TORONTO -- Post-secondary students who lend a hand at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games will be getting some help of their own when it comes to their student loan payments.
The province announced Tuesday that volunteering students won't have to make their pre-study financial payment in recognition of them not picking up paid work during the summer break that year.
Meanwhile, those graduating from full-time courses who help out will have the usual six-month grace period before they have to start paying back their loans doubled to a year.
In making the announcement, the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Brad Duguid said volunteering at the Games will help students make a lasting impact on their communities and build valuable skills for the future.
"(Students) shouldn't have to choose between pursuing the opportunity of a lifetime and investing in their future," Duguid said.
The $1.9-million program is expected to help about 4,500 students volunteering with the Games.
A total of 20,000 volunteers will be involved with the sporting events, billed as the largest ever in the province. Their duties will range from collecting tickets to shuttling athletes across the city.
Recruitment for volunteers begins in mid-April and those who are selected will be contacted in September.
Saad Rafi, the Games' new chief executive officer, said they are looking for people who are "creative problem solvers, outgoing and interested in the world and passionate of their community."
"Our volunteers will be the face and the heart of the Games."
