Ontario has been labeled the most expensive place in Canada to get a post-secondary education.
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), released a report on estimated tuition fees for 2015/2016, and Ontario ranked highest. It costs an average of $8,691 a year for a student to go to school in Ontario. Saskatchewan was right behind Ontario, with a yearly average of $7,406.
Giancarlo Cattani, 24, a criminology student at Ryerson University, says accepting steep tuition costs isn’t really a choice.
“In almost every well-paying job you apply to, a degree specific in that career field is required — even if you have six years of experience in that field,” says Cattani. “It shouldn’t be a financial issue for anyone who’s wanting to get further education.”
Some schools — Ryerson University in particular — use some portion of tuition fees toward school improvements. Last year, Ryerson built a learning centre. The bill totaled approximately $112 million. Cattani feels students are paying for often unnecessary construction on campus, whereas the focus should be about delivering quality education.
“We’re basically paying for the school improvements,” she says. “I don’t even think our school needs any physical improvements. There’s much more to worry about, education-wise, than making the school look better.”
With provinces such as Alberta and Newfoundland taking strides to make education affordable, Ontario fees continue to rise. A post-secondary education in Ontario is becoming more unattainable every day.
