Barrie Students Demand OSAP Grant Reinstatement Amid Protests

Rain or shine, high school students in Barrie are standing up for their futures.

About 200 students from Bear Creek Secondary School, Innisdale Secondary School, and Maple Ridge Secondary School gathered at Barrie-Innisfil MPP Andrea Khanjin’s office on Wednesday to protest recent cuts to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) grants.

The students marched along Mapleview Drive, receiving honks of support from passing drivers. Many held signs they had made by hand, showing their frustration over how these cuts might impact their future education and finances.

Similar protests occurred around the same time at other high schools across the province, including outside Doug Downey’s office representing Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte. There, students from Barrie North Collegiate Institute and Eastview Secondary School participated as well.

High school students protest cuts to OSAP grants outside MPP Andrea Khanjin’s office in Barrie, Ont., Mar. 11, 2026. Photo-Julius Hern/Barrie360.

OSAP funding is divided between grants and loans that need to be repaid with interest after finishing post-secondary studies. Currently, about 85% of OSAP funding consists of grants while only 15% are loans; however, starting this fall, students will see a maximum of only 25% of their funding provided as grants.

The announcement made by Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn on February 12 included reduced financial assistance alongside a multi-billion dollar boost for colleges and universities and an end to tuition fee freezes.

Fynn Touchette, a senior at Bear Creek, expressed he was “absolutely surprised and taken aback” by the government’s choice.

“I understand they’re trying to give more money back to the universities (and colleges),” he said. “But by taking away the supports they have in place disproportionately affects low-income students. It’s going to reduce the number of people who can pursue an education.”

Touchette played a key role in organizing his school’s walkout and worked with peers from Innisdale and Maple Ridge to coordinate this protest effort. He estimated that around 50 to 75 fellow students from Bear Creek would join him at the rally.

He even created an Instagram account to spread the word and organized carpools to maximize attendance.

“This is just a mechanism for me to reach young people,” he says. “Instagram is incredibly effective at communicating our message. So word of mouth, posters, flyers-talking to people-that’s how I got everyone involved.”

“It didn’t really take much convincing because this is something that matters deeply to students.”

Touchette has already applied for university but mentioned that these cuts could steer him away from his preferred field of political science toward joining the military instead since it would cover his tuition completely.

The 18-year-old believes this decision will weigh heavily when he votes for the first time next April-or possibly sooner-and thinks many of his classmates will feel similarly when casting their ballots.

He also hopes their efforts will prompt Khanjin to make a public statement supporting her constituents against changes in OSAP grant policies.

Khanjin’s office was closed during the demonstration with no one appearing inside at that time. Her team did not respond immediately when asked for comments.

“I’ve called and emailed numerous times,” Touchette said. “The only information we received was that she wouldn’t be here-nothing about whether she supports us or any updates.”

High school students protest cuts to OSAP grants outside MPP Andrea Khanjin’s office in Barrie, Ont., Mar. 11, 2026. Photo-Julius Hern/Barrie360.

Kien Duong, another organizer who is also a senior at Innisdale, noted similar feelings are resonating across Ontario as other protests were happening simultaneously elsewhere in the province.

“We all pretty much share the same perspective; we’re just located in different places physically,” Duong stated. “But today we came together as one voice advocating for Ontario’s future.”

Duong is fortunate enough to have a full Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP), yet remains dedicated to fighting for what he believes is right.

“
These loans are burdensome,” he explains. “Starting university should already be stressful without adding more pressure due these changes.”

“It’s going to make Canada’s youth less educated during a time when unemployment rates are skyrocketing; it’s necessary now more than ever to have degrees if you want stable employment,” Touchette added.

(Organizers mentioned while teachers can’t take formal positions on issues like this one, they’ve been supportive through providing resources and rearranging schedules.)

A report released on September 10 by Statistics Canada revealed Ontario’s average annual tuition cost stood at $8, 958for Canadian undergraduates for academic year 2025-26, which was 11. 5% higher than Canada’s national average. In contrast, international undergraduate fees reached $49, 802annually on average- a staggering 11. 9% above national figures.

The protests come just one week after hundreds rallied outside Queen’s Park where demonstrators expressed similar concerns; though tensions ran higher there than today.

The provincial government plans on introducing its budget March 26 which would include reductions in grant amounts, increasing reliance among many on student loans instead.Touchette summed it up well: “It doesn’t set young Ontarians up for success; it strips away supports previous generations benefited from.”

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