For the first time in seven years, Ontario will likely hold post-secondary tuition increases below 5 per cent — a nod to the fact that the hefty $7,180 average undergrad fee now stands as the highest and fastest growing in Canada.

In an interview with the Star, new Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Brad Duguid said that while the government has not yet made a decision on tuition, “extending the current framework (a 5 per cent annual cap the Liberals set in 2006) is not where my head is at right now.

“As the father of a Grade 11 and Grade 12 student, I’m keenly aware of the need to ensure affordability,” said the Scarborough Centre MPP, who was just named to the post-secondary file. He also said he hopes to “make progress” on reining in extra fees many students face, sometimes just for waiting for their student loan to come in before paying tuition.

Some speculate the province may let tuition rise by inflation plus one per cent, as a compromise between student groups calling for a freeze, student groups asking for a 30 per cent drop over three years, and institutions that argue they need that 5 per cent tuition increase with Queen’s Park cinching its belt.

Indeed, the province told universities and colleges to shave a total of $40 million off spending this year, which spelled a $5.2 million cut for the University of Toronto, for example, $3 million less for York and $1.8 million less for Ryerson and the University of Guelph, according to the Council of Ontario Universities. They’re being asked to shave twice as much — $80 million together — off next year’s budgets.

Duguid acknowledged the fiscal challenges facing colleges and universities, but signalled that for now, student pocketbooks get top billing.

“I’m confident we’ll strike a balance that I hope will be supported by students and institutions, but I will be looking at this through the lens of parents and students first,” said Duguid. “My goal will be to reach a balance that is fair to students, acceptable to post-secondary institutions and that focuses on ensuring both quality and affordability.”

Welcome to the other education standoff facing new Premier Kathleen Wynne, between a cash-starved ivory tower that sees tuition hikes as a funding lifeline, and debt-weary students who say they’re paying more than their share.

A decision can’t come too soon for either side.

“The closer we get to April, the more challenging it is to plan,” said Bonnie Patterson, president of the Council of Ontario Universities, whose 20 members argue they need 5 per cent tuition hikes to combat the lowest per-student grants in the country.

“There isn’t a hope the government is going to put more money into play until they balance the books, but we already have the highest student-faculty ratio in the country at a time when we’re trying to boost student supports for mental health and increase experiential learning,” said Patterson, adding some universities now offer certain courses only every other year because of staffing shortfalls.

“At some point, it all starts to fall apart, and we’re broaching that point now,” warned Patterson. “It all boils down to quality.”

To Ryerson student Rachel Saunders, who paid $8,670 in tuition for her third year in civil engineering, a higher fee would mean having to work more hours at her part-time retail job, which she already fears is dragging down her marks.

“I could be doing better at school if I didn’t have to work, but I get about $10,000 in student aid and grants and once I’ve paid tuition and spent $1,000 on books I have hardly anything left for food and my Metropass,” said Saunders, 21, who commutes from her mother’s home in Markham.

“And there’s always other expenses, too, like lab coats and steel-toed boots for when we test concrete. I know a lot of people like me who work to help pay for school.”

The Canadian Federation of Students in Ontario is pushing for a 30 per cent cut over three years — 17 per cent right away — to be paid for by scrapping a provincial education tax credit as well as the new 30 per cent tuition rebate for students whose families earn less than $160,000 a year. Chair Sarah Jayne King said the rebate excludes too many, from part-time, international and grad students to those entering post-secondary after being out of high school more than four years.

But it’s not enough just to freeze tuition, she said, because “it’s skyrocketed at a rate that drastically outpaced inflation. I absolutely agree we need more government funding to improve quality,” said King, who noted class sizes are growing, equipment needs updating and “lots of things on our campuses are always broken.”

Students are “having a hard time stomaching increases so out of line with the cost of living,” said Rylan Kinnon, executive director of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, which wants a one-year freeze to give student budgets a break, then tuition hikes that match inflation.

“If the gap in affordability continues to grow,” said Kinnon, “that’s a concern for a province that wants to attract the best and the brightest.”

Community colleges say they, too, need the 5 per cent tuition raise because the province now pays less than half of their operating costs, said Linda Franklin, president of Colleges Ontario. But because college tuition in Ontario is among the lowest in Canada and many students live at home rather than out of town, she said there is room to grow.

“We need funds to keep programming up with the job market so our grads can hit the ground running, especially as new fields open up like green energy. We have to be able to turn on a dime and make sure we have new curriculum and professors,” said Franklin. “We believe 5 per cent more is manageable if combined with student aid.”

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

But the College Student Alliance noted Ontario’s per-student grants for college students are $6,066, well below the national average of $9,450, so the government should pitch in before tapping students for a larger share.

“We think a two-year freeze would make sense; after all, our faculty accepted a two-year wage freeze and they always say salaries are the single largest line in a budget,” said Tyler Epp, the group’s director of advocacy.

“We don’t want to see the cost of maintaining quality placed on the backs of students.”