Federal scholarships to honour Flight 752 victims

The federal government is setting up a scholarship program honouring the victims of the passenger jet shot down by Iranian forces two years ago.

The program is expected to disburse scholarships worth an average of $25,000 to 176 students — the same as the number of people who were aboard Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 when it was hit by two missiles launched by Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Jan. 8, 2020.

Ottawa says the scholarships will be open to both Canadian and international students, with applications opening in fall of 2023.

Ontario, meanwhile, has renewed scholarships honouring the 176 victims, more than 100 of whom had ties to Canada, including many in post-secondary institutions.

Ontario says it will fund $10,000 scholarships to 57 students.

Fifteen post-secondary institutions in the province lost students or faculty in the tragedy.

Premier Doug Ford says he hopes the scholarships will give some comfort to the victims' families.