How a provincial bill could threaten student-run groups across Ottawa

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Smockum said that the bill “ensures transparency and fosters better trust” in the education system.

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“We recently concluded consultation with the sector to identify what ancillary fees should or should not be optional, what current admissions policies look like, and how research security practices can be enhanced to ensure any changes would not disrupt the delivery of a world-class education,” Smockum added.

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While for the moment, fees at Carleton have not been made optional, student groups fear this semester might be the last they have access to that funding.

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At the university, students will pay $3.67 per semester in the coming school year in fees for their student newspaper, The Charlatan, according to the Carleton University Students’ Association. The association added that there were up to 45 fees students may be asked to pay, some of which were program-specific.

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A voice goes quiet

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Bill 33 wasn’t the first time the government of Premier Doug Ford tried to give students more choice over these fees. In 2019, the government introduced a policy known as the Student Choice Initiative, which offered students the ability to opt out of the levies.

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That policy was later struck down in court.

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The impacts of similar losses have already been felt in Ottawa. In December 2025, the University of Ottawa’s radio station, CHUO 89.1, stopped live broadcasting after 50 years when a levy it had depended upon ended. And, once that relationship ended, the radio station was asked to pay more than $27,000 a year in rent, rather than $1 per month.

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That levy was cancelled due to a student vote in 2023 and not due to a change in provincial policy, but the episode showed what could be lost when such services were squeezed off their funding.

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Its supporters said the campus radio station provided a voice to underrepresented communities and gave students experience to potentially launch careers in broadcasting. Comedian Tom Green was among the notable alumni who once hosted a show on CHUO 89.1.

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Nathan Harlan, left, a vice-president with the Carleton University Students’ Association, and Lia Kiessling, station director of CKCU radio station are worried about the potential fallout from Bill 33. Photo by Jean Levac /Postmedia

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Not just students

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Lia Kiessling, the station director at Carleton’s radio station CKCU 93.1, said that more than students would suffer if the province moved ahead to make fees optional.

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“AI is changing entry-level jobs, making it harder and harder,” Kiessling said. “CKCU provides essential training to journalism students, or comms students, or anyone interested in non-profit management. My portfolio is what got me through the door with my first interviews with CBC.”

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Harlan agreed, noting that the diverse array of student clubs among Ontario’s colleges and universities prepared young professionals in so many fields.

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For Welsh, and many others like him, the vast student groups among Ontario’s colleges and universities can help prepare them for careers in so many fields. Welsh is set to study engineering at Algonquin this year after developing a passion in his club.

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“There’s a whole lot of world out there that’s not just what can exist within the curriculum, or within academia,” he said. “Being able to have student projects, especially student projects that mimic real-world engineering projects, is pretty invaluable.”

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