Students and youth in Ontario pay the highest tuition fees in the country and are faced with record high levels of student debt and dismal employment options, according to Alastair Woods, the Chair of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario. So this week, students from across Ontario will be meeting with Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) to present their recommendations for the upcoming provincial budget. On average, undergraduate students in Ontario pay $7,259 in tuition fees and graduate students pay $8,456. That is about three times what students in Newfoundland and Labrador pay. In January, the youth unemployment rate in Ontario was 16 per cent, more than double the overall unemployment rate in the province. The students’ recommendations include reducing tuition fees for all students by 30 per cent over three years; ending illegal ancillary fees; improving access to graduate studies; strengthening enforcement to end illegal internships; ending unpaid work terms in the public sector, eliminating tuition fees for internships or placements in academic programs and investing in making public transit more affordable for students.