News Release
Office of the Official Opposition
 

Opposition Critic forces Tories to level with students
February 5th, 2004

Anna Thistle, Opposition Critic for Youth Services and Post-Secondary Education (YSPSE) and MHA for the District of Grand Falls-Buchans, today congratulated the Tory government for making their first commitment within 100 days of taking office. Earlier today YSPSE Minister John Ottenheimer stated that there are no plans to close any College of the North Atlantic campuses in the province.

"Does the minister’s statement "no planned closures" mean that there is a solid commitment by this government that all campuses will remain open?,"asked Ms. Thistle.

"If this is the case, I now ask the minister to provide another assurance to the students of our province that there will be no increase in tuition fees in this year’s budget. Tuition fees have decreased over the past three years and now is not the time to place an additional burden on our student population by increasing fees.

"The students of this province should not have to resort to getting answers from government through the media. This is a critical decision time for students as they make important plans for their future and I call upon government to open a meaningful dialogue with our students as we lead up to the budget process."

 

Media Contact:
Darrell Mercer
Director of Communications
Office of the Official Opposition
709-729-6151 or 709-687-0477