Georgian College officials say they will work with the Province to secure additional funding for their campuses in Muskoka and Owen Sound to ensure they are sustainable.
The announcement comes in the wake of the Ford Government’s cutting University and College tuition fees by 10 percent, and freezing them there into next year. The announcement also addresses ancillary fees and OSAP changes.
In the statement released today, Georgian College says a number of measures that have been announced will need to be assessed in detail as information is made available. The release states that postsecondary education should be accessible to everyone and that the college “realizes the Government of Ontario has a difficult job and these are challenging times.”
College officials say it was reassuring that the Minister announced college operating grants will be maintained.
“Georgian will work with the Ministry regarding the funding for our special purpose grants, needed to operate our college and provide quality education,” reads the statement. “The government has also opened up the potential for smaller, northern campuses. We will work with the government to secure additional funding for our campuses in Owen Sound and Muskoka to ensure they are sustainable.”
“My first priority will be to support our students,” says MaryLynn West-Moynes, President and CEO, Georgian College. “Both incoming and current students will have many questions about how these changes will affect them in both the short and medium term.”
The college notes that the announced changes giving students the ability to opt-out of certain ancillary fees may have an impact on the amount of services and quality provided to our students.
“Georgian’s student government leads the internal ancillary approval process before it goes to the Board of Governors for approval,” reads the statement. “ Georgian will work closely with our student leaders and support them as they work to understand the changing expectations.”
