Lucas Granger is a third-year History and Urban Studies student running for Vice-President External Affairs of the UTSU. He is currently the Innis College Director on the UTSU’s Board of Directors.
In an interview with The Varsity, Granger said that he plans to work with other student groups on campus against the Ford government’s changes to postsecondary funding, including the Student Choice Initiative, which will allow students to opt out of certain, non-essential incidental fees.
“We need somebody who knows how to collaborate, rather than just pretend [the] UTSU is a central, sole existence on campus,” he said.
Granger said that he strongly advocates for the UTSU to leave the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), a contentious national organization of student unions that some unions across Canada have attempted to leave in the past few years.
“I have firmly believed [in leaving the CFS] since I’ve been here,” he said. “When I moved into Innis Residence in my first year, I was living with people who were in the You Decide campaign, and that really shaped how I viewed the UTSU.”
Granger also hopes to start a “rent smart” campaign for tenants’ rights in Toronto, citing his own personal experience having difficulty finding an affordable place. “It’s bad, and people should know their legal rights… what signs of neglect are in rental buildings, and we should put that in one document that we can access on our documents page.”
On transit, Granger wants to expand the TTC’s student discount to include postsecondary students. He also believes that students at UTSG should be given subsidized access to the UTM shuttle. Currently, UTM students ride the shuttle for free, but UTSG students do not.
In advance of the upcoming federal election in the fall, Granger wants to start a campaign to let students know how to vote and where to access information on platforms, ideas, and candidates.
