THE VARSITY February 4, 2019
The University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880
Vol. CXXXIX, No. 16
Student union election season starts with…
Scarborough
Showdown What we know about the Ford government’s changes to postsecondary education
U of T stands to lose $88 million in expected revenue, describes little communication with province Andy Takagi Associate News Editor
On January 17, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities (TCU) Merrilee Fullerton stood before a room full of media in the provincial offices east of Queen’s Park to announce that Ontario universities must cut domestic tuition by 10 per cent, provide “opt-out” options for incidental fees, and adhere to broad changes made to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). Despite some clarifications made in an earlier Varsity interview with David Piccini — the Parliamentary Assistant to Fullerton — ambiguity remains about the specifics of the
provincial mandate. The university has also not commented heavily on the issue. Meanwhile, several protests organized by student unions and other groups have occurred across the province, with more to come. In these protests, thousands of students demanded answers about what these changes will mean for them. Based on further interviews with the government and the university, The Varsity takes a look into what we know and what we don’t know about the cuts so far.
Domestic tuition cut by 10 per cent
Repeatedly described as “historic” by Piccini, the Ford government’s lead-
ing announcement is of a 10 per cent cut to domestic tuition for the next academic year, which will also apply to graduate studies, including Master of Business Administration and Juris Doctor programs. The government has also mandated a tuition freeze for the following year. Universities and colleges will have to absorb any losses in revenue, as the cut is unfunded by the provincial government. In an interview with The Varsity, U of T Vice-President & Provost Cheryl Regehr said that these cuts will take $65 million off of the university’s base budget, or $88 million from its expected revenue, since the university had planned to continue raising tuition by three per cent. In the second year, the changes will cost the university $113 million. Regehr went on to say that the impact will vary depending on individual divisions, as some divisions rely more heavily on domestic tuition income, but also said that there will be university-wide adjustments as well. “What we hope to do is find solutions that minimally impact students, $88 million, page 2
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