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Yet despite these cuts, on Dec. 13 Moody’s downgraded the Ontario credit rating from Aa3 to Aa2. Ontario has a debt of $347 billion and a deficit of $14.5 billion.

There is no point asking the federal government to cover half of the cost of a university. Its deficit this year is $18.1 billion. By 2013-24, the total debt might be $765 billion. There is only one taxpayer, and in “good times” we should be paying down debt. Ford was right to eliminate what was not absolutely necessary in his attempt to reduce spending.

There is no point asking the federal government to cover half of the cost of a university. Its deficit this year is $18.1 billion.

According to the National Post, in 2015 there were 6,340 students in Grade 12 French school boards. They have a choice of 397 French undergraduate programs, including the University of Ottawa, Laurentian, Hearst’s three campuses, and Glendon College of York University.

Of the 600,000+ Franco-Ontarians, most live in Eastern or Northeastern Ontario. There is already a $300 annual travel grant to cover those studying more than 80 km from home.

As it is, programs have difficulty attracting enough Franco-Ontario students. Only 48 per cent of the francophone students at the University of Ottawa come from Ontario; 33 per cent are from Quebec, five per cet from other provinces, and 14 per cent are international. The question is whether we really need another French university, especially in the GTA, with high living costs and few French students in the immediate vicinity?

Quebec Premier François Legault expressed “disappointment” at Ford’s decision. Yet he overlooked one problem for his own province: Such a university would likely attract a number of students from Quebec. A few might even come because of a lower age for legal use of cannabis in Ontario. Meanwhile, however, while living in Ontario, they would lack full medical coverage thanks to Quebec’s refusal to sign the Reciprocal Medical Billing Agreement. Quebec students already pay extra non-refundable fees when visiting the University of Ottawa Health Services. While at a new university, many students might require treatment for anxiety, depression, traumatic injuries, auto accidents, acute appendicitis, pregnancy, etc. They would be too far from the border to seek urgent care from a Quebec physician.