Ontario college tuition refund number release delayed as ministry still compiling figures

TORONTO – The release of the number of students seeking a tuition refund after a five-week-long strike cancelled classes at Ontario’s colleges could be delayed as much as a week, the provincial government said.

A day after the province said the numbers would be made public Thursday, Advanced Education Minister Deb Matthews said the government needed more time to compile the figures for release.

Last month, Matthews ordered colleges across the province to refund the tuition money for any student who felt unable to complete the condensed semester. The decision is likely to cost Ontario colleges millions of dollars which would have otherwise been saved because of the labour dispute.

READ MORE: Deadline to apply for college tuition refund passes, government to release stats

The deadline for students to apply for a refund was Dec. 5.

“We have numbers from everyone but they’re not quite verified yet,” Matthews said. “I would have liked to have given them to you today but they just aren’t ready for that.”

Matthews said preliminary data suggests the “vast majority” of students have chosen to stick with their programs and finish the semester.

READ MORE: Dropout date approaches for Ontario college students

“Overwhelmingly, students have chosen to stay,” she said, adding that the transition back to class has been hard on students and faculty alike.

“It’s always going to be a little bit bumpy but I really do believe that the strike was tough on everybody but people are committed to getting back into the classroom.”

The government ended the strike in November with back-to-work legislation passed in a rare weekend sitting at Queen’s Park.

VIDEO: Bill passed to end Ontario college strike

2:12 Bill passed to end Ontario college strike

Matthews said students experienced hardship as a result of the strike and the ministry will monitor re-enrollment in January to ensure they can continue their education.

“We know that the strike took a big toll on students,” she said. “We wanted to give students the option to withdraw, get a full tuition refund, and no academic penalty. But there’s no question the strike did discourage a lot of students from continuing and I just hope they will re-register for January or next September.”