Almost six years ago to the day, I was part of a protest that saw hundreds of students storm the Ontario Legislative Assembly. Thousands of students had gathered across the country to raise their voices against staggering tuition increases.

At the time I was paying slightly more than $2,000 annually in tuition, and was (barely) living off of $10,000 a year. Five years of full-time employment later, I’m still in debt.

While the increases have slowed, tuition has almost doubled and things are much worse for today’s students.

To attend the same program I did, students now pay upwards of $5,000 year in tuition. Combine this with dramatic rent increases, and Canada is at risk of creating a post-secondary system that only the elite can afford.

And that presents more of a threat to Canada’s economy than the brain drain, high taxes, or the sinking loonie.

And that is why students have taken to the streets again.

One of my classmates, Dré Dee, from that time just got hired as the front-of-the-book editor of the new Saturday Night.