Dear Editor,

Re: Ontario government removes grace period for student debt repayment

Short answer: It will negatively affect every single student from Ontario attending post-secondary education.

In a country where we pride ourselves in education - and we look to make said education a priority - governments sure as hell are making it hard. Not only are students trying to break into a world that is new and ever-seemingly against them, they now have immediate financial pressure the second they leave school.

Every year I JUST squeak by financially. That is with loans, bursaries, savings from a full time summer job, and I go to school out of province in an attempt to make my education more viable. I am lucky. VERY lucky. There are brilliant people out there who cannot pursue higher education as it is.

Education is a global priority, and is ever more important as time ticks on. In a world of political extremes, fake news, and pressing challenges to humanity, we need more people who possess the skills to tackle these issues and to sort through the mess we are creating. Ontario is not allowing this to happen. Canadian students are being left behind. Canada is not going to find its place in the modern world, all because provincial governments have their eyes on the next election, and not on the future.

This is bad news bears for us all. The citizens of Ontario need to wake up, and reshape their priorities before it is too late.

Dylan Williams

Meaford