TORONTO--Ontario's students and families who are struggling to afford post-secondary education will find no relief in today's Ontario budget, according to the Canadian Federation of Students. Despite dubbing itself an "activist government on poverty," the McGuinty government's first budget of its new term fails to invest in affordable post-secondary education as a component of the province's poverty-reduction strategy.

"Students feel that Premier McGuinty has failed to consider the financial barriers that his government has put in the way of Ontario families struggling to put their kids through college or university," said Jen Hassum, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students−Ontario. "Reducing tuition fees and student debt is an important piece of the anti-poverty puzzle."

The budget's primary provisions for post-secondary education focused on investment in university deferred maintenance and incentives to invest in research "innovation." The only measures targeting students and their families include a $150 annual textbook voucher and modest funds for rural student travel.

"Over the past fifteen years, tuition fees and student debt have risen more than four times faster than the rate of inflation," said Hassum. "When thousands of Ontario students signed petitions calling for debt relief, a one hundred and fifty dollar text book voucher wasn't what they had in mind."

During McGuinty's first term of office, tuition fees rose from the fourth to the third highest in Canada and community colleges were allowed to charge illegal ancillary fees. As a result, today's students are graduating from a four-year programme with more than $25,000 of debt.

"With the Finance Minister projecting a surplus of $600 million this year, students are left wondering why more isn't being done to improve educational access and to lift families out of poverty," said Hassum.