The Ontario government celebrated a falling rate of bad student debt yesterday, even as critics accused the province of reneging on a promise to forgive the loans of qualified students.
Approximately 18.2 per cent of Ontario Student Assistance Program loans were in default in 1999, down from 22.1 per cent the previous year.
"We're pleased, but it's still too high," said Colleges and Universities Minister Dianne Cunningham said. "I'm encouraged by this; it's a trend, and this is good."
But student groups are livid about the fact that Ontario intends to use Ottawa's Millennium Scholarship Trust program to offset the costs of its own loan remission programs. CP