More than 90,000 postcards delivered to Dalton McGuinty calling for lower student fees

TORONTO, Dec. 9 /CNW/ - Students from Toronto, Thunder Bay, Kingston, Ottawa, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie and Windsor hand delivered more than 90,000 postcards this morning calling for a reduction of student fees, the conversion of student loans into grants, and increased, stable funding for colleges and universities.

"This record-high number of postcards demonstrates the level of support Ontarians have for to reducing student fees and increasing university and college funding," said Shelley Melanson, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students. "More than 90,000 Ontarians are ready for the government to make serious changes to the sector and it's time for government to listen."

Postcards were signed in communities across Ontario, including Barrie, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, London, Mississauga, North Bay, Orillia, Oshawa, Ottawa, Peterborough, Sault Ste. Marie, Scarborough, St. Catherines, Sudbury, Toronto, Thunder Bay, Waterloo, and Windsor. They were collected from September to November and were submitted as part of an intensive lobby week that followed the Nov. 5 student Day of Action.

"As the Reaching Higher funding framework is about to expire, students are hopeful that decision-makers will take this opportunity to invest in post-secondary education in a meaningful and sustainable manner," said Melanson. "For the majority of Ontarians, this means reducing tuition fees."

A recent Harris Decima poll showed that more than 90 percent of Ontarians believed that tuition fees must be frozen or reduced. This week, students from across Ontario are meeting with more than 60 of Members of Provincial Parliament and their staff to highlight the need for bold investment to be made the sector.

The Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario unites more than 300,000 college and university students studying at public post-secondary institutions across the province.

For further information: Shelley Melanson, Chairperson, (416) 882-9927 (cell); Joel Duff, Ontario Organiser, (416) 301-5747 (cell); Nadine Tkatchevskaia, Toronto French Media Contact, (416) 271-5759 (cell)