Hundreds of Ottawa high school students walked out of class and gathered to protest the Ford government's proposed cuts to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), with demonstrators warning that making post-secondary education less accessible will have lasting consequences for the province's young people.
The demonstration was part of a broader wave of student activism across Ontario, with protests reported in Toronto and other cities as students and education advocates pushed back against planned changes to the student aid program.
What Are the OSAP Changes?
The Ontario government has been working to restructure OSAP, which provides grants and loans to help lower- and middle-income students afford college and university. Critics argue the changes would reduce overall funding available to students, particularly those from families in the middle-income bracket who have previously relied on a mix of grants and loans to cover tuition and living costs.
The cuts come at a time when tuition and living costs in Ontario, including housing costs in cities like Ottawa, have risen sharply. For many students, OSAP support is the difference between attending post-secondary school and not.
Ottawa Students Speak Out
Demonstrators outside Ottawa schools carried signs and chanted slogans, with many speaking to reporters about their personal situations. Several students said they were counting on OSAP funding to attend university or college after graduation, and that the proposed changes would force them to take on more debt or reconsider their plans entirely.
Student organizers emphasized that this was about more than individual finances. That a well-educated workforce is critical to Ontario's economic future, and that policies that restrict access to education have long-term societal consequences.
The Broader Context
Ontario has among the highest tuition fees in Canada, and the cost of living in Ottawa, especially housing, has climbed significantly over the past decade. For students from working-class and middle-income families in the capital, navigating those costs without adequate financial aid is increasingly difficult.
Education advocacy groups, university and college student unions, and opposition parties have all condemned the OSAP cuts, arguing they represent a step backward for educational access in the province.
The Ford government, for its part, has defended its approach to student aid as part of broader fiscal management goals.
What Comes Next
Student activists say they plan to continue organizing and pushing for a reversal of the cuts before the provincial budget is tabled. Meetings with MPPs, further protests, and public awareness campaigns are all on the agenda.
For Ottawa students heading to post-secondary school in the fall, the outcome of this political fight could have very real consequences for their educational options and financial futures.
Source: CBC Ottawa. For more on Ontario student aid, visit ontario.ca/page/osap-ontario-student-assistance-program.
