The province’s treasury board president was in Barrie on Wednesday to talk about the government’s plan to help more students get a college or university diploma.
Minister Liz Sandals spoke with students and teachers at Bear Creek Second School about the Wynne government’s newly designed OSAP rules that will roll out in September.
“This will make it possible for them to go on to college and university in a way that was never possible before,” Sandals says.
The government says its new rules mean tuition will be free for more than 200,000 students in low and middle-income families.
For example, families with three children making less than $60,000 dollars a year will be eligible for $16,000 that doesn't have to be paid back.
Sandals says it's a carefully designed system that helps students cover their costs up front and works better than tax credits.
“The whole issue around tax credits versus grants in September that came from the students and from loan offices at the institutions themselves. We took a lot of the advice from the people who actually use the program.”
It’s a big change that is sure to spark a lot of questions from students.
“I'm paying for it myself so I’m definitely going to have to look into OSAP and the loans and grants and other stuff,” says Sadie Wells-Liddy.
For more information on changes to OSAP you can click here.
