On March 21, the Scarborough Campus Students Union (SCSU) held its March Board of Directors (BOD) meeting. 

Members approved an increase for the Student Society fee, but rejected the Health & Dental fee increase.

Changes to fees

SCSU President Hunain Sindhu began by explaining that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) — which reflects changes in prices for Canadian consumers — had increased by 1.7 per cent in Ontario. He proposed raising the Student Society fee accordingly from $32.26 to $32.81 for full-time students and from $2 to $2.03 for part-time students. 

Furthermore, the Student Centre fee was proposed to increase from $48.06 to $48.88 for full-time students and from $14.39 to $14.63 for part-time students. This fee will remain in effect until 2027 when, according to Sindhu, the Student Centre building will be paid off and fully owned by students. 

Lastly, the Canadian Federation of Students fee was proposed to increase by 1.8 per cent, from $9.38 to $9.41. The motion to approve all the three changes was carried, and they will be applied for the 2025–2026 academic year. 

Vice-President (VP) Operations Jena Bah then proposed a six per cent increase to the SCSU Health & Dental Plan, raising the fee from $234.19 to $248.56 per semester. 

According to SCSU Executive Director Sarah Abdillahi, the six per cent increase was chosen because last year, the SCSU was set to raise the plan by 13 per cent but negotiated it down to 10 per cent. While an increase is still needed, Abdillahi explained that it could reduce this year’s hike to account for the larger one last year. 

VP Academics and University Affairs Zanira Manesiya pointed out that this amounts to a 16 per cent increase over two years. 

Abdillahi added that the increase reflects rising costs, such as the added expenses of importing dental equipment to Canada due to tariffs imposed under US President Donald Trump. She also noted that if the motion doesn’t pass, it might become more difficult for students to access Health & Dental.

The motion to increase Health & Dental fees did not pass with eight votes in favour, two votes against, and 11 abstentions.