Ontario Government's Plan to Freeze Tuition Falls Short of Expert Panel's Recommendations

Education News

The Ontario government's plan to freeze tuition for another three years and add more than $1-billion in funding for colleges and universities amounts to about half of what an expert panel it appointed said was needed to stabilize the finances of the province's postsecondary system. Minister of Colleges and Universities Jill Dunlop announced on Monday more than $900-million over three years in what the province is calling a sustainability fund, as well as about $400-million in new funding in other areas. The province also extended a tuition-fee freeze it brought in after a 10-per-cent cut to domestic tuition in 2019. 'I will not apologize for continuing to freeze tuition in this province,' Ms. Dunlop said at a news conference at Queen's Park. She said people are struggling with affordability and the government doesn't want to add to the burdens faced by students and their parents. Monday's announcement was a response to an expert panel on postsecondary finances convened by the province last March after the insolvency at Laurentian University in 2021