Following advocacy efforts by CSA made to the Government of Canada, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, MP Sean Fraser, announced assistance for international students. International students who have a post-graduate work permit expiring between January and December 2022 will qualify for an additional open work permit of up to 18 months in new measures outlined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada on April 22. CSA will continue to work with the government to provide viable and concrete solutions for international students.

Today, the Ontario government introduced "The More Homes for Everyone Act", which outlines a package of policies to address Ontario's housing crisis. 

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This proposed packaged includes:

• Adding restrictive measures on foreign and corporate owned housing

• Working with municipalities to identify and enhance measure to crack down on land speculation

• Proposing fines & license suspensions to address unethical conduct by developers

• Investing over $19 million to help the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) and Landlord & Tenant Board (LTB) to reduce their backlogs, appoint more adjudicators, and resolve disputes more quickly 

• Commitment to a Housing Supply Action Plan every year over 4 years

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CSA submitted its 2022 Pre-Budget to the Province last February, and is pleased to see the provincial government include many of our policy recommendations in this Bill, and its commitment to address the provincial housing crisis that impacts many of Ontario's college students.

Today, the Ontario government announced it was extending its domestic student tuition freeze for colleges and universities through 2022-23 academic year. 

CSA has vigorously advocated for this tuition freeze to be extended this past year, to provide domestic students with a level of financial relief. We are pleased that the Province has provided students with this announcement, and continue to call on the Province to improve affordability of college education by committing to return Ontario Public College funding to pre-2018 levels, as well as extend this tuition freeze to international students.

Late on the night of March 17, both College Faculty & Employer bargaining teams issued statements confirming they had agreed to enter Binding Interest Arbitration, cancelling the impending Province-wide Strike. This Strike would have impacted more than 210,000 Ontario college students.

CSA has advocated for both bargaining teams to agree to Binding Interest Arbitration since talks ended in November 2021. We are pleased that both sides have agreed to follow this policy, and put #studentsfirst.

The Ontario government recently announced it will be investing $583 million over three years to help colleges and universities provide a modern and safe learning environment for students, faculty and staff, both virtually and on campuses. This funding aims to help institutions modernize classrooms by upgrading technology, carrying out critical repairs, improving their environmental sustainability and supporting virtual learning projects that increase access to postsecondary education for students.

The Government of Ontario recently announced on this years International Day of Persons with Disabilities that they will be investing an additional $3 Million over three years in the David C. Onley Initiative to build capacity of postsecondary institutions across Ontario to prepare students with disabilities to transition into the workforce. This investment will help extend support to more learners through the creation of an online toolkit, providing a comprehensive roadmap that more institutions can use to help students with disabilities.

Additional supports will include:

• Launching the AbleTo campaign to encourage employers to make workplaces accessible for employees with disabilities and support students and graduates with disabilities as they move into the workforce.

• Coordinating workshops and accessible career showcase events for students with disabilities so they can explore job options with inclusive employers.

• Facilitating recruitment opportunities and providing online resources like guidebooks, tip sheets and webinars to support job seekers, service providers, students and employers.

• Piloting innovative strategies at postsecondary institutions to actively foster the growth and accessible opportunities for students with disabilities in career preparation and employability skills.

Ontario’s post-secondary education minister announced hundreds of new condensed college accreditations designed to top up job skills or ease a career transition from Humber College’s Lakeshore campus on Wednesday.

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“Our government continues to prioritize quick, flexible training opportunities that will prepare Ontarians for the in-demand jobs of today and tomorrow,” Minister Jill Dunlop said flanked by Humber students.

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The government is backing the development of 250 programs that award micro-credentials, with enrolment available as of 2022. The new programs are the result of the government’s recent $15 million investment in rapid training.

The Ontario government released its Fall Economic Statement, indicating that they will cease OSAP clawbacks, and return spending levels for 2021-2022 to those of 2019-2020. College students will now see a net benefit of $400 million by the province, with the increased investment provided by the federal government. Since the announcement of substantial budget cuts in early 2019, CSA has continued to advocate for increased OSAP expenditures that most importantly help low and middle-income college students. CSA continues to call on the province to reverse its historical underfunding for student financial aid in our latest 2022 Pre-Budget submission to the Ministry of Finance.

The Ontario government recently announced it is proceeding with regulatory amendments that aim to create safer environments for students attending all public colleges and universities. These changes will require institutions to update their sexual violence and harassment policies in order to protect students during sexual violence investigations, and ensure that students can safely and efficiently bring forward complaints without fear of reprisal or humiliation. This announcement aligns with CSA's 2021 Pre-Budget submission to expand on-campus accessible health supports for students.

The Ontario government recently announced it will be creating a new stand-alone four year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program at Georgian College Owen Sound and Barrie campuses. This aligns with CSA's 2021 Pre-Budget Submission to expand access to degree programming across Ontario colleges.

The Ontario government recently announced it is investing $10.7 million fund to enable more flexible postsecondary education options for students. This fund will look to expand high-quality, virtual learning programs and resources across the province in partnership with eCampusOntario. This announcement aligns with CSA's 2021 Pre-Budget submission to expand access to virtual learning options for northern, rural and Indigenous students across the province.

CSA applauds the federal government for taking further action to support international students, who are an integral part of our communities & contribute significantly to our country and our post-secondary system. This policy change comes after CSA sent a joint-letter to the Government of Canada in December 2020 calling for the extension of post-graduate work permits. CSA is glad to see the need for international student supports acknowledged, which will help reduce the negative pandemic effects on international students by increasing access to work permits.

The Government of Ontario announced that they will be providing an additional $7 million, for a total of $26.25 million, to help increase access to mental health and addiction services for postsecondary students during COVID-19. This is an important investment considering how COVID-19 has exacerbated mental health issues for our college students. The funding will provide more supports for students, both on-campus and virtually, and can also be used to address the needs of vulnerable and diverse groups, such as Indigenous students, LGBTQ students, and students with disabilities. CSA has been consistently advocating for increased funding for PSE mental health supports, we are delighted to see the mental health needs of students being addressed and are looking forward to additional investments in the future.

CSA is delighted to see the need for survivor-centric sexual violence policies addressed at post-secondary institutions, with the recent amendments to Regulation 131/16. The recent amendments provide additional safeguards will be enforced at all postsecondary institutions in Ontario. In previous government submissions, CSA has highlighted the ​need for further government oversight from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities to ensure that all sexual violence prevention policies at institutions are comprehensive and effective,​ and do not cause further harm or retraumatization. CSA is hopeful that these changes will spark further dialogue on how sexual violence policies can more effectively address the needs of students through a survivor-centric and intersectional lens.

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The Government announced a $50 million investment into a Virtual Learning Strategy that will enhance virtual learning at Ontario’s publicly-assisted colleges, universities, and Indigenous Institutes and will improve the virtual learning experience for Ontario’s students. This past August, CSA participated in a consultation with the Ministry of College and Universities on Virtual Learning and recommended that the provincial government create standards for virtual-hybrid course delivery at colleges and provide resources to develop institutional expertise and faculty education in virtual delivery that would help advance high quality virtual education at Ontario colleges. CSA is delighted to see this recommendation acknowledged, and we are hopeful that this strategy will address the specific learning needs of students with disabilities, mature students, Indigenous students, international students, and students in rural and remote areas.