Executive Statement on the Decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal

Yesterday morning, the Ontario Court of Appeal rejected the Ford Government’s attempt to reinstate the Student “Choice” Initiative (SCI), which sought to defund student services and student organizations.  

The UOSU Executive Committee is pleased that the Ford Government’s attempt to undermine student democracy has been defeated. This appeal was a waste of Ontario taxpayer’s money, motivated solely by Premier Ford’s strange ideologically motivated vendetta against student unions. All the UOSU’s services and external organizations are democratically funded by way of a student referendum. Many of these services specifically serve marginalized communities; all of them provide good student jobs and important career opportunities. The SCI would have put all of this at risk. 

Although we now hope that the Ford Government will focus all its attention on recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, we remain vigilant to the possibility that the Ford Government may look for ways to circumvent the Court’s decision.  

The UOSU will continue to champion strong student unions, that will be able to better serve and advocate for the student body, held to account by a robust campus media.