For many Ontario students, the opportunity to pursue a postsecondary education is becoming increasingly difficult to afford. At an October 5 press conference, Ontario Liberal MPP Tyler Watt and student leaders raised concerns about cuts to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), questioning why students are being forced to shoulder greater financial burdens while hundreds of millions of dollars in grants flowed to a small number of private career colleges.

Watt criticized Premier Doug Ford’s government over its management of OSAP, describing the situation as “shady” and saying it “stinks of mismanagement.”

The controversy follows the Ford government’s February decision to reduce the maximum proportion of OSAP assistance available as non-repayable grants from 85 percent to 25 percent, leaving students increasingly dependent on loans to finance their education.

However, recent figures have raised questions about what was driving the rising costs of the program in the first place.

Students attending just seven private career colleges received approximately $385 million in provincial OSAP grants during the 2024-25 academic year, an amount equivalent to the grants received by students across 24 publicly funded colleges combined.

Watt questioned why the government chose to reduce financial assistance for students across Ontario instead of addressing concerns surrounding a relatively small number of institutions.

Much of the conference examined the role of private career colleges, including the expansion of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and concerns about how OSAP funding was being distributed.

For Watt, the issue is not simply where the funds are being distributed, but also accountability and fairness.

Having relied on OSAP himself to pursue a career in nursing, Watt emphasized the importance of ensuring today’s students receive opportunities comparable to those available to previous generations.

The discussion became particularly personal when student leaders shared their experiences with Ontario’s increasingly expensive education system.

One student representative described seeing students work as many as three jobs simply to afford their education, stressing that these circumstances were not exceptions, but a reality for many young people.

Another student leader shared that she had been forced to take the academic year off because she could not afford the debt she would have accumulated by continuing her studies.

Their experiences highlighted a troubling reality that, for some students, the decision to attend university or college is no longer based solely on their ambitions or academic abilities, but on how much debt they can afford.

The financial pressure can also extend beyond students themselves, placing additional strain on parents and families who may already be struggling with the rising cost of living.

Premier Ford has defended the changes, arguing that the previous OSAP structure was financially unsustainable. In February, he drew criticism for suggesting that students should avoid “basket-weaving courses” and instead pursue careers in high-demand fields.

Ford further claimed to have heard stories of students using OSAP funding to purchase luxury items, including fancy watches and cologne. 

At the conference, Watt challenged this portrayal of students, shifting attention toward questions about how public funds were being managed and why ordinary students should face reduced assistance over concerns surrounding private institutions.

An audience member raised an important counterargument, asking whether the government’s changes could be justified if potential fraud or misuse of funding had been discovered.

Watt acknowledged the need to address wrongdoing but argued that students should not become the victims of a system they did not mismanage.

Watt ended the conference with a message of encouragement, urging students not to lose hope and to continue speaking out. He emphasized the importance of keeping the issue in the public eye and maintaining pressure on the government.

Ultimately, the conference raised an important question: should students across Ontario bear the consequences of failures they had no part in creating? While protecting public funds and addressing potential financial mismanagement are important, these efforts should not come at the expense of students who rely on OSAP to pursue their education.

For students working multiple jobs, postponing their studies, or reconsidering their futures, the stakes extend far beyond government policy. The decisions made today will help determine whether postsecondary education remains an accessible opportunity for future generations or becomes a privilege reserved for those who can afford it.