The Many Faces of CCSA

I have a correction to make. In a previous post, I stated that the CCSA (which usually means "Canadian Congress of Student Associations," but more about that later) "does not currently have a website." Boy was I wrong! As it turns out, there are three different websites, or at least web domains, that claim to be "the CCSA," none of which are actually owned by the recently-incorporated organisation.

Website Number 1, http://www.ccsaonline.org/, is the oldest of the three, having been registered in October of 2001. It contains archived versions of the websites for CCSA conferences held in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004, as well as a brief note thanking those who participated in CCSA 2005. It is owned by the Seneca Students Federation, and managed by their Director of Operations, Mario DiCarlo. Why the Seneca Students Federation owns this website is beyond me; as far as I can tell, they haven't hosted a CCSA conference in some time. (Incidentally, archived records of Website Number 1 show that as late as February 9, 2005, ccsaonline.org still displayed the friendly portal for CCSA 2004, even though CCSA 2005 [hosted by the Students' Unions of Vancouver Community College] had already taken place over a month earlier.)

Even curiouser, however, is Website Number 2, http://www.ccsaonline.ca/. This website, which was created in June of 2004, is owned by the Ryerson Students' Administrative Council (RyeSAC), which is now known as the Ryerson Students' Union. (Ryerson has not hosted any CCSA conference for several years now, either.) Managing the (currently non-functional) site on behalf of the RSU is Bob Emerson.

Rob Emerson is no stranger to controversy. When the aforementioned website was registered, he held the position of Operations Manager of RyeSAC. In that capacity, he had been criticized by Sajjad Wasti, former VP Finance and Services, for allegedly making business decisions that benefited the Canadian Federation of Students rather than the students of Ryerson. Emerson weathered that storm, and was elevated to the position of General Manager when Brad Lavigne, the former GM (and former National Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students) left Ryerson to become NDP Director of Communications. Emerson later left RyeSAC to become General Manager of the Student Campus Centre (SCC), an entity distinct from the student union. Shortly after taking the helm of the SCC, however, he was attacked by his former employer. Under the leadership of President Rebecca Rose (incidentally, an ally of top political operative Jeremy Salter), the RSU accused their former GM of acting in a conflict of interest; tried to fire Mr. Emerson and his top staff; when that failed, moved to end all cooperation between the RSU and the SCC; and is currently encouraging students to bombard his email address until the SCC restocks its feminine hygeine product dispensers, on the grounds that "Pads and Tampons are our RIGHT not a PRIVLEDGE!" [sic]. But despite this controversy, the RSU apparently comfortable having their former GM continue to manage their CCSA domain name.

Website Number 3, http://www.ccsa2006.ca/, is the 'newest' of the three websites, having been created on March 28, 2006. It is owned personally by James Pratt. Mr. Pratt's illustrious carrer has included one year as President of the Carleton University Students' Association (CUSA), one year as Treasurer of the Ontario division of the Canadian Federation of Students, and two years as CFS National Deputy Chairperson. He is presently Executive Director of CUSA (or is that Executive Coordinator?), and in his spare time apparently serves as Membership Secretary for the NDP Ottawa Centre constituency association.

Also interesting to note is that the cccsa2006.ca website does not actually advertise an upcoming Canadian Congress of Student Associations. It does, however, advertise an upcoming Canadian Conference for Student Associations, to be co-hosted by CUSA and two other student unions. This conference is to take place May 31 - June 3, immediately prior to the competing conference of the "Federation of Canadian Student Leaders." All in all, a pretty website; too bad most of the content is empty.

Of note, cheques should be made payable to the Carleton University Students' Association. This is interesting, because it would appear as though the corporation known as the "Canadian Congress of Students Associations," which was incorporated just eight months ago, appears to play no role whatsoever in this conference - not for financial purposes, not for legal purposes, not for organizational purposes. So what exactly is happening to this corporation? As far as I can tell, nothing; its directors are simply sitting on the organization and its assets.

But who knows, perhaps the CCSA will get active. There are many things that it might want to do, like change their registered address, or perhaps create a website. Or, it just might want to actually organize a congress....

Takeover? What Takeover?

The Canadian Congress of Student Associations (CCSA) is an interesting bird. For many years, it functioned "in name only." The host student association would have almost total control over the details of the conference itself - the speakers, the workshops, the length of the conference, etc. Due to its ephemeral nature, many student associations (such as my own) had never even heard of the CCSA. Near the end of the conference, the assembled student leaders would vote for the new conference site, after hearing presentations from potential host student associations.

And for years, the CCSA functioned well without any constitution, bylaws, or other framework.

