(Premier Doug Ford announces creation of scholarship fund in memory of 57 Canadians – victims of the fatal Ukraine International, Flight 752, plane crash in Iran. Joining the Premier are Carleton MPP Goldie Ghamari and MPP Michael Parsi.)
Premier Doug Ford, was joined by Carleton MPP Goldie Ghamari and MPP Michael Parsa to announce the creation of a post-secondary scholarship fund to honour the victims of the recent fatal plane crash in Iran. The tragedy claimed the lives of 57 Canadians, including several from Ontario. The fund, starting in the Fall of 2020, will disburse the proposed scholarships of $10,000 to 57 students, one in memory of each victim.
“This was a terrible tragedy, and my heart goes out to the victims’ families and loved ones,” Premier Doug Ford said. “Many of the victims were students and professors with bright futures, studying and teaching at Ontario universities and colleges, and contributing to the advancement of research in many life changing fields. We will honour their memories through these scholarships to recognize their incredible contributions to our communities.”
Thirty-four of the 57 Canadian victims of the crash were academics, teaching, studying or engaged in research at universities across the country.
“There were PhD candidates, professors, researchers, doctors, like the PhD in medical biotech who was researching a new drug therapy for breast cancer. These are the incredible stories of the people that were on Flight 752. These were people committed to their education and working hard to help our society,” Ford said. “We have to make sure that we carry on their legacy and memory,” he added.
“I want to express my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims of this devastating event,” said Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities. “These new scholarships will pay tribute to those who lost their lives and ensure they will not be forgotten.”
The Ontario post-secondary institutions who lost students or faculty in the fatal plane crash included: Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, Centennial College, Fleming College, George Brown College, Lambton College, McMaster University, Queen’s University, Ontario Tech University (formerly UOIT), the University of Guelph, the University of Toronto, the University of Waterloo, the University of Western Ontario, the University of Windsor, and York University.
The scholarships will be awarded based on academic merit and financial need, and determined in consultation with Ontario’s colleges and universities, as well as with the families of the victims. Scholarships will be allocated in honour of each of the 34 victims to the institutions to which they belonged, with the remainder allocated to other eligible institutions based on a competitive process.