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Friday, January 25, 2019

Thousands march through downtown Toronto to protest Doug Ford's OSAP cuts

From Yonge-Dundas Square to the front lawn of Queen's Park, Toronto is currently filled with the voices of students dissenting against cuts to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).

"In 2012, the Quebec government decided to raise tuition rates. In response, a quarter of a million students took to the streets to demand change," reads a Facebook event for today's protest in Toronto. "The result was a halting of tuition increases."

"This year, The Ontario government has decided to target our right to education through the recent OSAP reform," it continues. "All students will be affected, and now it is our time to tell the government that we will not sit in silence."

More than 4,400 people marked themselves as "attending" the protest on Facebook, and it looks like at least half of them actually showed up (not bad, as far as Facebook events go.)

The rally began at Yonge-Dundas Square around 2 p.m. on Friday afternoon.

Students and their supporters brought along clever (and savage) signs of support for the cause.

Some of them more creative than others.

Next, the group marchined in unison to Queen’s Park...

Chanting all the while.

There, the peaceful protest has resumed.

Speakers such as NDP and opposition leader Andrea Horwath are lending support to the many young demonstraters.

Those who weren't able to make it downtown held rallies of their own in support of the movement.

And it's not only students in Toronto.

The call to restore critical funding to university and college students who need it is echoing across the entire province today.

The students were scheduled to continue fighting the power until 4:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon, but their demonstrations show no sign of slowing down anytime soon.


by Lauren O'Neil via blogTO

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