Windsor Students Join Provincewide Walkout Against OSAP Funding Cuts
WINDSOR, ONTARIO — Hundreds of Windsor high school students participated in a coordinated walkout on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, joining thousands of students across Ontario in protesting the provincial government's proposed overhaul of the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). The demonstration targeted the constituency office of MPP Andrew Dowie, where students voiced their concerns about the financial implications of the planned changes.
Provincewide Student Mobilization
The protest was part of a broader provincewide movement, with students from at least three Windsor schools—W.F. Herman Academy, Walkerville Collegiate Institute, and Tecumseh Vista Academy—staging walkouts. Students lined Tecumseh Road, shouting slogans and waving signs outside Dowie's office, expressing frustration with Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservative government's plan to drastically cut OSAP grants starting in the fall.
"It's really disappointing," said McKenna St. Aubin, an 18-year-old protest organizer from W.F. Herman Academy. "It's scary, because this is just the beginning of my life. I haven't gone through school to have that opportunity to make myself a career, and it's a scary thought to know that now I'm losing my funding and the money that I might need to accomplish that."
Financial Aid Shift from Grants to Loans
Under the current OSAP model, students can receive up to 85 percent of post-secondary education funding through grants, which do not require repayment, with the remaining 15 percent coming as loans. The proposed changes would reverse this ratio, with 75 percent of funding provided as loans that must be repaid, significantly increasing the debt burden for students.
St. Aubin, who plans to study psychology at the University of Windsor to become a primary school teacher, expressed doubts about her ability to afford her education under the new system. "In the state I'm in right now, maybe not," she said. "OSAP was something I was really counting on, and it's something a lot of students are really counting on."
Accessibility Concerns for Post-Secondary Education
Students argued that the changes would make higher education less accessible, particularly for those from lower-income backgrounds. "It's making post-secondary education super unaffordable for us," St. Aubin added. "It's almost as if, if you're not rich, you can't be educated. They're treating it as if it's a privilege and not a right."
Omaran Elhindawi, a 17-year-old Grade 12 student at Herman, shared similar concerns, stating that the OSAP changes would prevent him from attending college. "I'll be drowning in debt if I do," said Elhindawi, whose mother is currently relying on OSAP for her own college studies.
Political Response and Office Closure
MPP Andrew Dowie declined to comment on the protest through a representative at his constituency office. The representative noted that Dowie was not present at his Tecumseh Road office during the demonstration, leaving students without direct engagement from their local representative.
The walkout highlights growing student activism in response to education policy changes, with Windsor students actively participating in a coordinated effort to challenge the provincial government's financial aid reforms. The protest underscores the significant impact that OSAP funding decisions have on students' educational aspirations and financial futures.
