TORONTO, February 25, 2016 – York University President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri applauds the Ontario government for its commitment to improving access to post-secondary education in this year’s Ontario budget.

In presenting his 2016 provincial budget, Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa announced the government will create a new upfront grant, the Ontario Student Grant, starting in 2017-18. This new grant will provide greater support for our low and middle-income students and will provide greater clarity for all of our students as to the amount of support they are eligible to receive prior to starting the school year.

Further, the government reiterated its commitment to providing students with access to high-quality programs closer to home. Part of their commitment includes the building of a new York University campus in Markham Centre as part of their Major Capacity Expansion Policy Framework.

York Region is one of the fastest-growing major urban areas in Canada and is at the heart of Ontario’s knowledge economy. The new York University Markham Centre campus will help to address increasing demand. Nearly 60 per cent of young people in York Region go on to attend university and with this new campus, they will be able to fulfill their academic aspirations closer to home.

“Today’s budget is a strong signal that the Ontario government recognizes the importance of investing in post-secondary education, enhancing accessibility, and supporting students,” said Shoukri. “We are pleased that the Ontario government has recognized the real merits of building a York University campus in York Region, and we look forward to starting work on building our new campus in Markham Centre in the near future.”

Expected to open in 2020-21, the campus will offer a diverse range of professionally relevant programs designed to meet the needs of the region.

“The new York University campus to be located in Markham Centre will help to create a vibrant cultural and academic hub within Markham for York Region,” said Mayor Frank Scarpitti. “We’re grateful to Premier Wynne and the Ontario government for their support and commitment to this important initiative. This campus is a positive step towards bringing much needed post-secondary education to the residents of York Region.”

Quick Facts

• 67 per cent of York students receive financial assistance through OSAP.
• More than $25 million was provided to York students in scholarships and bursaries in fiscal 2014-15.
• On May 19, 2015, Ontario announced they had selected the York University Markham Centre campus proposal.

York University has always been known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our 52,000 students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world.  Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. York students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds.  York U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 24 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide.

Media Contact:
Janice Walls, Media Relations, York University, x22101 / wallsj@yorku.ca