On May 14th, 2024, after the third session of the third reading of Bill 166, the Strengthening Accountability and Student Supports Act, the Bill was voted on with a result of carried on division (Bill Status Link Found Here).
The CSA understands that the majority of the house has voted to carry the motion and enact Bill 166 into law. Since the Bill was first introduced, there has been some opposition from Ontario’s Post-Secondary Institutions, particularly regarding the autonomy of institutions to make their own decisions.
As the provincial representative of College students across Ontario, CSA is astutely aware of the struggles, barriers, and differences in service delivery, transparency, and protections across institutions, especially between large and small institutions and rural/northern and urban/southern institutions. In our April 17th Submission on Bill 166 to the Chair of the Standing Committee on Social Policy, we expressed our gratitude to the sitting government for creating such a Bill that seeks to protect students in the in-need areas of mental health, racism/hate, and financial transparency. CSA offered three recommendations to strengthen the Bill, but ultimately encouraged its timely implementation to ensure students benefit as quickly as possible.
Although not all of our recommendations were ultimately taken on board, we are encouraged by the Legislature’s adoption of the Bill. We believe the additions that have been made to the Bill will improve the delivery and quality of services, the accessibility of ministerial directives, and accountability of institutions to students in the areas of mental health, racism/hate, and financial transparency.
Once again, we look forward to Bill 166’s quick proclamation into law.
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