submission’s seven recommendations is to reduce the Ontario Student Opportunities Grant (OSOG) debt cap.
“One of our big recommendations at a cost of approximately $120 million is to reduce that cap from $7,300 to $6,300,” Eftekarpour said.
Other recommendations include investing in integrative learning such as especially co-operative programs.
Ontario Minister of Finance Charles Sousa is currently holding discussions with individuals and local community organizations across the province regarding the 2014 budget, according to Sousa’s spokesperson Susie Heath.
“These conversations include in-person sessions, telephone town halls, and online engagement. Our government has a continued commitment to collecting ideas from the public on growing Ontario’s economy, creating jobs, and protecting our public services,” she said via email.
Heath said the government encourages people to have their say in the budget process.
