The province of Ontario announced Thursday that it has created a scholarship fund to honour the 57 Canadian victims of the recent fatal plane crash in Iran, including those from Guelph.
The fund will distribute proposed $10,000 scholarships to 57 students, one in memory of each Canadian victim.
"This was a terrible tragedy, and my heart goes out to the victims' families and loved ones," said premier Doug Ford. "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 lifechanging fields. We will honour their memories through these scholarships to recognize their incredible contributions to our communities."
"These new scholarships will pay tribute to those who lost their lives and ensure they will not be forgotten,” said Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities. "I want to express my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims of this devastating event.”
University of Guelph students Ghanimat Azhdari and Milad Ghasemi Ariani died in the Jan. 8 air disaster, which killed 176 passengers, including 57 Canadians. The lives of Guelph dentist Dr. Parisa Eghbalian, 42, and her daughter, Reera Esmaeilion, 9, were Canadians claimed in the disaster.
Other Ontario postsecondary institutions who lost students or faculty in the fatal plane crash include Carleton University, Centennial College, Fleming College, George Brown College, Lambton College, McMaster University, Queen's University, Ontario Tech University (formerly UOIT), the University of Ottawa, the University of Toronto, the University of Waterloo, the University of Western Ontario, the University of Windsor, and York University.
Criteria for the proposed scholarships will be open-ended, 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.
The Ministry of Colleges and Universities is leading the development of the scholarship fund and will engage various partners, including the federal government, cultural community groups, and other institutions. The ministry will share more information in the coming weeks.
The ministry is working towards implementation of the proposed scholarships for the 2020-21 academic year starting in September.
