It’s time that Ontario left its last-place ranking in per-student college funding, and committed to funding levels that ensure stable, good-paying jobs in colleges across the province. This, and other recommendations, are found in Funding the Future, the OPSEU college support workers’ submission to the Ministry review of the Ontario college funding model.
The submission also highlights the need to address the consequences of this under-funding, including its impacts on collective bargaining and its dependence on precarious workers. As well, it calls on the government to find a balance between its push for differentiation and the important role colleges play in providing local access in small- and medium-sized communities to comprehensive programming.
Taken together, the six recommendations in this submission provide a road map to a publicly-funded college system that can meet the challenges of the 21st century while continuing to meet the needs of communities across the province.