Our government is working hard to deliver on items that matter to Ontarians. In this edition of the Weekly Update, you can find the latest news on what the Province is doing to:
- Support Universities
- Bring Home Investment and Job Opportunities
- Reduce Fees and Tolls
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Ontario Investing Nearly $1.3 Billion to Stabilize Colleges and Universities
Today, the Ontario government introduced a suite of measures to stabilize the province’s colleges and universities, including nearly $1.3 billion in new funding, while maintaining the tuition fee freeze to keep costs down for Ontario students and parents. The province is also introducing legislation that would, if passed, support student mental health, safe and inclusive campuses and allow for increased transparency of fees. This suite of measures also includes initiatives that will help connect students to rewarding careers to help build Ontario’s skilled workforce.
To support students and their families, Ontario is extending the tuition fee freeze for publicly assisted colleges and universities for at least three more years. Institutions will be able to increase tuition by up to five per cent for out-of-province domestic students. At the time the freeze was first introduced and accompanied by a 10 per cent reduction in fees, Ontario had the highest university tuition rates in the country. Since then, students and parents have saved an estimated $1,600 per year on average for university and an estimated $350 per year on average for college, compared to what they would have paid under the previous policy that allowed three per cent increases each year.
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The province is also introducing the Strengthening Accountability and Student Supports Act, 2024 that would, if passed, authorize the Minister to issue directives requiring colleges and universities to provide information about ancillary fees and other students costs, including costs for textbooks or other learning materials. This could include ensuring that fees are published by institutions in a consistent manner – for instance, by publishing costs in a course syllabus.
In order to provide additional transparency as it relates to tuition, the province will also engage with colleges and universities to create tuition fee transparency to help students and their families better understand how tuition fees are used.
The Strengthening Accountability and Student Supports Act, 2024 would also, if passed, require colleges and universities to have policies in place relating to mental health and wellness supports and services and require colleges and universities to have policies in place to combat racism and hate, including but not limited to antisemitism and Islamophobia.
To help more students find jobs, the province intends to allow colleges to offer applied masters degrees in areas of study that will help students graduate with in-demand skills, expertise and credentials. This approach will also provide employers access to more industry-ready employees that meet labour market needs in specialized fields such as advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence and animation.
The province will also launch a career portal to help students understand labour market needs and make informed decisions on postsecondary education. This will consolidate various sources of information to help students and newcomers access education and careers in Ontario.
With these investments and suite of measures, Ontario is taking a responsible approach to allow flexibility amid a challenging financial climate, while protecting students and parents from the additional costs.
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Ontario Continues to Attract New Investments Across Key Sectors
Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, issued the following statement on monthly employment numbers released by Statistics Canada, which showed Ontario added nearly 24,000 jobs last month, including 9,700 jobs in the construction sector, leading the nation in job creation for January.
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At a time when Ontario, Canada and jurisdictions around the world are facing economic uncertainty, our government is maintaining a targeted and responsible approach to attracting investments and creating more good-paying jobs for the people of Ontario. Across key sectors, companies are choosing Ontario as an ideal location to support their growth and innovation.
In January alone, six businesses announced $133 million in investments to expand operations, creating 152 new, good-paying jobs in regions across the province. These businesses include Kitchener’s FluidAI Medical, London’s Starlim North America Corp. and Andriani Ltd., and Niagara Region’s Stanpac Inc., AMSI Inc. and St. David’s Cold Storage. As part of these investments, Ontario is providing close to $12 million in funding through the Regional Development Program and the Ontario Together Fund.
In January, Ontario delegations attended two successful trade missions promoting the province’s growing automotive, technology, life sciences, and manufacturing sectors in both the United States and Mexico. These missions provided an important opportunity to promote the province’s industrial might at some of the largest conferences in the world, including the Biotech Showcase in California, the Consumer Electronic Show in Nevada, and Expo Manufactura in Monterrey, Mexico.
Our government’s responsible approach is creating more opportunities for people and businesses today, while laying the foundation for a strong and resilient economy for future generations. By connecting Ontario businesses to the international marketplace, the province continues to be positioned as one of the best jurisdictions in the world for companies to invest, grow and create jobs.
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Government of Ontario Delivering on Commitments to Get it Done
Last week, the Ontario government introduced legislation that, if passed, would make it easier and faster to build transit, housing and other critical infrastructure. The Get It Done Act would also help people keep more of their hard-earned money by banning new tolls on provincial highways and give them a veto over any future provincial carbon tax.
The government announced its intention to ban new tolls on provincial highways, automate the licence plate renewal process and legislate the current freeze on driver’s licence and Ontario Photo Card fees. The province also announced it would protect people and businesses from the high cost of a provincial carbon tax by requiring the government to first obtain the consent of Ontario voters through a referendum before implementing a new provincial carbon pricing program.
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The Ontario government is also moving forward with several other initiatives aimed at streamlining building approvals to get shovels in the ground sooner on roads, highways and public transit, as well as other key infrastructure projects. These initiatives include:
The government is also proposing amendments to the Official Plan Adjustments Act, 2023 that, if passed, would modify the legislatively approved official plans for some of Ontario’s fastest-growing municipalities to better reflect both local and provincial priorities.
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My constituency office is open Monday to Friday from 10AM to 4PM.
If you have any questions or concerns we’re readily available to assist you.
You can also reach us by phone at (416) 781-2395
or by email at robin.martin@pc.ola.org.
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Warmest Wishes,
 Robin Martin, MPP
Eglinton-Lawrence
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