Number of tuition refunds still to come

TORONTO — The release of the number of students seeking a tuition refund after a five-weeklong 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.

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.

“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-towork legislation passed in a rare weekend sitting at Queen’s Park.