QUEEN’S PARK – MPP Peggy Sattler, Official Opposition NDP critic for Colleges and Universities, called on the Minister of Colleges and Universities Jill Dunlop to take the findings of the province’s Blue Ribbon Panel report seriously by committing to making post-secondary institutions whole, and stopping the cuts to Ontario’s public post-secondary education system.
“Ontario is home to world-class universities and colleges attracting the brightest minds from across the world, but this government’s austerity measures and lack of funding commitments is putting these institutions at financial risk,” said Sattler.
The Blue Ribbon Panel report made recommendations to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities while sounding the alarm about chronic underfunding from the provincial government, which is putting the future of Ontario’s post-secondary institutions at risk.
“Today’s report paints an alarming picture of ‘financial fragility’ in our post-secondary institutions as the province continues to provide the lowest per student funding in the country,” Sattler said. “Students across the province are struggling amidst an affordability crisis. Now is not the time for the government to force universities to make more cuts. It’s time for real funding commitments to ensure the financial future of our post-secondary institutions.”