Until now that is. The CCSA is now a registered corporation under the Canada Corporations Act, as of August 8, 2005. Its registered head office is in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which ought to prove convenient for at least two of its three directors:

• Amanda Aziz, President of the University of Manitoba Students' Union (UMSU) and Manitoba Representative on the National Executive of the Canadian Federation of Students. In 2005, under Aziz' presidency, UMSU voted to affiliate with the Federation in a referendum.
• Sarah Amyot, General Coordinator of the University of Winnipeg Students' Association (UWSA) and Women's Representative on the National Executive of the Canadian Federation of Students. In 2004-2005, Amyot was the President of UWSA and Manitoba Representative on the National Executive of the Federation.
• Jeremy Salter, who raised eyebrows in 2005 when it was revealed that he was running for an executive vice-president position of the Centennial College Student Association at the same time that he was president of the Continuing Education Students' Association at Ryerson (CESAR). His priority "had always been Centennial" he told the Eyeopener, Ryerson student newspaper. While at CESAR, Mr. Salter guided that organization towards the loving arms of the Canadian Federation of Students, and fired the editors of NightViews, the CESAR-published campus paper. Mr. Salter's other priorities over the years have included being President of the Lakehead University Student Union in 2001 and acting as Chief Returning Officer of the 2006 York Federation of Students elections (and allegedly acting in biased fashion in that capacity).

And with eminent folks like that running the show, this editor wonders why any student unions might possibly want to pull out of participation in the CCSA....

Incidentally, readers might be interested in knowing that the registered office address of the CCSA, 249 Southbridge Drive, Winnipeg, is being sold. And it happens to be a residential home. Whose? That, dear readers, will have to be left to another post....

Ever Heard of the "Federation of Canadian Student Leaders"?

Neither did I. But apparently they're having their inaugural conference, "Conference on Parterships and Development," this June. According to their introduction:

"This conference has been brought to fruition through the input and feedback
from many student associations of varying sizes and from across the country. Focusing on professional development, organizational development, building partnerships and planning for the future, the FCSL aims to be a forum for collaboration and progression."

The Steering Committee includes student association executives from Brock, Dalhousie, Queen's, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, University of Alberta, and Red River College. Bryan Hicks, Brock University Student Union President, seems to be chairing the event: he is on the Steering Committee; he is a listed presenter; and he seems to be the FCSL webmaster.

Some might be aware of the goings-on within the Canadian Congress of Student Associations (CCSA), the annual training and networking event for student association executives. Several large students' unions have been dissatisfied with the CCSA as of recently, complaining (1) that the conference was being "politicized" by Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) staff and executives, and (2) the conference was focussing more on the needs of small student associations, neglecting issues facing large ones. A recent report from the President of the UWO University Students' Council (unfortunately no longer available online) talked about the formation of a new annual conference, geared towards large student associations. In addition, Perhaps this is said conference?

In any event, the conference has significantly greater visibility than the Canadian Congress of Student Associations, which does not currently have a website.

More Info Re: UVSS Lawsuit

The minutes of the University of Victoria Students' Society (UVSS) Board of Directors meetings provide a wealth of information for those more interested in the ongoing legal battle over the election of the Chairperson for the coming year.

Most important is the March 28, 2006 meeting of the Board (PDF), which was attended by a Who's Who of student politicians: Students for Students candidates, Students for Progressive Change candidates, UVSS lawyer Daniel Mildenberger, Access UVic personalities Orion Carrier and Rose Mariana Robb, UVSS Chief Electoral Officer Ben Johnson. And, of course, Dallas Henault - campaign manager for "Students for Students" and BC Liberal operative. Briefly stated: after extensive debate, the Board narrowly voted not to reverse the decision of the Elections Committee to reverse the decision of the Chief Electoral Officer to disqualify Students for Students Chairperson candidate Mike Waters. Translation: Waters stays in the race.

But, of course, there is always another level of appeal, the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The minutes of the April 11, 2006 meeting of the Board (PDF) clear indicate that Penny Beames, 2005-2006 (and perhaps 2006-2007?) Chairperson, was in the process of suing the UVSS that she was leasing. The BoD then passed a resolution designating re-elected Director of Services Mark Chandler as the "instructing client" on behalf of the UVSS, to avoid a situation whereby Beames would be giving instructions to both sides in the court case.

Judging from the March 28 minutes, where it appears that independent candidate for Chairperson Chadi Akouri clearly knew the results of the Chairperson election (page 9), I believe that the following conclusions can be drawn:
(1) The ballots for Chairperson have been counted.
(2) Mike Waters won the most votes (or else Beames wouldn't have bothered to file a lawsuit).

All in all, an interesting case!

Previous posts relating to the UVSS can be found here and here.

Incidentally, I just recently found out that moderated comments were inadvertently turned on, leading to a pile-up of six comments awaiting approval. Moderation is now turned off, though the editor reserves the right to delete comments that are in poor taste, slanderous, etc.

