Waterloo student association, universities react to possible end of tuition freeze

Ontario’s colleges and universities are calling for a five per cent bump in tuition fees next September, as well as a 10 per cent increase in operating grants from the province, but students say they're already feeling a financial crunch.

Ontario’s colleges and universities are calling for a five per cent bump in tuition fees next September, as well as a 10 per cent increase in operating grants from the province.

But students at the University of Waterloo are already feeling a financial crunch.

“They [students] have already talked about cutting back on some pretty important things like skipping meals, things like working more hours, other things like taking on additional debt,” Rory Norris, President of the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association, said. “So I worry that this is just another brick that is going to get laid on them that they’re going to have to sort of bare the burden with."

Norris said the student association does not believe now is the time to raise tuition fees. Instead, he applauds the recommendation to increase operating grants, feeling the province should be paying more to help the situation.

“The amount that the government has been providing the institutions has stayed flat for much longer than the amount that the tuition freeze has been on," he said.

Norris said it could be helpful to increase OSAP funding for low-income students, but believes it would be better to decrease interest fees and increase the amount of time students have to pay the loans back.

The University of Waterloo is predicting a $15 million deficit this year, which could balloon to $100 million by 2027 if nothing changes.