Ontario’s Career Colleges Save Province’s Taxpayers $1 Billion

Ontario’s 600 career colleges save the province’s taxpayers more than $1 Billion. This is according to numbers recently released in a paper from The Ontario Association of Career Colleges (OACC).

The paper is in response to Minister Glen Murray’s discussion paper, “Strengthening Ontario’s Centres of Creativity, Innovation, and Knowledge.”

According to the OACC’s study, over 67,000 students choose to enroll in one of the province’s 600 career colleges every year. These colleges also employ over 12,000 staff, and save the taxpayers of Ontario more than $1 billion annually, while generating over $94 million in business and payroll taxes.

“At the same time, the Career College sector generates more than $94 million in business and payroll taxes. The sector is efficient, productive, flexible, innovative and accountable. It is able to shape and expand its programming to quickly adjust to market forces, thereby complementing the educational offerings of the other three pillars,” said the
OACC’s response paper.

In the paper, the OACC recommends the government:

• Implement sector-wide quality program standards, transfer credits that encourage student mobility; and consultation with all stakeholder communities.
• Expand on the economic benefit through tax savings and new tax revenue that the sector already contributes.
• Improve pathways to apprenticeship by committing to include the career college sector in the apprenticeship model.

The Ontario Association of Career Colleges is a non-profit organization that exists to create a stronger voice and better sector quality.