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Finally there has been an update to the college strike website. Do you think I should still do homework?

Ontario college students fear the worst as talks break off!

To view the Summary of Student Demands,CLICK HERE.

To view the 'Students are NOT Pawns' Speech,CLICK HERE.

March 22, 2006, Toronto, ON � After two and half days of negotiating with two provincially appointed mediators talks have broken off again between the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) and the College Compensation and Appointments Council (the Council).

�Students from across the province should now be very concerned that they may not be able to return to the classroom any time in the near future,� says Matt Jackson, President of the College Student Alliance. �It would appear that both sides are no closer to reaching an agreement; the fact that they can not even agree on a way to resolve this dispute shows that they are even further apart than ever.�

According to both OPSEU and the Council the estimated cost of the OPSEU�s offer is $75 million to $200 million per year. The College Student Alliance estimates that at the very least OPSEU�s offer would cost an additional $160 million per year of system wide funding or just over $1,000 per student.

The college system is still suffering from years of cuts and neglect from previous governments. Ontario college students remain the lowest funded in Canada on a per student basis. This Ontario government funds each college student at a rate of approximately $5,493 per student. This is $2,586 less than a high school student and $2,100 less than a university student.

�To Ontario college students and their parents this is not acceptable,� says Jackson. �Unless the McGuinty government increases college per student funding to the national average of approximately $9,600 in tomorrow�s budget, than college students are calling on OPSEU to pull their current offer off the table; as students can not afford another significant tuition increase.�

College students across the province have already paid an additional 145 per cent in tuition fee over the last ten years and now are being asked to contribute up to 8 per cent more next year. Tuition fees for college students currently range between $1,820 and $11,000.

To learn more about the students� prospective and demands, visit www.collegestrike.com.

I think students should strike for a tuition refund. :)