The Rewards of Loyalty?

Faithful readers of StudentUnion.ca might be familiar with Joanna Groves. She was appointed Director of Services of the University of Victoria Students' Society (UVSS) in 2002, and won the position of Director of Finance in 2003. In 2004, she was elected Chairperson, defeating opposition candidate Dallas Henault and allegedly breaking the UVSS term-limits bylaw. The following year, she faced criticism for chairing the UVSS Electoral Committee despite her firm support for the Putting Students First slate, support which went so far as lending the key to a CFS-leased room (in space owned by the UVSS) to that slate for the purpose of storing campaign materials.

Some readers may also be familiar with the Selkirk Students' Association. Probably not that much familiarity; it's a very small organization, serving the student body at a small institution. But readers might know that it is, and has been for many years, affiliated with the Canadian Federation of Students, a trait that it shares with, inter alia, the UVSS.

But, I suspect that few StudentUnion.ca readers knew that Joanna Groves is now the key staff person (with a job title that I'll bet is "Resource Coordinator") of the Selkirk Students' Association!

Yet Another Lawsuit Against the UVSS

In an earlier post, StudentUnion.ca commented on the ongoing saga that is the 2006 elections of the University of Victoria Students' Society (UVSS). For those who don't have the time to read my earlier post: two slates warred against each other for dominance in the annual UVSS elections, the left-leaning "Students for Progressive Change" (SfPC) slate and the right-leaning "Students for Students" (SfS) slate. As the dust settled, it appeared that Students for Students won a majority of seats, including the position of Chairperson. However, matters were clouded when the Chief Returning Officer disqualified both slates' candidates for Chairperson, Penny Beames (SfPC) and Mike Waters (SfS). Both disqualifications were reversed on appeal to the Elections Committee, a decision which was sustained by the UVSS Board of Directors when Beames appealed the reversal of Waters' disqualification.

Now, the matter is before the courts; sources have informed me that Penny Beames has filed a lawsuit before the Supreme Court of British Columbia, demanding that the disqualification of Mike Waters (for allegedly receiving, contrary to the rules, an endorsement by the "Access UVic" student group) not be overturned. I am unaware as to when this court case will be heard.

After several weeks of inaction, the UVSS has released "Preliminary Election Results" (PDF) of the 2006 election on its website. A quick summary of the results:

• Results for position of Chairperson have not yet been released
• Jamie Strachan (SfPC) will be the new Director of Finance
• Incumbent Mark Chandler will continue as Director of Services. Chandler was opposed by SfS, but faced no opposition from SfPC.
• Jeremy David Peters (SfS) will be the new Director of Academics. Peters beat SfPC candidate Jonny Morris, despite the fact that Peters had no experience on the Board in contrast to Morris' two years' experience as a Director At-Large.
• Nine candidates from Students for Students were elected as Directors At-Large: Andrew Bateman, Rakhi Bhatnagar, Allisan Chan, Alex Chang, Trenton Crawford, Conrad Field, Kienan Hamm, Sara Postle, and Janet Shivas.
• Two candidates from Students for Progressive Change were elected as Directors At-Large: Maggi Gyuricska and Erin Sikora. Sikora is a current BC Young NDP co-chair, may have been a candidate in the 2000 federal election, and has previous students' union experience on the Council of the Langara Students' Union.
• Chadi Akouri (Independent) and Penny Beames (SfPC) were elected to the Board of Governors. Note that students elected to the Board of Governors do not automatically sit on the UVSS Board of Directors.

The full list of candidates, with their pictures and biographies, was removed from the UVSS homepage shortly after the end of the election, but the webmaster helpfully failed to remove this page from the UVSS website.

UVSS watchers should note that there is a further "unknown factor" in these elections: the five constituency representatives, representing the five constitutional UVSS advocacy groups: Access UVic, Native Students' Union, Pride Collective, Students of Colour Collective, and the Women's Centre. All in all, this makes for a twenty-member Board of Directors (four executives, eleven directors at-large, and five constituency reps). The Students for Students slate have clearly won ten positions; if the court battle gives their man Mike Waters the nod to lead the UVSS as Chairperson, that slate would control an absolute majority for the coming year.

All of this must be old hat to Timothy McGuire. In 1996, McGuire ran for the position of Director of Finance of the UVSS, but was disqualified by the Elections Committee for sending out a mass email to all Commerce students the day before the election containing an endorsement from the Commerce Students' Society. (UVSS rules prohibit endorsements by means other than posters and letters to the editor; they prohibit endorsements being published within one week of the election; and they require that all campaign material not be visible to candidates on the day of the start of the elections.) The matter ended up before the Supreme Court of British Columbia, which ruled that the UVSS had not erred in disqualifying him.

