TORONTO — Ontario’s colleges want the province to immediately end its five-year-long tuition freeze.

Colleges Ontario says it would like the province to allow for a five per cent tuition increase for next September.

It is also calling for a 10 per cent increase in operating grants and the lifting of a cap on “high-demand” programs to allow for more student enrolment.

Last week, an independent panel found that colleges and universities across the province were struggling financially.

It recommended the province lift its tuition freeze that it implemented in 2019 and increase per-student funding to the post-secondary institutions.

Colleges and Universities Minister Jill Dunlop says the government is reviewing the report and asking the institutions to be as efficient as possible.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 20, 2023.

The Canadian Press