by Émélie Beaudry
On March 4th, 2026, the Canadian Federation of Students Ontario, CUPE Ontario (Canadian Union of Public Employees), and OPSEU (Ontario Public Service Employees Union) organised a walkout and march to Queen’s Park in response to the recent changes being made to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). These changes would end the seven-year tuition freeze implemented by the Ford government, a freeze which has left Ontario colleges and universities struggling with the government’s chronic underfunding and pushed the burden of financing mainly onto international students. These changes would also boost funding for these institutions by $6.4 billion in the next four years, effectively bringing it up to match inflation. Lastly, these changes will significantly shift OSAP’s funding structure. Students covered under OSAP have their provincial student aid split up into grants, which are non-repayable, and loans, which must be repaid after graduation. Currently, students can have up to 85% of their financial aid as grants, with minimum 15% as loans. As of fall 2026, however, this ratio will change dramatically, giving students a maximum of 25% as grants, and a minimum of 75% as loans.
Ontario students pay on average $8,000-$10,000 per year in tuition—the highest in the country. Many students and future students are concerned with their ability to balance their education and finances. “Education should be a pathway out of precarity, not another bill students are expected to absorb,” said Cyrielle Ngeleka with CFS-Ontario, in ‘No cuts, no fees, no corporate universities’: Students stage mass protest over Ford government’s OSAP cuts, by CBC News.
More than two hundred people joined the protest at Queen’s Park. High schoolers, university and college students from across the province, teachers, community workers, and parents all gathered together. “I am hopeful that this rally was only the beginning of a much larger movement that will see some real change in the funding of post-secondary education,” said Charlie Sheldon, an OCAD U student, “Education is more important than ever in such a fast-paced and rapidly changing world.” In rallying together under a common cause, students are amplifying their voices, telling the government: we will not settle for this. We may be different but we are unified in a shared purpose.
In a small survey we conducted about OCAD Students’ perspectives on the protest, some expressed concern at the lack of protest safety. At a protest, it’s essential to protect yourself. Important things to remember include (but are not limited to): hiding important identity markers, sticking together with a group of people, ensuring a trusted person knows where you are, and most of all, knowing your rights! See below for some resources on how to stay safe at a protest.
It can sometimes feel like the world is too large for a single person to change, but the truth is that it’s never just one person. United, a group of people can make sweeping change, as long as they continue to show up and stand firm on their rights.
Protest Safety Resources:
Canadian Civil Liberties Association. “Protestors: Know Your Rights FAQ Sheet.” Canadian Civil Liberties Association, https://ccla.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CCLA-KYR-Protestors_FAQ_2025.pdf
Canadian Civil Liberties Association. “Protestors: Know Your Rights.” Canadian Civil Liberties Association, https://ccla.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CCLA_KYR-Protest_Guide-Fall-2025.pdf
Human Rights Campaign. “Tips for Preparedness, Peaceful Protesting, and Safety.” Human Rights Campaign, https://www.hrc.org/resources/tips-for-preparedness-peaceful-protesting-and-safety
Just Peace Advocates. “Encountering The Police: Know Your Rights.” Just Peace Advocates, https://www.justpeaceadvocates.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Know-Your-Rights-if-you-Encounter-the-Police-in-Canada.pdf
Ontario Federation of Labour. “An Activist’s Guide to Safer Protesting.” Ontario Federation of Labour, https://ofl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019.02.11-OFL-Safe-Protesting-A-Guide-to-Your-Rights-web.pdf
Sources/ Further Reading:
Bains, Satinder. “New Ontario OSAP Rules And Changes Coming In 2026.” INC – Immigration News Canada, 12 February 2026, https://immigrationnewscanada.ca/new-ontario-osap-rules-and-changes-2026/
The Canadian Press. “Ontario lifting post-secondary tuition freeze, boosting funding.” CTV News, 12 February 2026, https://www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/politics/queens-park/article/ontario-lifting-post-secondary-tuition-freeze-boosting-funding/
Freeman, Joshua. “Queen’s Park student protest: several people arrested.” CP24, 4 March 2026, https://www.cp24.com/politics/queens-park/2026/03/04/ontario-students-rally-at-queens-park-to-protest-osap-changes/?ref=arwriter.ai
Ghare, Aliya, and Kunal Chaudhary. “Ontario’s Post-Secondary Education Crisis in Five Figures.” The Local, 9 September 2025, https://thelocal.to/ontario-post-secondary-education-funding-crisis/
Snisarenko, Alina. “Ford tells students to not pick ‘basket-weaving courses’ in wake of OSAP cuts.” CBC, 17 February 2026, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/doug-ford-osap-cuts-9.7094009
Thayaparan, Arrthy. “’No cuts, no fees, no corporate universities’: Students stage mass protest over Ford government’s OSAP cuts.” CBC News, 4 March 2026, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/osap-protest-ontario-toronto-9.7114458
Tranjan, Ricardo. “Ontario has underfunded schools by $6.3 billion since 2018 – CCPA.” Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 23 May 2025, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/ontario-has-underfunded-schools-by-6-3-billion-since-2018/