Students at Hanover's high school left class en masse Wednesday afternoon to protest the Premier Doug Ford's cuts to the Ontario Student Assistance Program.
The walkout at John Diefenbaker Senior School began at 12:30 p.m., part of a province-wide demonstration against changes to OSAP that will reduce the maximum eligible grant funding from 85 per cent to 25. Under the new format, a minimum 75 per cent of funding through the "student assistance" is a loan, subject to interest.
Along with reducing grant funding, the province ended the seven-year tuition fee freeze, allowing post-secondary institutions to hike rates by up to two per cent annually.
After hearing about the changes Vivian Bender, a Grade 12 student at JDSS, wanted to get involved in the province-wide walkouts.
"We're worried that this is a bigger issue than Doug Ford and his party want to make it seem," she said. "This will affect everyone, it's not basket weaving courses that are going to be set aside for job-making ones. This is going to really change a lot of people's opportunity, and we aren't happy with that."
Bender added it's particularly frustrating as she and her classmates weren't voting age during the last provincial election, so huge decisions on their future are being made without having any say.
Not knowing if her school would have a protest, she reached out to the Students Just Want to Have Funds Instagram account to see if anyone was organizing locally and was put in charge of the efforts.
Bender said between 50 and 100 students took part. They congregated outside the school then marched down to Hanover Town Hall in the pouring rain.
Kai McKenzie, a Grade 10 student, was one of the students who participated, saying the changes will impact her future.
"I just want to have a future that doesn't involve crippling debt and having to work for the rest of my life," she said.
The OSAP changes have been panned by opposition parties, student groups and nursing associations.
Bender says it makes sense because the province as a whole will suffer, with potentially fewer people seeking the education to become doctors, nurses or a variety of other careers that Ontario is struggling to recruit.
"If OSAP really was as unsustainable as they claim, cutting it and hurting us does not solve that. That takes away people's education, that takes away our future workers... If it wasn't working, make something new, don't cut it," she said.
Hanover is not the only local community that took part in the walkouts. Students at Grey Highlands Secondary School in Flesherton, and Georgian Bay Community School in Meaford held demonstrations that afternoon.
Meanwhile, students at both Owen Sound high schools and FE Madill in Wingham have moved their walkouts to Thursday due to weather.
Bender said for those looking to lend their support, contact their MPPs.
"Express your displeasure with the changes being made to OSAP, and even just ask why they're doing it. Having clear communitcation with our lawmakers is very important."
