Two Ontario party leaders laid out their plans on the campaign trail Tuesday to help young people deal with the affordability crisis.
Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie said she would eliminate interest on student loans, create 40,000 paid internships and apprenticeships through tax credits to companies and make student residences more affordable.
"Ontario's Liberals have a plan to smash our unemployment rate in half," Crombie said at a campaign stop in Toronto.Â
"We're also going to ensure that you have a family doctor, and we're also going to promise you that you won't be saddled with student loans and student debt."
Crombie would extend the amount of time needed to repay Ontario Student Assistance Program loans and increase the income threshold when those repayments begin to $50,000.
She said she would also cap international student enrolment at 10 per cent at all Ontario colleges and universities.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles said her party would introduce rent control, turn student loans into grants and eliminate interest on student loans.
"We need to take the pressure off of students," Stiles said at a campaign stop in Kitchener, Ont.
Both Stiles and Crombie say they would keep post-secondary tuition frozen for domestic students and they would increase funding to post-secondary institutions.
Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford is in Washington, D.C., to meet with U.S. lawmakers and business leaders in his capacity as Ontario premier.
Ford called a snap election set for Feb. 27, saying he needs a new mandate to deal with U.S. President Donald Trump.Â
Stiles, Crombie and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner have all said the election is unnecessary, a waste of money and nothing short of a power grab by Ford while he's ahead in the polls.
Elections Ontario has said the budget for the election is $189 million.
— With files from Rianna Lim in Toronto and Maan Alhmidi in Kitchener, Ont.
This report by ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø was first published Feb. 11, 2025.
