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Ontario college strike puts education on hold

October 27, 2017   ·   0 Comments

By Avery Park

Over 500, 000 students in Ontario are wondering where their money is going when professors aren’t teaching in their classrooms.

The strike began on Oct. 16, and now in the second week, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and the College Employer Council are no closer to coming to a decision, or creating time to talk.

There are more then 12,000 professors, instructors, counselors and librarians currently on strike, so students have been left to their own resources, only receiving projects online, the students have no other contact with their professors.

This has really hit the college students of Ontario hard. They have been out of classes for almost two weeks, and are growing impatient. Some students decided to takethe  initiative and have made an online petition.

Ontario college students created #wepaytolearn to explain their thoughts on the strike to the public, because many students feel they deserve a refund for the days they have not been able to attend their classes.

They believe that because they have paid to be in class every day, and will continue to pay the same tuition, all students deserve a refund. It doesn’t matter how much time that is lost during the strike, they are still not receiving the service they have paid for.

Now, after earning the money to go to school, students find out that they won’t be in class for two weeks or more. They are paying for this time, and want their money back.

The petition is on change.org for those who would like to help the cause. They need 150, 000 people to sign it, and currently have over 108, 000. Their goal is for full-time students to be reimbursed $30 per day, and part time students $20 per day.

Some students need in class time, whether it is in a classroom, a studio, or a workshop. Those who require hands on learning are worried they aren’t getting the training they need to be prepared for the workforce.

Between the Humber and Georgian campuses in Orangeville, there are over 800 students unable to go to their classes. The strike is affecting people here in our community, not only the faculty you can see on strike daily, but the students wanting to learn.

Although this strike is between the Union and the Council representing College management, it has a significant impact on students, but they don’t seem to be a part of the conversation.

The students of Ontario want to make a difference for their education, and are trying their best to do that.

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