On January 19, the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) held its monthly board of directors (BOD) meeting, where members confirmed the dates of the 2025-2026 UTSU election and approved three referendums for the upcoming election cycle. 

Executive reports

UTSU President Shehab Mansour highlighted the union’s ongoing initiatives, including efforts to implement REES (Respect, Educate, Empower, Survivors): an online platform for reporting sexual harassment, misconduct, and assault. 

During their Annual General Meeting, the union noted that it was in the final stages of introducing the pilot, though no date has been set for its launch on campus. 

“We are all kind of cognizant of the fact that it is a bit towards the home stretch of our terms, but we do know that we still have enough time to create new initiatives and do some good work,” said Mansour. 

UTSU Vice President (VP) Public & University Affairs Avreet Jagdev discussed the TTC Pass Program and her recent transit advocacy efforts. The program, which provides students with one free TTC ticket per day, up to three per week, is nearing its finalization. Jagdev expressed hope that the program will be operational by the end of January. 

Election dates 

Members also approved the dates for the 2025 UTSU elections, which take place annually between February and March. 

The nomination period, during which members can seek nominations for elected office, runs from February 12–19. 

The mandatory all-candidates meeting, where the Chief Returning Officer provides essential information to candidates, is scheduled for February 20. 

A silent period, prohibiting nominations, campaigning, endorsing, and voting, will follow from February 20–21. Campaigning begins on February 22, with the voting period set for February 25–28. 

Committee no-show 

The union needed three UTSU members for the Elections and Referenda committee, but no one volunteered when it went to a vote during the meeting. 

Justin Pappano, chair of the BOD, suggested that a special board meeting might be necessary to elect members to the committee. 

Student levies

Five student groups presented the levy campaigns they hope to propose during the union’s election cycle. 

The groups include Bikechain, a DIY bike repair space; Blue Sky Solar Racing, a team that builds and races solar-powered vehicles; Housing Our University Students Equitably Toronto, Canadian not-for-profit student housing developers; Regenesis U of T, an environmentalist group; and the University of Toronto Aerospace team. 

After hearing the proposals, the meeting moved to proceed in-camera, requiring all non-UTSU members to leave. During this closed session, the union debated which levies to put forward, including a proposed increase to the UTSU Orientation levy. 

Ultimately, three referendums were approved for the upcoming elections: two external levies from Bikechain and Regenesis U of T, and the union’s internal Orientation levy. 

According to the board package, the UTSU Orientation levy proposed an increase from 50 cents to five dollars per student per semester. Bike Chain proposed raising their levy from 63 cents to $2.40 per student per semester, while Regenesis U of T proposed a new levy of five dollars per semester after failing to pass a similar proposal last academic year. 

In an interview with The Varsity, VP Finance & Operations Elizabeth Shechtman noted that the union must finalize and approve the referendum questions with the Office of the Vice-Provost, Students before sharing them with The Varsity. In an email to The Varsity on January 27, Shechtman confirmed that the referendum questions were approved as they were presented in the board package. 

Editor’s Note (January 27, 11:45 am): This article has been updated to include an email from VP Finance & Operations Elizabeth Shechtman confirming the referendum questions.