Thus, if past precedent is any guide, it would appear that the courts are reluctant to interfere in the internal processes of a private organization. Whether Mr. Waters will benefit from this tradition remains to be seen....

Incidentally, those who believe in poetic justice might chuckle at an October 2003 blistering letter to the editor by Richard Warnica, entitled "Electoral Reform starts at home." Warnica (who, since leaving the University of Victoria, has lent his services to The Tyee and the Thunderbird UBC Online Journalism Review) stated that "the voting system used by the UVSS produces a one party board precisely because it was never designed to accommodate parties at all." He went on to say: "By running a full slate of 10 candidates and by relying on team campaigning–in which the PSF logo is given prominence over the name of the candidate and party objectives are trumpeted on each platform, the PSF conditions students to vote overwhelmingly for the party as opposed to the individual." A quick survey of the 2006 results reveals that Students for Progressive Change At-Large candidates grabbed 42% of the vote, but only 18% of the At-Large seats, whereas Students for Students At-Large candidates grabbed 54% of the vote, and 82% of the At-Large seats. ("Putting Students First" transformed into "Students for Progressive Change" in time for the 2006 general election.)

Breaking News
CFS referendum at Thompson Rivers University valid: judge

The Supreme Court of British Columbia has ruled that a referendum to join the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) that was conducted by the Cariboo Student Society (CSS) should not be overturned, dismissing complaints raised by former executives Nicholas Byers and Brent Foster.

In their original application, Mr. Byers and Mr. Foster argued that the bylaws of the CSS ought to prevail over those of the CFS in the case of the referendum. But the judge disagreed, ruling that the CSS Board's decision to apply for prospective membership in the Federation constituted acceptance of the bylaws of the CFS, including the bylaws providing for the referendum procedure. "There are no grounds advanced that convince me that the Society’s by-laws ought to prevail in the conduct of the referendum," said The Honourable Mr. Justice R.M. Blair in his ruling.

Mr. Byers and Mr. Foster also argued that the referendum was conducted in an irregular manner. But the court decided that although the petitioners might not have been aware of some of the rules as early as they would have liked, the rules were nonetheless available for inspection. Furthermore, the court noted that the Student Society was prepared to offer funding for a "NO" campaign.

In addition, Nicholas Byers had voted twice, and had attempted to vote a third time, in an attempt to demonstrate that the voting process was flawed and vulnerable to fraud. However, he was caught on his third attempt to vote. Suffice it to say, the Court was not pleased with this breach of the rules:

Mr. Byers’ conduct in voting twice and attempting to vote on a third occasion places him in a tenuous position when it comes to pursuing his complaints against the Society. He seeks to invoke the equitable jurisdiction of this court, but comes before the court after having breached the rule of one person, one vote. His conduct is reprehensible and will not be condoned by this court.

As of yet, we have no word as to whether or not the petitioners intend to appeal.

(An earlier post covers the process leading up to the referendum itself, and also covers an interlocutory application that Mr. Byers and Mr. Foster filed while the referendum was taking place.)

"...serious deficiencies in internal controls..."

Thus saith Tompkins, Wozny, Miller & Co., auditors for the Douglas Students' Union. After completing four audits - in the earliest case, four years overdue - and submitting them to the DSU's Annual General Meeting, held in March 2006, students still don't know what's happened to their money. Furthermore, financial statements for fiscal year 2005 have yet to be released, even though over five months have expired since the end of that fiscal year.

Released on the Internet for the first time by yours truly:

• Financial Statements of the Society of the Douglas Students' Union, year ending August 31, 2001
• Financial Statements of the Society of the Douglas Students' Union, year ending August 31, 2002
• Financial Statements of the Society of the Douglas Students' Union, year ending August 31, 2003
• Financial Statements of the Society of the Douglas Students' Union, year ending August 31, 2004

All documents are in PDF form, and are provided for information purposes only.

University of British Columbia (Okanagan) Elections

In 2004, the provincial government decided to split up Okanagan University College into two components: UBC Okanagan, which would have university courses, and Okanagan College, which would have college courses. Students protested this arrangement, but then got around to business, creating two separate student associations for the two campuses: UBC Students' Union (UBCSU) and Okanagan College Students' Union (OCSU). These two associations do a lot together: their websites are made by the same company, and they even have the same general manager, Rob Nagai. The OCSU opted for an "apple" logo, whereas the UBCSU decided to adopt a logo of a bomb carefully nestled between a couple of mountains.

And, it appears that the UBCSU may indeed be experiencing a calamity of explosive proportions. Their website reports that the nomination period for their elections is now open. This information is (surprise, surprise!) out of date; the nomination period closed on March 10. But it would be reasonable to assume that elections are either underway, or are just recently closed. And who is in charge of these elections? None other than the Chief Returning Officer, Dave Lubbers. Apparently, the smart folks on the UBCSU council have decided that the best way to avoid a potential scandal that might be created by appointing one of their own executives as CRO would be... to appoint an executive from their sister student union as CRO! That's right, Dave Lubbers is on the executive of the OCSU, with the absolutely delightful title of "Federation Representative".

