A document obtained by NDP Ontario revealed that nine universities and colleges in Ontario have collectively spent nearly a million dollars to lobby the McGuinty government for more grants.

Obtained through a freedom of information request, the document lists nine Ontario colleges and universities who paid independent lobbying firms to get funding from the government.

York University spent the largest sum of money ($ 491,500) on three different lobbying firms, followed by University of Ontario Institute of Technology ($130,000) and Laurentian University ($102,000).

“It is wholly inappropriate that public institutions would use student money to lobby the government,” said Joel Duff, the organizer of the Canadian Federation of Students in Ontario.

Duff said universities and colleges, which like to see tuition fees increase, are “using our money against us” by lobbying the government for more funds, which could mean increased tuition fees.

“Our education system is in a sad state. We have the highest tuition in all of Canada yet the worst quality in all of Canada.”

Sandy Hudson, the chairperson of CFS Ontario, said it is wrong that schools “need to be begging” for grants.

“The fact of the matter is institutions are underfunded. The government needs to put post-secondary education at a higher priority,” she said.

Hudson added that a lack of resources is resulting in increased classroom sizes and students writing less essay assignments. This information is from a recent survey released by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations.

Other institutions that pay lobbyists are the Ontario College of Art and Design ($54,000), Wilfrid Laurier University ($69,000), Lakehead University ($33,000), Lambton College ($54,000), Mohawk College ($31,000), and George Brown College, which refused to reveal the amount of money it pays Capitol Hill Group, a lobbying firm.

All universities in Ontario are already a part of the Council of Ontario Universities, which lobbies on their behalf.

University of Toronto media representative Laurie Stephens said U of T does not pay independent lobbyists.

“As a matter of practice the university does not employ lobbyists to advocate or arrange meetings with the provincial government,” Stephens wrote in an e-mail message.

“We have good ongoing working relationships with government that are helped by our proximity to Queen’s Park and by the fact that a number of our senior administrators know the government structures well, based on working experience in and with the government.”

Institutional resources should go into improving education, not paying lobbyists, said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath in a press release.

“When students are struggling with higher tuition fees and higher debts, universities shouldn’t be spending scarce resources on lobbyists,” said Horwath,

“Something is wrong when money is being diverted away from students into lobbyists’ pockets,” he added, urging the McGuinty government to ban the use of independent lobbyists by public institutions.

“It’s time for the Premier to protect public dollars instead of his friends and advisors by banning lobbyists in the public sector.”

The document lists all lobbying firms, save those hired by Laurier and Lambton College, who are currently active.