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Ontario Liberals promise $486-million for tuition grants

A Liberal government would reinstitute house calls for the frail and elderly, for example, and would introduce a tax credit for home renovations designed to help seniors.

It would also maintain green energy subsidies, a program it relies on as a major job creator.

The government’s schedule to eliminate the deficit by 2017-18 will remain unchanged.

Liberals are touting the new scholarship grants — which will amount to $1,600 per university student and $730 per college student each year — as their signature promise.

Ontario university tuition fees are the highest in Canada, having risen from $2,500 (in today’s dollars) in 1990 to roughly $6,500 this year, according to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

If the Liberals are elected, the new grant will be implemented Jan. 1 and will cost the province $486-million annually. Only students with family incomes under $160,000 would be eligible — qualifying 86%, or five out of six, students, according to officials.

Liberal officials said the rebate will be put toward fees, rather than given to students in the form of a cheque.

Premier Dalton McGuinty said the platform was “a serious plan for serious times.”

He contrasted it with a Tory pledge to implement chain gangs among prisoners.

“I ask you,” he said in a speech to Liberal faithful at a downtown Toronto hotel. “How will that help us grow stronger?”

The platform was overshadowed Monday by news some top Liberals had expressed doubts over several campaign planks, most notably a new tax credit for businesses who hire immigrant workers.

The tax credit would target immigrants in regulated professions who need work experience to gain accreditation, including lawyers, architects and accountants.

The credit would apply to the first $10,000 of costs associated with the hiring.

Liberal strategist and prominent blogger Andrew Steele reportedly told a conference call of federal Liberals that the policy could be positioned as an affirmative-action program. According to a report by The Canadian Press, Steele fretted the policy could lead to “blow back.

spotlight on: alabama chanin

Vogue Fashion Fund . Then in September of 2005, had our first fashion show and wound up on the cover of Women’s Wear Daily . One year later, almost to the day, we closed Project Alabama.

As happens, things change, people, companies and concepts grow and take on their own lives. The Project Alabama that I started closed in September of 2006 and the company that I loved grew into what is now Alabama Chanin.

Project Alabama still exists; however, it is no longer produced here in Alabama, as was my original intention (I understand that the total production is now housed in India); the offices are no longer housed in Alabama, as my original vision of community dictated and the line is not designed by me, as many people still believe.

At the time Project Alabama closed, it felt to me like the end of the world; however, sitting here today, it feels that the world is just beginning.

Click here to see the behind-the-scenes slideshow , trust me, it is not worth missing!

You can view Natalie’s book Alabama Stitch Book in our A-Store.

Read on with part 2 of the series.

Still not perfectly sure I understand how Project Alabama went from “closed” to “no longer here produced in Alabama […] the line is not designed by me”. I was reading the article cause I never heard of the company (I’m from Italy, maybe geography or simple ignorance on my side explain it), but I’m not familiar with the company’s history and would like to understand better. What happened?

Seconding JJ’s comment— the book is worth a look for the pictures alone! Though I also love the stories—being one who tends to cram as much into as little time as possible, it was kind of revolutionary for me to read about a creative process that’s all about taking your time. I have a shirt reconstruction inspired by her work in-progress at the moment… slowly, but isn’t that the point? Also definitely wanting to make her corset top and t-shirt skirts!

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