The University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) held a Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting on October 25. The union discussed accessibility improvements, transitioning transit passes to the PRESTO system, expanding mentorship programs, and a planned renovation for the Blind Duck Pub. 

On November 12, UTMSU held an emergency BOD meeting in the Student Centre boardroom to discuss Blind Duck renovations to address the current student population at UTM.

Executive reports, accessibility initiatives 

Vice-President (VP) Equity, Phillip Anyang, provided updates on the Black Mentorship Program at UTM, scheduled to launch after reading week. The program aims to connect first- and second-year Black students with upper-year mentors. The program aims to assist Black students in their transition to university as well as foster and strengthen U of T’s Black student communities. 

Anyang also shared his recent consultation at Dalhousie University on accessibility models for paid note-taking and asynchronous lectures, which he believes could improve support for UTM students with accessibility needs. He encouraged board members to promote an accessibility survey that the UTMSU will use to gather data for lobbying efforts. 

VP University Affairs Sidra Ahsan shared updates on the tri-campus credit/no-credit campaign, which has received over 1,091 survey responses from U of T students. 

“The number is still pretty low, because it should be more if it’s three campuses involved,” Ahsan noted. To address this, the UTMSU plans to keep the survey open indefinitely, aiming to gather more data over time to present to the administration. 

She encouraged students to join the campaign by volunteering to analyze survey data, emphasizing that testimonials will play a key role in lobbying efforts.

The union also announced that UTM’s U-Pass will transition to the PRESTO card system in May 2025, allowing students to use their PRESTO cards instead of QR codes for transit access. 

By enabling a one-fare transit system, students can switch between MiWay and TTC services within two hours without incurring additional costs. 

Additionally, the UTMSU successfully negotiated a freeze on fare increases for the upcoming year, followed by a controlled three per cent increase for the next two years after next year. 

In addition to their work on transportation, Ahsan also discussed the ongoing efforts, such as sourcing alternative products in line with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. She noted the logistical challenges in this process, given the dominance of companies like PepsiCo in campus supply chains. “[We’re] trying to figure out what we can replace without having to raise prices for students and [to not] shut the [technology].” 

Moreover, President Joelle Salsa addressed the university’s guide on protests. Launched in August, the user guide breaks down the university’s existing policies on-campus protests. 

For Salsa, the guidelines are “[designed to] silence students, [which contradicts]… freedom of speech.” 

Recently, Salsa met with representatives from other student unions to discuss the implications of these guidelines. She scheduled a follow-up meeting with the U of T VP and Provost Trevor Young to address student concerns.

Fall 2024 Election results

Chief Returning Officer (CRO) Kyri Williams presented the fall 2024 election results, which aimed to fill positions in Division 1 (first years), Division 3 (part-time students), and Division 4 (members-at-large). The report detailed a 3.9 per cent voter turnout, with 197 ballots cast out of 5,008 eligible voters — a notable increase from last year. 

Williams noted that “There were 349 [votes counted]… [with] only one abstention, which was surprising, but good.”

Division 1 saw a competitive race, while Division 3 remained vacant due to insufficient nominations. The CRO’s report also recommended several procedural updates, including adopting digital nomination packages to better engage part-time students and considering expense reimbursements for Division 1 candidates. 

After the report, board members ratified the election results and approved the destruction of ballots, a routine governance step according to UTMSU’s bylaws. The CRO expressed confidence in the election’s transparency and adherence to union standards.

Emergency BOD

On November 12, the union held an emergency BOD meeting to discuss and vote on proposed renovations for the Blind Duck Pub, which aims to improve the space for students. 

Financial audits for the UTM Student Centre and the Blind Duck revealed a $40,000 loss for the pub due to rising food costs, labour expenses, and renovations. The planned renovation aims to address capacity, safety, operational issues, and modernizing the kitchen. During the meeting, Blind Duck General Manager Shane Madhani gave a detailed presentation on the pub’s challenges, explaining that the kitchen — originally designed for a smaller student body — is now struggling to meet demand. 

According to Madhani, the Blind Duck was built in 1999 when there were about 4,500 students. Today, with nearly 17,000 students, Madhani notes that “it’s come to a point where we can’t have a band aid solution.” 

The renovation will involve restructuring the kitchen layout and adding additional fryers, grills, and storage space. This expanded setup would enable faster service, reduce wait times, and introduce grab-and-go options, which Madhani believes will better serve students between classes. 

He proposed a target completion date of April 2026, coinciding with UTM’s summer schedule to minimize disruption. 

The UTMSU confirmed that no referendum was necessary, as the renovation would be fully funded by reserves. Following the amendment to increase the project budget to two million dollars, the board voted to approve the funding.