Leon Benoit, MP, visits some of the artists from Two Hills Elementary School who participated in his 2010 Calendar Artwork challenge. Leon has issued another challenge for 2011 – best constituency photograph! For more details – and information on the prizes – click here.
With the end of summer fast approaching, students across this constituency are preparing to return to school. This year, students who are continuing their studies in university, college, or trade-school will have access to numerous financial assistance options, largely thanks to the work of our Conservative government.
Obtaining post-secondary certification has never been more important. Our government understands that more Canadians are interested in post-secondary education in order to improve employment prospects. By providing financial assistance to Canadian students, we are investing in a skilled, competitive work-force, and helping to ensure a bright future for Canadians.
This fall, students can take advantage of a number of grants and repayment assistance options that will help to ease the burden of education costs. I would like to inform Vegreville-Wainwright residents about some of these helpful assistance options. I ask residents to spread the word about our government’s loan and grant options, and I encourage our resident students to make use of them in financing their education.
Canada Student Grants
The Canada Student Grants assists Canadian families with the cost of higher education by providing money that does not need to be paid back. Borrowers are automatically assessed for these grants when they apply and qualify for a Canada Student Loan. Grants include those for:
- students from Low-Income Families - $250 per month;
- students from Middle-Income Families - $100 per month;
- students with Permanent Disabilities - $2,000 per loan year;
- students with Dependents - $200 per month, per child;
- part-Time Students with Dependants – up to $1,920 per loan year; and
- grants for Part-Time Studies – up to $1,200 per loan year;
Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP)
This new plan helps students having difficulty repaying their Canada Student Loans by allowing them to pay back only what they can reasonable afford. Borrowers can apply for RAP through the National Student Loans Service Centre. RAP ensures that:
loan payments are based on the borrower’s income, level of debt, and family size;
borrowers will not make payments exceeding 20 percent of their income toward loans covered by RAP; and
no borrower should have a repayment period of more than 15 years, or 10 years if they have a permanent disability.
Apprenticeship Grants
Our government has introduced grants to help apprentices enrolled in programs for provincial certification in a designated Red Seal trade. The Apprenticeship Incentive Grant (AIG) offers a $1,000 taxable cash grant to registered apprentices for the completion of the first and/or second levels of their training, while the Apprenticeship Completion Grant (ACG) offers an additional $2,000 to apprentices who successfully complete their program. These grants allow registered apprentices to collect up to $4,000 in cash grants to assist in their studies.
Our Government has increased funding to universities and colleges for research and innovation by:
- committing more than $7 billion to science and technology initiatives to encourage cutting edge entrepreneurship, improve Canada’s knowledge advantage and ensure that Canada’s well-educated, high-tech workforce can compete and succeed on the world stage;
- making one of the largest investments in Science and Technology in Canada’s history through Canada’s Economic Action Plan. Billions of dollars are being put towards such things as building maintenance, repair and expansion projects at universities and colleges, state-of-the-art research equipment and improvements to research laboratories;
- taking unprecedented steps to make Canada one of the most attractive places for the world’s best students and researchers, by increasing support for scholarships and internships so that students can improve their skills in these difficult economic times; and
- increasing funding for scholarships through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council by 50 percent (to $75.2 million).
During our time as Government, we have also:
- provided $123 million to streamline and modernize the Canada Student Loan Program and simplified the delivery of financial assistance to students;
- expanded eligibility for Canada Student Loans to more middle-income families by reducing the amount parents are expected to contribute;
- increased the length of time for Registered Education Saving Plans to 35 years from 25 years, and extended the maximum contribution period by 10 years;
- created a Textbook Tax Credit to provide $65 per month for full-time post-secondary students and $20 a month for part-time students;
- eliminated federal income tax on all income from scholarships, bursaries or fellowships;
- introduced a tax exemption for elementary and secondary school scholarships from taxation; and
- increased funding for the Canada Summer Jobs program to help students acquire the skills and work experience they need.
For more information on Canada Student Loans and Grants, please visit CanLearn.ca.
I would like to wish all students the best of luck in their studies during the upcoming academic year!