Now, folks, let me be perfectly clear: I am not saying that Mr. Lubbers is a partisan hack whom Rob Nagai got on board to ensure the election of a slate friendly to his interests. All I'm saying is what I've said before: it's not a good idea to allow employees, or people involved in the student movement in a partisan capacity, in charge of your elections, if only to avoid the perception if impropriety.

It will be interesting to see who wins/has won the election for the UBC Students' Union.

What's up with the College of New Caledonia Students' Association?

I am afraid that I don't have much information regarding the College of New Caledonia Students' Association, since their website is non-operational. But an inquiry with CIRA led StudentUnion.ca to the fascinating discovery that their website is owned by none other than Ken Marciniec, who is the National Executive Representative of the Canadian Federation of Students for the province of Ontario. Mr. Marciniec, the former President of the Ryerson Students' Administrative Council (now known as the Ryerson Students' Union), is also the administrator (on behalf of the Canadian Federation of Students) of www.casa-acae.ca, the bilingual form of the name of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, and of www.yescfs.ca, the campaign website that the Federation uses when urging a 'yes' vote in referenda to affiliate with them. Perhaps Mr. Marciniec has decided that he enjoys the rustic environment of the BC Interior?

In any event, any tips or information regarding the current status of the College of New Caledonia Students' Association would be most welcome.

Malaspina University-College Elections

The brand new Malaspina Students' Union website declares that the elections would take place on March 7, 8, and 9 for a number of different positions. The Electoral Committee would consist of General Manager Stephen Beasley, Director At-Large Kim Granneman, and General Member Melanie Vogels. Said committee would delegate their responsibility to a Chief Electoral Officer, whose name is unknown. Since that was almost a month ago, one can only presume that the non-presence of the results of this election on the MSU website are simply due to administrative delays.

The presence of staff and directors on an elections committee has historically been problematic. The 2005 General Election of the University of Victoria Students' Society was marred by accusations that Joanna Groves, then UVSS Chairperson, ought not to have been the Chairperson of the UVSS Elections Committee due to her partisan campaign activity on behalf of the Putting Students First slate. Similarly, the 2005 Kwantlen Student Association election was marred by complaints failed against the KSA Chief Returning Officer and several members of the KSA Elections Committee, on, among other reasons, the grounds that they, being staff of the KSA, had an interest in the election.

Of course, the Malaspina Students' Union Elections Committee does have a third member: General Member Melanie Vogels. One would presume that out of the presumably large number of General Members, at least one of them could be found who has no potential entangling links with student politics. Unfortunately, such a person was not found. Vogels has a long association with student politics, as a contact person for the MSU in 2004, as a current member of the Malaspina Education Council, as a member of the Malaspina Board of Governors in 2004, and as representative of the North Island Students' Association in 2002.

Let be be perfectly clear: I am not saying that Beasley, Granneman, and Vogels are partisan hacks who are out to ensure that their favoured candidates win the election. All I'm saying is this: it's generally not a good idea to have current or former staff, directors, or candidates in charge of your election, if only to avoid the perception of impropriety.

Fortunately, we know who won the elections, although not the names of their competitors, since the results are published in The Nav, the MSU-produced and controlled student newspaper.

Kwantlen University College Elections

Ah, the Kwantlen Student Association, the only students' union where the RCMP stops by to investigate three times in a single year!

Steve Lee, a Kwantlen student, has compiled a number of documents relating to the 2006 KSA elections. These include complaints filed from the three main slates in this election: Reduce All Fees ("RAF"), Student Movement Party ("SMP"), and Common Sense Initiative ("CSI"). The election results were simple: RAF swept all the positions that it contested, including all nine members of the Board of Directors.

But all is not as it seems. Steve Lee has submitted reports to the Elections Committee alleging that the provisions in the KSA Bylaws relating to notice were not complied with, and that he was improperly denied the right to run in the elections. Furthermore, the Ombudsperson has released a ruling essentially concurring with Mr. Lee's allegations, and advising the Board of Directors to rule the election invalid. This has not been done.

Douglas Students' Union Elections

The Douglas Students' Union (DSU) has been having problems as of recently. As Dave Fleming-Saraceno reported in The Peak back in 2005, Douglas College decided not to remit student fees to the DSU due to the latter's not having had audits for the past three years. Mr. Fleming-Saraceno stated that the CFS had given $100,000 to the DSU to keep them afloat, notwithstanding their lack of ability to keep track of said money.

