In a statement to The Varsity, the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) President Alexa Ballis wrote that the union will initiate a hiring process for the position of vice-president, public & university affairs (VP PUA) after the position failed to attract any election candidates despite an extended nomination period.
While the UTSU is still finalizing the timeline for the hiring process, it will start accepting applications for the position sometime in the coming week.
This is the second time the VP PUA position has been left vacant during an election period this year after the sole candidate dropped out during the spring 2021 election cycle. The appointed VP PUA Catherine Lai resigned on September 15, citing health issues.
At its most recent annual general meeting, the UTSU also announced that it would be adding a clause to its bylaws on elections to clarify a procedure which would be executed in the future if there are no candidates for a position.
Though a VP PUA election will no longer be held during the fall 2021 by-elections, other candidates are still running for director positions and the race is currently in its online campaigning period. Voting began on October 24 and will end on October 26 at 5:00 pm. The results will be announced on October 28.
