Ontario Premier Doug Ford says that students who walked out of classes to protest changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) at campuses across the province last week are “naive.” Ford made the comments during an unrelated press conference in Peterborough on Monday after he was asked about student-led protests at universities across Ontario, including the University of Toronto, Carleton University and York University, among others. Students were protesting changes to OSAP funding and tuition increases. “Some kids I don’t get it. They read the social media, and half the people on social media have a bunch of Looney Tunes, and it’s just it’s crazy. There’s no backup, no nothing,” Ford said. “These kids are so naive.” In February, the Ford government announced it would begin lifting the tuition freeze and boost funding to post-secondary institutions while also cutting grant funding for students applying to OSAP. The changes effectively lowered the portion of OSAP funding that can come in the form of a grant from 85 per cent to 25 per cent. Student groups have, in turn, raised concerns that the changes are making it significantly more expensive to get a post-secondary education in Ontario. But on Monday, Ford appeared to dismiss that. “They say, okay, let’s all run out. They all run out like sheep. No, no, no, no. Stick there and study. The ones that study, you’re going to be successful because the number one thing you need when you leave university or college is a good-paying job,” Ford said. During the press conference, Ford pointed to an announcement his government made in October, highlighting a $38-million investment towards Trent University to fund 1,504 additional seats in STEM, health and trades programs. Ford also said he believes Ontario has the “brightest students in the world, as far as I’m concerned. They’re incredible.” ‘Students are very fed up’ During Thursday’s walkouts, Jarrid Norris of the Student Mobilization Committee, told CTV News at the University of Toronto’s St. George campus that students were “very fed up” and were witnessing “the deterioration of our public education.” “We’re seeing the deferring of costs onto students when students have are already at their limit with with tuition, with cost of living, with housing.” Norris described OSAP as a “lifeline for many students” and that without OSAP so many students aren’t even able to go to university" “The plan with this walkout is to show for students that they are fed up and to articulate some very clear demands to have grants instead of loans, hands off admissions, and stop hiking up our tuition,” he said.
