September 26th, 2016

NDP wants to make life a little easier for post-secondary grads in Ontario

Today Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath announced that an NDP government would immediately eliminate interest from Ontario student loans as a first step in solving the student debt crisis in the Province.

“The government should not be making a profit off of the fact that students in Ontario need to take out loans to afford postsecondary education, it’s just not right” said Horwath. 

The NDP leader was in St. Catharines today meeting with students at Brock University to discuss the high debt load that many of them will face upon graduation.

“This is a first step and an important one,” noted Horwath.  “Insurmountable student debt delays important life milestones for young people such as buying a car, owning a home, starting a family or starting a business.  This makes student debt not only a burden for the people who carry it, but on the provincial economy as a whole.”

Ontario is one of the most expensive provinces to access a college or university education. Since 2009, Ontario has had the highest average undergraduate and graduate tuition fees in the country.  The average debt load for a young person with a four year undergraduate degree is $28,000, for a post-graduate degree, its $35,000.

“Ontario can be a great place to live, but it’s getting harder to build a good life here, especially for young people,” said Horwath.  “We need a government that is focused on solutions, on taking action for the people of Ontario.  An NDP government will immediately eliminate interest from Ontario student loans as a first step in making sure that young people in this province have the opportunity to succeed.”