Lisa McLeod, Chairperson of CFS-BC responded. She stated that the Federation had given a loan to the DSU, not a gift, and that the DSU had, in fact, completed its audits regularly. Of course, this was not the end of the matter. Jan Gunn responded, "They may not be stealing... But they can't prove they aren't." She showed a copy of a post-audit memorandum from the DSU's auditors, containing many criticisms of the way that the DSU handled its money. Gunn also claims that, in fact, there is no record of the Federation having properly approved any loan to the DSU. Confidential sources tell me that the Federation did, indeed, grant a loan to the DSU, but this loan was not subject to any terms or conditions of repayment - effectively making it more like a gift than a loan, for legal purposes at least.

But good folks in charge of the Douglas Students' Union may soon wish that they had these minor problems. DSU elections are coming up, and there are three slates vigorously competing for the votes of Douglas students. The DSU webmaster seems blissfully unaware of this minor fact, of course, but The Other Press, the Douglas College student newspaper, has dutifully published the official notices of the Students' Union. The last page of the March 22, 2006 issue notes that DSU elections will be taking place Tuesday, March 28 - Monday, April 3. The last page of the March 15, 2006 issue notes which positions would be available, and when campaigning would take place. But no where do we find out *who* these mysterious candidates are.

Fortunately, Steve Lee, a Kwantlen student, has posted a full set of resources on his website relating to the Douglas Students' Union elections. Apparently, one entire slate of candidates in the Douglas elections are actually Kwantlen students who all registered in courses at Douglas for the purposes of getting themselves elected to the DSU. This slate (called "Reduce All Fees" [RAF] at Kwantlen) is currently in power over at the Kwantlen Student Association, and many of the candidates in the DSU election are currently executives or staff over at the KSA. Mr. Lee informs Kwantlen students that "a number of your KSA staff and elected officials seem to have so much time on their hands that they feel they can effectively run multiple student unions at the same time."

What about the other candidates? Sources tell me that the other candidates are part of two different slates, each of which includes incumbent DSU executives. For example, consider the candidates for Treasurer. Jessica Gojevic is the current Treasurer; Heidi Taylor is the current College Relations Coordinator; and Liv Grewal is a former candidate for the Kwantlen Student Association with the RAF Party.

How will the elections turn out? We won't know until a few days from now, when (hopefully!) all the votes will be counted.

Les nouvelles de Québec

Pier-André Bouchard St-Amant, ancien Président de la Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec (FEUQ), a un blog! "Pabsta's groove" contient des statistiques, la commentaire politique, et l'information a propos le mouvement étudient(e) en Québec. M. St-Amant a donné un discours a l'Assemblée Générale national de la Fédération Canadienne des étudientes et étudients en 2004 (je croix...).

Thompson Rivers University Students' Union joins Canadian Federation of Students

No, no election news - none that I am aware of. Rather, something much more exciting: a referendum on joining the Canadian Federation of Students! That's right, the Thompson Rivers University Students' Union - still formally known as the Cariboo Student Society (after the University College of the Cariboo, which became TRU earlier this year) - has decided, after an absence of over 11 years, to rejoin the Federation.

But trouble may be brewing in paradise. The Omega notes that "the figures were provided by Nathan Lane, executive director of the TRU Student Union and a member of the referendum Oversight Committee." According to CFS Bylaws, referenda to join the Federation are governed by a "Referendum Oversight Committee" consisting of two Federation representatives and two representatives of the relevant students' union - hardly an unbiased composition!

Some might argue, of course, that the two students' union representatives on the committee might ensure its non-partisanship. But in this case, such arguments fall flat. Mr. Lane is well known as being a keen supporter of the Federation. Sources indicate that Nathan Lane was formerly the Organiser at the UBC Students' Union, brought on board shortly after said organization joined the Federation itself.

A survey of CSS minutes illustrates how this turn of events has arisen.

On June 23, 2005, the CSS Council discussed the possibility of prospective membership. Councilors had attended the CFS Skills Development Weekend at SFU, and several members thought it would be good to join.

On June 29, 2005, three representatives of the Federation came to speak to CSS Council: Shamus Reid, Summer McFadyen, and "Michael Gordon" (which I believe should be Michael Gardiner). A presentation was made. Reference was made to the 1995 situation when the CFS sued the CSS when the latter tried to leave the Federation without remitting their last year's membership dues. Eventually, Council voted 10-1 in favour of prospective membership in the Federation.

Over the summer, Council decided that it would be a good idea to create an "Executive Director" staff position to supplement the existing "General Manager" position held by Ernie Ware. Eventually, Nathan Lane was hired on August 31, 2005. Two meetings later, the format of CSS meeting minutes radically changes: the minutes no longer record discussion, only votes, and "Prospective Member of the Canadian Federation of Students" appears as the first line on all minutes.

