If you want to understand why the number of visa students at Canada’s universities and colleges – particularly in Ontario, and particularly at colleges – has risen so sharply in recent years, follow the money.
One trail leads to an unexpected place: my car.
In the spring of 2022, Ontario sent me a cheque for $440. The Ford government had just made it free to renew your vehicle registration – it used to cost $120 a year – and the move was retroactive to 2020. I had paid my fees in advance to the end of 2023, so I was refunded back to the start of the decade.
