How much did the Sainte-Anne private college, located in Lachine, overcharge parents? Is it $47 or $1097? At the Ministry of Education, the answer varies over time.
The Press reported last winter that seven subsidized private schools exceeded the maximum amounts they can charge for their educational services in 2021-2022. These amounts are set by Quebec each year.
At Sainte-Anne College in Lachine, tuition fees “far exceed the authorized amounts,” we read in the report of the Consultative Commission on Private Education.
The Ministry of Education then told us that the excess amount was $47.
However, emails exchanged between Sainte-Anne College and the Ministry of Education regarding this overrun show a difference of $1,097.
It was Quebec Solidaire MP Ruba Ghazal who obtained these emails under a request for access to information.
A maximum of $4803 in total
The day the article was published, the director of Sainte-Anne college, Ugo Cavenaghi, wrote to Claudia Angers, of the Ministry’s Directorate of Private Education.
“I imagine you read the nice article about college this morning in The Press ! Journalists are more interested in this kind of controversy than anything we have to offer as educational innovation in the world of education,” wrote Ugo Cavenaghi on February 17.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The CEO of Sainte-Anne College, Ugo Cavenaghi
“That said, I would like to understand how the journalist determined that we exceeded the limit of $47,” he continues. “I imagine that this amount, which we never had, comes from a calculation by your ministry. Would it be possible to enlighten me on this point? »
Three days later, the Ministry employee explained to him that under the Private Education Actthe school can charge “$4,803 in total, for registration fees, fees for educational services and fees for services of a similar nature for 2021-2022”.
“However, the educational services contract for that year clearly showed that this maximum had been exceeded. So, these costs represented a total of $5,900,” she continues.
“This was also raised in the 2020 report and the establishment had not made the necessary changes [bien] that he is committed to doing so,” we also read.
“Ancillary costs”
How can we explain such a discrepancy between the figures provided to The Press last February and those mentioned in the email sent to the school principal? At Sainte-Anne College, we say we are “surprised”.
The calculation you make is not correct. The maximums to be respected are only linked to the amount requested for educational services [ce qui inclut les frais d’admission, d’inscription et de même nature]. Other costs are separate.
Nancy Gendron, brand and communications director of Collège Sainte-Anne
The Ministry of Education explains that “an analysis of the educational services contract was carried out, and it was found that certain amounts, included in educational services, were in fact incidental costs”.
“The amount overcharged for educational services was no longer $1,100, but $47,” we are told.
There is no “legal limit” on incidental charges. “Ancillary costs in fact imply a contractual relationship between a private company and its client. Thus, the law allows the MEQ to intervene on tuition fees, but not on incidental costs,” the Ministry wrote to us last February.
A failure to respect the law, according to Ruba Ghazal
In the case of Sainte-Anne college, we are playing on words, says Ruba Ghazal.
“ [Le Ministère] limits itself to saying that the educational costs alone exceed the maximum allowed in this category by only $47. But when we read the answer to the [demande d’accès à l’information]we can clearly see that the maximum allowed includes costs other than educational costs,” says Mme Ghazal.
In this same email, Quebec writes that “the establishment was made aware, once again during last year’s renewal, that the contract did not respect the maximums.”
“To this end, I was asked what the consequences would be if you did not comply with them. At this time, Collège Sainte-Anne has not committed to modifying the document,” we continue.
These schools are subsidized and fees are capped, recalls Ruba Ghazal, who finds it “scandalous” that the Private Education Act (LEP) is not respected.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The spokesperson for Québec solidaire in terms of education, Ruba Ghazal
What shocks me the most is that the Private Education Advisory Commission gives them the permit even though they charge illegal fees. It’s illegal to do that.
Ruba Ghazal, spokesperson for Québec solidaire in terms of education
Why was the college license renewed? The Ministry responds that it “renews the permit of an establishment which has demonstrated the availability of required and adequate human, material and financial resources, as well as the quality of its educational organization”.
“Overall, the file submitted by Collège Sainte-Anne met the ministerial requirements,” writes its spokesperson Bryan Saint-Louis.
A school that does not respect the Private Education Act can “receive a notice requesting compliance, have the validity period of their license reduced, have their approval withdrawn, receive fines according to the sanctions provided for in sections 128 to 137 of the LEP or have their license revoked or not renewed”, he specifies.