The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is now offering a $99 Post-Secondary Student Metropass – saving students $22 each month compared to the adult fare metropass. Since January of this year, the OACC has asked the TTC for information in regards to private career college students’ eligibility. The OACC consistent position has been that career college students should be eligible to access the passes.

However, OACC learned late last week from the Chair of the TTC Commission that students attending registered private career colleges in the City of Toronto would not be eligible for the new TTC Post-secondary Student Metropass. OACC believes that this policy is unfair and discriminatory, and voiced that firmly with the Toronto Star, resulting in an article on this inequity being published on August 31.

“Career-college students locked out of TTC post-secondary pass”

OACC is working with the TTC Commission and with City of Toronto Councillors in an effort to change this policy. However, we need support and assistance from all registered private career colleges with campuses located in the Toronto area. We also need support from our students who are being denied access to the post-secondary student passes.

In the following pages we have included steps for students as well as owners and administrators to take to make TTC Commissioners and City Councillors aware of the seriousness and scope of this issue for current and future students.

We have also included talking points to guide members and their students when discussing this unfair and inequitable policy.

Our goal is to have the policy amended to include career college students at the TTC Commission meeting on September 30, 2010 or sooner, if possible.

TTC $99 Post-secondary Student Metropass

Talking Points

• Approximately 15,000 post-secondary students in the City of Toronto make the choice to attend registered private career colleges annually, and over 46,000 students in Ontario make the same choice.

• The Toronto Transit Commission’s new $99 Post-Secondary Student Metropass is not available to post-secondary students at registered private career colleges in the City of Toronto.

• The discount Metropass saves students at public colleges and universities $22 per month, with an annual savings of $264.

• This is unfair and discriminatory

• The Ontario Association of Career Colleges (OACC) firmly believes its members and their students in the City of Toronto should be eligible for this new discounted metropass. All post-secondary students live on tight budgets regardless of where they attend class.

• A student attending a university or college while working full-time taking one or two courses is eligible for the $99 Post-Secondary Student Metropass, however full-time private career college students are not. This is unfair.

• OACC represents over 250 registered private career colleges in the province, about half of which are in the Greater Toronto Area. The number of registered private career colleges is approximately 230 (112 OACC members) in the City of Toronto alone.

• The costs for including the students of registered private career colleges would be small compared to the overall costs associated with the new $99 Post-secondary Student Metropass initiative

• The OACC is willing to work with the TTC in an effort to include students in diploma programs attending registered private career colleges in the coverage areas.

Students

• Students should contact their city councillor and make them aware of the issue and ask for their support.

• Send them an email and call them

• Tell them that this issue is very important to you

• Let them know you attend a registered private career college, which is regulated by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU). Make them aware that your diploma program is also approved by the Ministry.

• Tell them you live in their ward and attend a registered private career college and find the TTC policy grossly unfair.

• Ask your councillor to help get the OACC and the $99 Post-secondary Student Metropass issue on the agenda for the TTC Commission’s September 30th meeting.

• Go to http://app.toronto.ca/wards/findAddressForVotingPlace.do to find your ward and the name of your Toronto City Councillor.

• If contacting the councillor via e-mail, please CC your college so we can see how many students make their voices heard.

• Join our Facebook group Ontario Association of Career Colleges (and our TTC initiative group) and follow us on Twitter for regular updates @ontarioacc.

Owners/Administrators

• Owners and administrators of private career colleges should also contact their Toronto City Councillor and make them aware of the issue affecting your students. Inform them you live in their ward and own or work for a private career college and find the TTC policy for the post-secondary metropass unfair.

• Ask them to write a letter to the TTC Commissioners asking them to include post secondary students attending private career colleges in the Metropass discount program

• Ask your councillor to help get the OACC and the post-secondary metropass issue on the agenda for the TTC Commission’s September 30th meeting.

• Visit http://app.toronto.ca/wards/findAddressForVotingPlace.do to find your ward and the name of your Toronto City Councillor.

• Please let the OACC know about the contact you or your staff and students have with councillors so we may keep track of the effort.

• Join our Facebook group by searching “Ontario Association of Career Colleges” (and our TTC initiative group) and follow us on Twitter for regular updates @ontarioacc.

Links to share

Facebook Group: Include Private Career College Students in TTC Post-Secondary Metropass

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=150753031615197

Go to this link to determine the ward and the name of your City Councillor

http://app.toronto.ca/wards/findAddressForVotingPlace.do

This is the list of City Councillors

http://app.toronto.ca/im/council/councillors.jsp

One Ontario career college has a pretty unique way of brightening days.

The National Institute of Esthetics, a private career college in Ancaster, takes a hands-on approach to helping people in the community. The student clinic, which has the students doing services on the public at reduced rates, offers free services to individuals undergoing cancer treatments, or who are off work due to cancer recovery.

“It’s our way of giving back,” said Dean Sherry Docherty. “The students are very well trained, and have a lot of hands on experience before they are even allowed to do services in the student clinic.” 

 The individuals undergoing the cancer treatments are required to bring a doctor’s form indicating that they are appropriate candidates for the services.

 Megan Fleischman is a student set to graduate in April 2010. She has worked on a few individuals with cancer.

 “It makes me feel really good – not only because it’s free for them, but you know they really appreciate it. The truth is they struggle,” said Fleischman. “And anything we can do to help them feel better, really makes us feel good also.”

 Talya Guitard, another student set to graduate in April, agrees. Guitard was very moved after her first service on an individual with cancer.

 “I cried that night when I got home. I have an aunt who died of cancer, and so this really hit home to me,” she said. “It reminded me why I came into this industry in the first place.”

It must be exciting to be part of something so huge. When the 21st Olympic Winter Games kicked off in Vancouver last Friday, two Ontario career college graduates were there to lend support.

Tiffany Vitez, a Registered Massage Therapist, will be working with athletes at the Games. Vitez graduated from Medix School’s Massage Therapy Program in August of 2008. She will provide massages to both the ski and hockey teams.

Vitez isn’t the only grad to head west for Vancouver 2010. 

After graduating from Willis College, Zaid Hilfi moved to British Columbia. He landed a job with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympics and Paralympics as a Desktop Deployment Technician.

“I appreciate the time and enthusiasm the staff and instructors contributed toward my training as an IT Professional at Willis College – Ottawa Campus,” said Hilfi. “It’s wonderful to be part of something as big as the Olympics for Canada, and especially in Vancouver.”

A good news story about private career colleges made headlines in today’s Toronto Star. Reporter Nancy J. White caught up with six people who lost their jobs in 2008, including Pamela Kemperle. Once a laid-off factory worker, Kemperle returned to school with the assistance of a government retraining program. Today, Kemperle is a graduate of Medix School’s Medical Office Assistant program and now happily employed at an Oshawa medical centre. Click here to read the story.

PHOTO by the Hamilton Spectator. Five-year old Shay-Lynn Franko's plate is topped off with gravy

This time of year is really about helping others.

About 30 students and chefs from Liaison College recently partnered up with staff from the Hamilton Spectator to serve nearly 500 kids with turkey and all the fixings at Hess Street Public School.

“The food was fantastic but the reaction of these kids was even better. Many had seconds and thirds and some were trying turkey or gravy for the first time,” noted the Spectator’s Editor-in-Chief David Estok in a December 12 column.

The newspaper’s photographers and reporters created a poignant online slideshow of the event. Click here to watch it.

On that note, have a wonderful holiday!