For immediate release
September 20, 2006

More Opportunity for Graduate Studies at York University
McGuinty Government On The Side Of Students Who Want Access To Opportunity

TORONTO – More than 1,000 new spaces for graduate students are being created at York University, Mario Sergio, MPP for York West, announced today.  York University will receive support to create an additional 761 additional masters spaces and 374 PHd spaces in 2007-08.

“This is part of our government’s plan to boost the number of graduate students in Ontario universities in order to bolster economic growth, spur innovation and create a competitive advantage for the province,” said Sergio, MPP. “Our goal is to develop the science and technology professionals, the innovative thinkers and researchers, who will drive our economic competitiveness in the future.”

Through the Reaching Higher plan, the McGuinty government will add 12,000 graduate student spaces by 2007-08 and 14,000 by 2009-10, a 55 per cent increase over 2002-03 levels.  The government is providing $240 million in operating funding over the next two years to support the addition of new graduate students.

Premier McGuinty and the Minister of Research and innovation, the Hon. Chris Bentley, officially announced the graduate space increase in north Toronto at sanofi pasteur’s north Toronto headquarters.  Premier McGuinty joined sanofi pasteur President J. Mark Lievonen to celebrate the company’s $30 million expansion to increase production of polio and pertussis (Whooping Cough) vaccines.  The company – Canada’s only fully integrated vaccine producer – researches, develops and manufactures human vaccines in Ontario for export across Canada and around the world.

In addition to the new announcement, the McGuinty government will also fund $550 million in investments at Ontario universities over the next five years to support the construction of facilities to accommodate the additional students. 

Providing more access to graduate education is the latest way the McGuinty government is working to provide opportunity for Ontario’s students.  Other initiatives include:

• Doubling our investment in student aid to help more families with the cost of higher education; enhancements in student aid will benefit 145,000 students this year.
• Expanding the number of first-year medical education spaces by 23 per cent and establishing new medical school campuses in Kitchener-Waterloo, Mississauga, St. Catharines and Windsor.
• Providing increased funding to Ontario’s colleges and universities to hire new faculty and staff and increase student/faculty interaction.

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Contact;
Mario Sergio, M.P.P
York West
Tel: 416-585-7007