Tuition battle at U of T far from over
Date: July 23, 1999
Time: 9:47 am
The battle over tuition fees for medical residents at the University of Toronto is far from over, the university warns. Even though first-year residents will not have to pay the $1950 fee this year because the province is going to pick up the tab, there is no indication the university intends to back down.
The residents, led by feisty PAIRO (Professional Association of Internes and Residents of Ontario) President Joshua Tepper, reject the tuition fee outright, arguing that they already save taxpayers millions by staffing Toronto hospitals for less than half the OHIP rate. They also maintain that they save the university "millions" by teaching undergraduate medical students for free. Groups speaking out in support have included the CMA and Ontario Medical Association.
The issue was put on hold for a year after the province agreed to pay the fee for first-year residents this year — a move that did not sit well with some observers. Dentist John Mayhall, who chairs the university's academic board, told the U of T Bulletin that postdoctoral dental students pay fees during their equivalent to residency. They also serve the public and teach undergraduates. "The arguments have not changed," he said. "Pressure from a well-organized pressure group should not cause us to reconsider a decision we've already made."
Dr. Murray Urowitz, the university's associate dean of postgraduate medical education, had little sympathy for the residents. "Residents applying to the U of T all knew that applying to us meant paying a tuition of $1950, yet they still applied and were selected," he told eCMAJ Today. "When we sent out our letters of acceptance, we added no new regulations. [And now] many of the trainees have decided to renege on their contract."
He said the university was introducing the fees simply because the province has cut its education grants. "When the grants were cut and the university made the decision not to cut its excellent programs, the funding had to come from other legitimate sources."
PAIRO, meanwhile, would like a 2-year moratorium on the fee. The next step is an internal review, during which the tuition fee issues will be debated. Tepper says PAIRO will participate in the review, "but we strongly believe that imposing tuition does not recognize the contribution that residents make to the bottom lines of hospitals and universities."
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