Vol. CXXXVIII, No. 14 January 15, 2018 thevarsity.ca —— University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880
Protests hit local Tim Hortons as franchises cut workers benefits Workers at U of T’s four locations not affected Josie Kao Associate News Editor
A recent decision by some Tim Hortons locations to cut employee benefits in response to the rise in minimum wage has elicited strong responses from members of the U of T community and the general public. The news first broke on January 3 that a Tim Hortons in Cobourg, Ontario would be ending paid breaks and some benefits, such as full dental and health coverage. The branch, which is owned by the children of Tim Hortons’ co-founders, said that the cuts were due to the provincial government’s decision to raise the minimum wage from $11.60 per hour to $14 per hour, effective January 1, 2018. The changes were also blamed on “the lack of assistance and financial help from Head Office and from the Government.” While Tim Hortons has called these cuts the actions of a “rogue group” of franchisers, the news prompted backlash from members of the U of T community, including employees at the
Winterfest in review
university’s own Tim Hortons. An employee at the Tim Hortons located in the Medical Sciences building, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Varsity that though her location wasn’t being affected by the cuts, she could not be sure that it would remain that way. “We’re happy with everything here... but I’m very unhappy about the other ones… [the labour board] should step in and so should the government,” said the employee. According to U of T Director of Media Relations Althea BlackburnEvans, “The Tim Hortons locations at Sidney Smith, Medical Sciences, UTM and UTSC employ unionized workers, so they would not be exposed to the kind of cost-cutting measures that may be taken by other franchises.” At the Tim Hortons location in Sidney Smith, an employee said that they were not allowed to comment on the issue. In response to the cuts being made by some locations, labour groups in Ontario held demonstrations at over a dozen Tim Hortons locations across the province on January 10. Tim Hortons, page 3
Marking delay in some courses leaves students without first-semester grades
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Arts & Science registrar says marks should be posted by mid-January Aidan Currie Deputy News Editor
Students in at least seven undergraduate courses have yet to receive their marks from the first semester, a delay that has not been explained by the university as of yet. The Faculty of Arts & Science registrar has tweeted that grades should be available on ACORN by mid-January and has thanked students for their patience. Students took to online forums over the past week to voice their concerns regarding the missing grades, largely among Computer Science classes. “So, I’m over a week into the winter semester, and I don’t know whether I should be re-attempting the course (in order to get into the POSt), or continuing my studies in computer science,” wrote reddit user DMihai on the U of T subreddit. “I was hoping I would be out of this limbo soon. Since admission into the computer science post is already incredibly stressful, releasing CSC236 marks this late is
insulting.” Komania, another Reddit user in a different computer science course, CSC324, wrote that prior to writing their final exam on December 16, the class had only 20 per cent of their total mark returned. “I’m venting because I’m really annoyed. I just wish there would be some communication but [the professor] just ignores all of us. I pay $13,000 in tuition and they can’t hire enough TAs to adequately mark.” Reddit user jjstat4 expressed concern for students who have to decide on back-up courses if they fail CSC236, “as the wait-list end date and drop date rapidly approaches.” As of press time, marks for CSC165, CSC236, CSC324, CSC411, STA347, JAV200, and ARC251 have not been posted to ACORN. If you are a student who has been affected by the grading delay, The Varsity would like to hear from you. Email deputynews@thevarsity.ca with tips.
EDITORIAL
SCIENCE
SPORTS
FEATURE
Playing favourites with finances
Free pharmacare?
On and off the ice
Your brain on Adderall
The TCM’s latest decision is disappointing and perplexing
The pros and cons of the new OHIP+ plan
Toronto Furies’ Danielle Gagne talks hockey
Widely used as a ‘study drug,’ the effects of ADHD medication are largely understudied
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