THE VARSITY
Vol. CXXXIV, No. 02
University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880
UTSU Insider Pass duplicates free discounts
09 September, 2013
Boarding School
FULL STORY PG 3
t a y t i s r a V e Th
. f f i t
E C N E I SC , S W E IDE I S V N I E R RE O M AND
SKATEBOARD CULTURE IN TORONTO PG 12
Nationwide drive to leave CFS launched Former GSU executive spearheads coast-to-coast campaign Murad Hemmadi VARSITY STAFF
A news release circulated late Tuesday night has ignited a confused and heated debate among followers of student politics nationwide. Petitions are being circulated by students in 15 Canadian Federation of Students’ (cfs) locals across the country to remove their unions from the federation, according to a news release. U of T’s Graduate Students’ Union (gsu) is one of the unions potentially facing a decertification vote if the campaign proves successful. The cfs is a controversial umbrella organization that represents U of T undergraduates and graduates at the provincial
and national levels. The presence of the cfs at U of T has been controversial for over a decade. Most recently, students from the Faculty of Engineering and Trinity College have cited the cfs as cause for concern in their attempts to sever financial ties from the University of Toronto Students’ Union (utsu). The gsu’s official stance on the petition, posted on its website echoes some of these concerns: “Given the issues the Union has had with the Federation over the last number of years, we understand the actions taken by some members and view their concerns as legitimate. However, the [gsu] has no formal position that would answer the question of whether or not the Union should remain as members of the Canadian Federation of Students, nation-
ally or provincially.” Despite the lack of formal involvement, a number of former gsu executives led by 2012–2013 civics and environment commissioner Ashleigh Ingle have been distributing petitions across campus this week. The petition calls for a decertification referendum this year. The release stated that “over 15 student associations are currently taking part” in decertification petitions, naming York, Ryerson, and U of T as large schools with cfs-certified unions that would see such efforts. The cfs has over 80 member unions across Canada, if all 15 schools were to leave, it would mark the largest mass exodus ever. It remains unclear whether petitions are being circulated to decertify the
CONTINUED PG 6