The province’s freezes on grants and tuition, combined with federal cuts to admissions of international students who pay high fees, mean its universities won’t be able to accommodate tens of thousands of qualified high school graduates by the end of the decade, the Council of Ontario Universities warned. “Ontario risks not having the vital talent and research needed to foster economic growth and prosperity,” the group said. (The Logic)

Talking point: The council issued its statement one year after a government-appointed panel recommended a 10 per cent boost in per-student grants to partly make up for inflation, followed by smaller regular increases. Queen’s Park responded with a promise of $301 million a year for three years, plus a $100-million, one-time boost for STEM programs. Then came the federal moves against international students, which Ontario’s universities estimate will cost them nearly $1 billion over two years. The universities are negotiating new five-year funding agreements with the province.