Over 7,000 engineering students at Polytechnique in Montreal to strike

MONTREAL — Over 7,000 engineering students at Polytechnique in Montreal will go on strike next week, after the university announced it would phase out grants aimed offsetting education costs.

The engineering school had offered the grants since 2014 to offset costs associated with mandatory internships.

They will phase out the grants between now and the 2027 winter semester.

Gabriel Comby, president of the student union, says over 700 students voted last week to stage a strike on Sept. 25 and 26.

The university says local students will have to pay about $572 more in fees once the grants are fully phased out.

The university says students from outside of Quebec will pay about $1856 more in fees.

Comby says the administration is placing its financial burdens on students.

He says this is unacceptable since many students already rely on financial aid.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2025.

Over 7,000 engineering students at Polytechnique in Montreal to strike | iNFOnews.ca
Zaga Mendez, the critic for youth for Québec Solidaire, left to right, Gabriel Comby, the president of the student union at Polytechnique Montréal, and Flora Dommanget, the president of provincewide Union étudiante du Québec, stand outside of Polytechnique Montreal on Monday Sept. 15, 2025.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Miriam Lafontaine

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