Help for students affected by strike

Chad Bissonnette, Special to TC Media
Help for students affected by strike
St. Lawrence college faculty members on the picket line outside of the Cornwall campus (Alycia Douglass/ TC Media).

ONTARIO, Canada- Entering the fifth week of the college strike, some students may be getting the help they need in these tough times.

“Since the strike began, I have been clear that my focus is on students and their learning.” said Deb Matthews,  Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development.  “I have had the opportunity to meet with a number of student leaders and their provincial associations. I have heard from them about hardships students are experiencing as a result of this strike. Students have been in the middle of this strike for too long and it’s just not fair.”

One of the many hardships facing these students is financial difficulties. The Minister will be looking to start a fund using the savings from the strike to aid these students. The time frame for when this money will be available as well as how much a student will receive is currently unknown.

“These are details we need to work on together with students and colleges.” said Matthews. “I’m looking for the best ideas about how to make sure this reinvestment directly benefits students who have faced hardship. I will work with students and colleges very quickly to develop the parameters of the fund to ensure funding reaches students as soon as possible.”

“This is a challenging time for everyone, but particularly for students.” said Matthews “I look forward to working directly with student leaders and colleges on how we can lessen the impact of the strike on students. They deserve our support.”

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