On November 15, 2005, Council decides to purchase CFS handbooks. The increasing use of CFS services increases through the next few months. By the time the referendum rolls around, the CSS website is prominently advertising a number of services: the Student Work Abroad Program (SWAP); the Studentsaver Card; Homes4Students.ca; and StudentPhones.

On December 5, 2005, the CFS comes and gives another presentation to the CSS. Thereafter, Council votes to hold a referendum on membership in the Federation. The motion seems odd; it is moved and seconded by the same person (James Studer), which violates Robert's Rules of Order, and it incorrectly places the referendum in January, as opposed to its actual date of February 7, 8 and 9. Immediately after this vote, Council votes to place General Manager Ernie Ware and Executive Director Nathan Lane on the Referendum Oversight Committee. Apparently, this upsets VP Finance Jen Hayes, who, interestingly enough, was the only Council member to vote against prospective membership in the first place. This writer suggests that the prospect of appointing yet another partisan supporter of the Federation on a committee already full of them might have upset her. In any event, Council felt so strongly about this that they voted to give Ms. Hayes a "verbal warning."

On December 16, 2005, Council votes to endorse the YES side of the referendum.

On February 9, 2006, the last day of voting in the CFS membership referendum, the Supreme Court of British Columbia dismissed an interlocutory injunction filed against the CSS by students Nicholas Byers and Brent Foster. Nicholas and Brent appeared on their on behalf (i.e. not with the benefit of a lawyer) whereas the CSS was ably represented by (surprise surprise!) Don Crane, also counsel to the CFS and many other student societies in the Lower Mainland. It is highly unlikely that Mr. Crane is the CSS' regular lawyer, but in this case his expertise was being relied upon.

The students argue that the CFS referendum ought to be conducted in accordance with CSS bylaws (which provide, in part, that "the electoral committee shall be unbiased, and represent the interests of democracy" and "the electoral committee shall be comprised of a) only society members, b) not running for office") as opposed to CFS bylaws, which contain no such annoying provisions. The judge decides not to grant the injunction; not because the case has no merit, but rather because the students have not shown that "irreparable harm" would result from the referendum's continuance. However, the judge notes: "By refusing to grant the application for the injunction, I am not precluding the petitioners from pursuing their action further against the Cariboo Society for what the petitioners believe to have been breaches of the Cariboo Society's constitution and bylaws in the manner in which the Society permitted the referendum to be conducted."

And so the saga continues. The question remains: will Nicholas and Brent launch a full lawsuit against the CSS? It appears that they could have good prospects; the CSS bylaws are quite clear as to what rules are to be followed when referenda are being conducted. But lawsuits are difficult to launch - unless, of course, you're a multi-million dollar organization.

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UPDATE (2006-04-04): I have been informed that Mr. Byers and Mr. Foster have indeed filed a full lawsuit against the Cariboo Student Society, alleging numerous violations of their Bylaws and the Society Act. This case is expected to end up in court sometime next week. Stay tuned for an update as soon as more information becomes available.

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UPDATE (2006-04-24): Sources have informed me that James Studer, the CSS Councillor who was most enthusastically behind the move to join the Canadian Federation of Students, is related to Rob Nagai, General Manager of the UBC Students' Union (Okanagan) and former colleague of Nathan Lane, newly-hired CSS Executive Director.

Camosun College Elections

Fortunately for StudentUnion.ca, Camosun College's students' union and student newspaper both have websites. From this, we learn that the Camosun College Student Society (CCSS) has elections twice a year - in the spring and fall. Spring 2006 elections do not begin until later this week - April 4 - 6, to be exact. Thus, we are free to speculate as to who of the candidates [PDF] are likely to win. The whole process will be overseen by Chief Electoral Officer Michel Turcotte, who is the CCSS Office Resource Coordinator, and the owner of the CCSS website.

Jenn Chapman is favoured to be elected as External Executive, seeing as she is the only candidate for said position. Most of the other positions have multiple candidates, and there do not seem to be any official slates. Curiously, the CCSS executive is structured such that there are more candidates elected from specific constituencies (Women's Director, Pride Director, International Students Director, Students With Disabilities Director, and First Nations Student Association Director) then there are representing all students at one campus or at the entire college (External Executive, Finance Executive, Lansdowne Executive, Interurban Executive).

In addition, there are two referendum questions on the ballot. One of these, a referendum to create a $14/month fee to pay for building a student union building, was hotly opposed in an editorial by The Nexus, the Camosun College student newspaper.

The real glitch with this proposal, however, lies in the professional planning ability and organizational maturity of Camosun’s student society. It simply isn’t there. The student society, at best, flounders to undertake even a small campaign; that is, if they are provoked enough to organize one.

