Wow that is such an in-depth response! Very interesting to see all the aspects you've considered. I'm wondering, what exactly do you mean by a structuralist social work program? Do you mean, the general belief that the struggles and difficulties of individuals is caused by an overarching system of oppression and injustice, and should not be attributed to the individuals themselves? Because from what I've understood looking into various programs is that most of them say that they take that approach.
I've never been to Fredericton, so that's interesting to hear that some people say its a cool place to be! And, I agree about the relative affordability- I was totally shocked after seeing how much Lakehead costs! I feel like a lot of people see it as a major benefit that the program is shorter, but I try to view it as value for money- so, at St. Thomas you are getting more education and training for lower tuition.
We are interested in a lot of the same courses at St. Thomas! I was also googling the faculty, and a few of them have interests/research that really appeal to me- check out Dr. Aamir Jamal's bio if you haven't already- http://w3.stu.ca/stu/academic/social_work/faculty/jamal/biography.aspx. It seems like he teaches community organizing/ policy courses.
And small class sizes are definitely a big plus!