November 7: University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU) Vice President (VP) External Neelofar Ahmed resigns eight minutes before a special Board of Directors (BOD) meeting that included a motion to suspend Ahmed for violating the union’s bylaws. Ahmed writes that she’s resigning from the UTGSU because she alleges that the BOD violated union bylaws and that she faced harassment from other executives. An internal report alleges that Ahmed herself harassed staff, including the union’s former Executive Director Amir Moazzami, who cited Ahmed’s actions in his resignation. As of December 3, the UTGSU has an interim VP external, but two of the union’s six executive positions still remain unfilled.

November 10: The University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) BOD approves the union and the Blind Duck pub’s operating budgets. For the first time in at least four years, the union projects a net loss for the year, amounting to a $34,450 deficit.  

November 13: The UTMSU announces that a referendum asking students to approve a levy that would fund an expansion of the Student Centre has failed. 

November 14: The Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) holds its AGM. Students vote against a proposal that would have lowered the voter turnout required to pass a referendum, but they approve a motion to increase the amount of money advocates can spend in referendum campaigns. Students also approve a $4.50 increase to SCSU executives’ wages. The union fails to present its financial statement for this past year because it has not completed its audit. 

November 19: The University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) BOD approves its 2023–2024 operating budget and its May 1–October 31 financial report. According to the operating budget, the union expects to rake in $3,316,890 this year — largely from student fees, health and dental administrative fees, interest and investment income, and revenue from the Student Commons. The union also expects to incur $3,699,650 in costs, for a net loss of $382,760. Wages, club funding, events, and costs associated with the Student Commons account for the largest portions of the union’s expenses. 

From May 1 to October 31, the union reports that it received income of $1,930,413.42 and spent $1,538,187.72, with the largest portions spent on events; facility upkeep and management; executive and staff wages; and “people and culture infrastructure” costs such as health benefits and “morale” costs. The UTSU transferred the fees it owed to the Engineering Society for this semester on November 22.

Later that day, the UTSU held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) — a meeting where students vote on bylaw changes and review the union’s financial statements and initiatives. The UTSU executives put forward a motion to abolish the Student Senate added to the bylaws during the union’s last AGM, hoping to replace it with an advisory committee made up of representatives from various campus groups. Students, primarily engineering students, vote against the motion, which ultimately fails.

Editor’s note: This article was updated to include information about when the UTSU transferred funds to the Engineering Society.