The Canadian Federation of Students Ontario (CFSON) led a rally on March 24 to protest changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), which will restructure the amount of funding students may receive, decreasing the proportion of grants and increasing the loans. The rally began on U of T’s downtown campus, outside Sidney Smith Hall, and marched through King’s College Circle to Queen’s Park.

Following CFSON’s last Queen’s Park rally earlier this month, Ontario New Democratic Party NDP leader Marit Stiles moved a unanimous consent motion to reverse changes to OSAP on March 23. The motion was defeated after failing to receive full legislative support.

Rally outside Sidney Smith

Protesters gathered in front of Sidney Smith Hall at approximately 12:20 pm. Organizers held a banner reading, “U of T STUDENTS SAY HANDS OFF OUR OSAP.” Protesters carried signs with messages, “DROP FEES, NOT BOMBS,” “FREE EDUCATION.” 

The rally’s emcees were CFSON Chairperson, Cyrielle Ngeleka, and University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) VP University Affairs, Damola Dina. “[W]e have to recognize that these realities are not felt equally across the board. It’s students from marginalized, working-class and non-traditional backgrounds who are pushed out first, and that is not a coincidence. This is what happens when education is treated as a privilege instead of a right,” said Dina to the crowd.

The UTSU, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3902, University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA), and the Student Mobilization Committee Toronto (SMC) were in attendance. In their speeches, representatives from these groups criticized Doug Ford’s government for reducing grants under OSAP while increasing reliance on loans, accusing the government of shifting the burden of education costs onto students.

“When students are forced to take on more debt, it changes the classroom. It affects who can afford to be here, who can stay, or who is pushed out,” said Rob Gauthier, president of CUPE Local 3902.

Police presence at Queen’s Park

At 1:15 pm, the crowd began marching from Sidney Smith Hall, through King’s College Circle to Queen’s Park, chanting “education is a right!” The march culminated at Queen’s Park, where the main rally took place in front of the Ontario Legislative Building.

Police stood around the perimeter of the park and in front of the Ontario Legislative Assembly building, behind a row of barricades. At one point, over 30 police officers were congregated on the far west side of the rally. 

New barricades were installed, decreasing the space available to speakers and protesters. Statues were wrapped and behind barricades. The wrapped statues came after statues on the grounds were vandalized during the last OSAP rally on March 4. 

The increased police presence was noticed by protesters who attended both rallies. One protestor said in an interview with The Varsity that they had noticed the change in atmosphere, saying, “They really pushed where they’re letting us stand back quite a bit.” 

Another protestor said in an interview with The Varsity that this rally “feels a lot more hostile… I knew that there was going to be more people. I knew there was going to be more of a presence from the cameras from news stations. But that gives me hope.” 

Ahead of the rally on March 24, CFSON made an Instagram post to prepare protesters for “police presence and violence,” providing recommendations on how to stay safe and prepare for interactions with police.