OSAP stops punishing vehicle owners
Car-owning students can now
breathe a sigh of relief as they no
longer have to think about cars
when filling out their OSAP applications.
This will be especially wonderful
news for the many Fanshawe
students who need their vehicles to
commute in from surrounding areas
that aren’t serviced by LTC.
Tracy Davies, a Fanshawe student in the Computer Programmer Analyst program, would have much more difficulty making it to class without her car. “I have a son and I live in the opposite end of the city, so it’s convenient for me to drive as opposed to take the bus,” she said.
In a press release from late April, the College Student Alliance (CSA) announced the removal of the requirement thanks to recommendations from the organization’s 2015 pre-budget submission called Strengthening Ontario’s College System for Students.
Former president of the Fanshawe Student Union and president of the CSA, Matt Stewart, was happy on behalf of his peers.
“We’re very pleased that the voices of college students across Ontario have been heard and are helping to provide direction in the government’s strategy going forward to ensure access to a quality post-secondary education,” Stewart said in a press release. “Premier Kathleen Wynne organized a tour across Ontario, which included visits to colleges, to understand firsthand challenges faced by post-secondary students.”
The submission reported that approximately 4.7 per cent of Fanshawe students who applied for OSAP in the 2012-2013 year had vehicles that were worth more than the asset exemption level, which is $5,000 for single students and $10,000 for married or sole support students.
For many students, a vehicle is thought of as an expensive necessity, not an asset.
“I don’t consider [my vehicle] as an asset as I’m leasing it,” Davies said.
Ontario is the second province to remove vehicles from its eligibility requirements, following Saskatchewan, which made the change in November 2014. As the Canada Student Loans Program removed the exemption in February 2014, Ontario students will have one less thing to worry about while navigating the forms.
“I think it’s fabulous,” Davies said. “Hopefully that will help a lot in my OSAP application for next year.”
Tracy Davies, a Fanshawe student in the Computer Programmer Analyst program, would have much more difficulty making it to class without her car. “I have a son and I live in the opposite end of the city, so it’s convenient for me to drive as opposed to take the bus,” she said.
In a press release from late April, the College Student Alliance (CSA) announced the removal of the requirement thanks to recommendations from the organization’s 2015 pre-budget submission called Strengthening Ontario’s College System for Students.
Former president of the Fanshawe Student Union and president of the CSA, Matt Stewart, was happy on behalf of his peers.
“We’re very pleased that the voices of college students across Ontario have been heard and are helping to provide direction in the government’s strategy going forward to ensure access to a quality post-secondary education,” Stewart said in a press release. “Premier Kathleen Wynne organized a tour across Ontario, which included visits to colleges, to understand firsthand challenges faced by post-secondary students.”
The submission reported that approximately 4.7 per cent of Fanshawe students who applied for OSAP in the 2012-2013 year had vehicles that were worth more than the asset exemption level, which is $5,000 for single students and $10,000 for married or sole support students.
For many students, a vehicle is thought of as an expensive necessity, not an asset.
“I don’t consider [my vehicle] as an asset as I’m leasing it,” Davies said.
Ontario is the second province to remove vehicles from its eligibility requirements, following Saskatchewan, which made the change in November 2014. As the Canada Student Loans Program removed the exemption in February 2014, Ontario students will have one less thing to worry about while navigating the forms.
“I think it’s fabulous,” Davies said. “Hopefully that will help a lot in my OSAP application for next year.”
