The title is borrowed from a post of the same name on the website of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The post, the report it’s based on, and an opinion piece about the report’s conclusions are all worth reading.
Highlights include:
- Since 1990, Ontario households have endured stagnant incomes and rising levels of household debt (from 90% of disposable income 20 years ago to 150% today).
- Since 1990, tuition fees have seen a real increase of 244%.
- This fall, average undergraduate tuition fees in Ontario are the highest in the country at $6,500.
The impact of these facts is that average families must work much harder to send their children to university, and for low-income families it is even worse. Those families may have to make financial choices that do not include tuition. If the student takes on the debt-load of a post-secondary education, in some cases when they graduate they will owe a staggering $80,000.
Those of us who work with students will likely realize that this situation is not good for anyone. No matter what party you support, ask the hard questions about what they will do to reduce the burden of a higher education.
