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HomeNewsTuition reduced, transit fee remains mandatory at Canadore

Tuition reduced, transit fee remains mandatory at Canadore

At a Board of Governors meeting at Canadore College, President and CEO George Burton addressed how the rollback of tuition fees and making some student fees optional will affect business at the school.

Burton said on average, a full-time student will pay approximately $500 less between reduced tuition and fewer mandatory fees at Canadore College.

Burton said tuition had been set to increase three per cent but will now be reduced by 10 per cent following a decision by the provincial government in January.

Some fees charged to Canadore students (and all post-secondary students) will be mandatory, while some fees will become optional.

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The Ford government has also made cuts to OSAP (Ontario Student Assistance Program) grants, including the free tuition program put in place by the previous Liberal government.

“Overall, we’re not overly concerned with the [tuition] rollback, we can accommodate that. If it allows more students access to post-secondary, I’m all in favour of that.” Burton pegs the rollback as a $780,000 hit to the school’s bottom line.

“On the opt-in, opt-out, for us, working with student government and student services, we don’t see a negative impact. We think we can manage within the envelope and not have students see a reduction in services.

Burton added the opt-out student fees are “very user specific.” For instance, the student insurance plan remains optional as many younger students are covered under their parents’ plans. On the other hand, if your family does not have insurance, a student may opt-in for full coverage, for a fee. Club fees will also be optional.

“I’m really happy the transit fee remained as a mandatory fee because it helps us on our green agenda,” said Burton.

Burton added Canadore often gets criticized about the transit fee because it is mandatory even for students who do not use transit services. “I put it into this context, it’s their contribution towards greening their planet and nobody really has an issue with that at the end of the day.”

“It’s a philosophical argument. If you want a service, you pay for it. There are some things, though, that are core to the student experience. And, there are are some things students haven’t experienced or needed the service. How are they going to know whether to opt in or opt out?”

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