Ontario government says tuition freeze will end in fall of 2006

Colleges and universities free to boost rates by 5% average across the board

Toronto (9 March 2006) - The McGuinty Liberal government announced Wednesday that Ontario colleges and universities will be free to raise tuition fees an average of 5% this fall when a two-year freeze expires.

"Average tuition increases for the coming year will be limited to about $100 for almost 90% of college students, and about $200 for almost 70% of university students," says Chris Bentley, minister of training, colleges and universities.

Some increases may exceed 5% but institutions must off-set the impact by applying smaller increases in other programs to maintain the overall average, Bentley says.

The average tuition for an undergraduate university program is about $5,000. College students pay around $2,000.

The announcement coincides with a province-wide strike by Ontario college faculty members, who have been without a contract since last Aug. 31. Represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE), they walked off the job on Tuesday.

"We oppose the tuition hike and want to put the focus on quality education in the colleges and we hope the minister will find a solution to the strike," says an OPSEU spokesperson. NUPGE