Every year, the Government of Ontario requests input from Ontarians through a variety of consultation methods to help shape the next Ontario Budget. These unprecedented times have made our role as your official student association more important than ever in ensuring you are supported. From academic and life supports like our food bank, professional development and career supports like our career workshop series, and social engagement opportunities like clubs and events, CSI has been here for you.
Not everything is within CSI’s control though. The tuition freeze for domestic students will be ending this year, the cost of housing has skyrocketed and public transportation offerings have been reduced. We know these are all issues that are important to our students, so this year, CSI has submitted six asks for the Government of Ontario to consider. Our asks focus addressing these issues by creating and maintaining fair tuition and affordable housing, and providing greater access to surrounding communities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe through public transportation.
CSI has called on the Government of Ontario to:
- Cap international student tuition increases to 5% to align with the regulatory framework that caps tuition increases for domestic students by 5%.
- Extend the tuition freeze for domestic students for an additional academic year and expand the tuition freeze to include international students. The tuition freeze must be accompanied by a corresponding inflationary increase to postsecondary institutional funding to maintain the quality of education.
- Create funding opportunities for non-profits and postsecondary institutions to increase the supply of purpose-built student accommodations.
- Expand rent control to rental units first occupied for residential use after November 15, 2018, and limit the ability of landlords to increase rents between tenants.
- Amend provincial zoning policies that unnecessarily limit a municipality’s ability to administer inclusionary zoning policies.
- Invest in public transportation projects that improve municipal and regional interconnectivity in the Grand River Watershed. If you support this one, sign the petition linked below!
Click here to learn about the Watershed Initiative.
Click here to sign the petition.
These actions have the ability to significantly improve the educational experience of students to afford and attain the education required to build a career, a family, and a future in Ontario.
We need your help to tell the government that these asks should be implemented. There are 2 ways you can share these asks with the government and add your own input too! You can:
- Take the Government of Ontario’s Survey
- Send a written submission that is 500 words or less by the following methods:
Email a Word Document or PDF submission to the Government of Ontario to
submissions@ontario.ca
-OR-
Mail your submission to:
The Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy
Minister of Finance
c/o Budget Secretariat
Frost Building North, 3rd Floor
95 Grosvenor Street
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 1Z1