“We Want OSAP ASAP” Humberview Secondary School students walk out to protest OSAP slash

March 12, 2026 · 0 Comments

By Riley Murphy

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Following Premier Doug Ford’s recent announcement regarding cuts to grant amounts under the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), high school students across Caledon walked out on March 11 to protest and advocate for their education.

Humberview Secondary School students took it one step further, leaving school and marching directly into Downtown Bolton’s core to raise awareness.

Despite the heavy rainfall, these high school students walked and biked downtown, chanting “We want OSAP ASAP.”

The province, alongside an announcement of billions of dollars in funding for Ontario’s colleges and universities, and the end of a years-long tuition freeze, announced changes to the OSAP grant structure.

The allocation of OSAP funding for eligible students in the new school year will be reduced to a maximum of 25 per cent for grants, with funding for loans increased to a minimum of 75 per cent.

Currently, students can receive a maximum of 85 per cent in grants, which do not have to be repaid, and a minimum of 15 per cent in loans that need to be repaid.

Now, students who are soon to set out into post-secondary education are forced to reconsider their options without OSAP support.

Aleda, a Grade 11 student, and with these cuts to OSAP, they fear they won’t be able to continue on to post-secondary.

“I have a single mother, and I know if I don’t get this funding, this help that I need, I’m not going to be able to get higher education,” says Aleda.

“I’m worried that without it I can’t get to the future.”

For Grade 12 student Anna, even though she does not require OSAP, she joined the walkout in support of her friends.

“For me, it really hurts that this will be affecting their ability to attend post-secondary institutions and struggle to make ends meet,” she says.

Cars honked in support and cheered as the students stood in the pouring rain, holding signs with phrases such as “Hands off OSAP” and “Education should not be a debt sentence.”

The changes to OSAP’s grant structure will take effect for the 2026/2027 academic year, specifically for programs starting on or after August 1, 2026.