Province Will Not Contest Appeal Decision on Ontario Postsecondary Student Fees | The Canadian News

TORONTO – The Ontario government says it will not seek to bring a legal fight over fees for postsecondary students in Canada’s highest court.

A spokesman for the minister of colleges and universities says the province will not appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada after its directive that some student fees are optional was struck down.

The so-called Student Choice Initiative allowed college and university students to choose not to pay certain supplemental fees, including those of student unions.

In August, the Ontario Court of Appeals dismissed the government’s challenge to a lower court ruling that outlawed the policy.

In its ruling, the Court of Appeals found that the directive conflicts with the law governing Ontario colleges and universities.

He wrote that if the province wants to impose such a policy, it must first change the Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Act and the legislation that establishes each Ontario university.

The opt-out provisions were enacted in 2019 and resulted in many organizations on campus receiving less funding. As a result, some organizations, such as student unions, campus media, and LGBTQ advocacy centers, had to lay off staff or cut services.