Debt Sentence: An online discussion

Over the past two weeks we've explored the impacts of the rising cost of post-secondary education. Twenty years ago, when I went to McGill University, which has long been considered one of the best schools in the country, tuition was roughly $500. It's now almost eight times that amount, at least for out-of-province students. And that's for a Bachelor of Art. A medical degree costs nearly $8,000 a term -- $15,670 for your first year -- in tuition and fees, never mind room, board and books.

The same dynamic is playing out across the country. Education that was once fairly easily accessible to the middle class is now becoming prohibitively expensive with families looking at paying upwards of $70,000 to $80,000 per child over the course of their degree. (Although admittedly less if they can remain at home while going to school).

The burden of escalating tuition prices impact not only the students, who are required to take on staggering sums of debt that will somehow need to be repaid after graduating, but by parents who increasingly find themselves balancing the costs of their kids education against saving for retirement, renovating the house or replacing their aging car. It's a juggling act that appears only to be growing weightier by the day. Those staggering debt burdens and retirement security concerns also present ominous implications for Canada's economy as a whole.

In this discussion today, we want to hear from some experts in the field, but also from you. What steps are you taking to either save for the costs of school, cover it as you go, or pay it off after convocation? Join the conversation.