At worst, the student society can be seen as a collective of politically minded students who have in years past submitted falsified time sheets, and who continue to bicker like young children in a way that can prevent inspired students from getting things done.

Ouch.

University of Victoria Elections

The University of Victoria Students' Society website still has not posted who won their 2006 general election. But it is fair to say that things are set to change in a rather substantial way.

The left-leaning Putting Students First party had an impressive record - sweeping the UVSS Board for several consecutive years. But in 2004, things changed with the election of two executives and several directors-at-large from the right-leaning Students for Change slate. Rebranded as the oxymoronic Coalition of Independent Students, this slate won seven at-large seats in 2005, while being narrowly shut out of the four executive positions. In 2006, this party settled on Students for Students, while Putting Students First attempted to re-brand itself as Students for Progressive Change. After heated debate, and a lot of campaigning, my sources tell me that Students for Students has won a majority on the UVSS Board of Directors.

However, the battle is not yet over, as the main parties' candidates for Chairperson, Penny Beames and Mike Waters, were disqualified by the Chief Electoral Officer for miscellaneous violations. Both of these disqualifications were reversed on appeal to the Elections Committee one week later. Beames appealed the disqualification of her opponent to the UVSS Board of Directors, which chose to uphold the Elections Committee's decision to keep Waters in the race. But the results have yet to be released - and the news says that Penny Beames and Mike Waters are neck-and-neck.

One reason why Students for Students may have done so well was due to the tensions between Access UVic - a group representing disabled students on campus - and the UVSS executive. In particular, Penny Beames was faulted for decisions regarding Access UVic that critics said were made without adequately consulting the group. Letters to the editor demonstrate the tensions surrounding the issue.

The apparent victory of Students for Students may have wider implications, as sources tell me that this slate is thinking of trying to pull the UVSS out of the loving arms of the Canadian Federation of Students. Considering the historic involvement of the UVSS in the CFS, only time will tell whether this intiative will get off the ground.

SFU Elections

The SFSS elections this year were fairly conventional by SFU standards, though admittedly, that isn't saying all that much. Two slates - "Common Sense" and "Orange Revolution" contested the election, representing port- and starboard-leaning opinion, respectively. Added to the mix were a relatively large number of independent candidates, including yours truly! So take this post with a grain of salt....

Common Sense, lead by Shawn Hunsdale, won every spot on the SFSS Board of Directors that they contested, and also won several spots on Senate and one seat on the SFU Board of Governors. Independent candidates won two seats on the SFSS Board, and several Senate seats. Orange Revolution was completely shut out of the election - their only successful candidate was Ivy So, who was acclaimed as SFSS Business Representative.

I was elected to Senate and Board of Governors, but I lost my bid to become SFSS University Relations Officer.

UBC Elections

The 2006 elections to the Alma Mater Society of UBC went rather smoothly, in comparison to many other elections this year. Slates having been abolished, all candidates ran as independents. And this election may have exposed one of the benefits of the slate system: the guarantee that multiple serious candidates, representing the diversity of campus opinion, will be running for any given executive position. In the past, the moderate Students for Students slate waged war - usually victoriously - against the progressive slate du jour which ran under various names such as Action Now, Students' Voice, and Student Progressive Action Network. Because of said system, voters were guaranteed at least two choices for all the executive positions. By contrast, in 2006 there were only two candidates for VP Finance, of which one was a joke candidate.

The UBC Board of Governors race was a little more interesting, with results not being released for several weeks. In the end, voters gave the nod to Omar Sirri and Lauren Hunter, with a close third-place finish given to... the Fire Hydrant! Seven candidates were shamed by losing to an inanimate object, including (inexplicably, IMHO) incumbent governor Tim Louman-Gardiner.

All winning candidates for the Executive were endorsed by The Knoll, a new "alternative" paper funded by the AMS Resource Groups. Since said Resource Groups received a fair bit of funding from the AMS itself, the Elections Committee ruled this endorsement to be an unacceptable example of AMS funds being spent on partisan activities. The Knoll disputed this interpretation of events, essentially arguing that The Knoll was completely separate from the AMS Resource Groups, despite the fact that (a) The Knoll was funded by them, (b) The Knoll participants come from the Resource Groups, and (c) all Resource Groups are given free space to advertise in The Knoll. One wonders whether The Knoll borrowed this line of reasoning from other organiations that have benefited from such arrangements....

The UBC Students' Union, the cheekish union representing students at UBC Okanagan, may have already had their elections, but I couldn't find any online information regarding the candidates, or the election results (assuming that the election is over). The Phoenix, the UBC Okanagan student newspaper, does not have an online presence.

An Update

Suffice it to say, much has changed since my last post.

University of Alberta Pembina Hall students were evicted from their residences only a few days after my previous post. Despite a strong student campaign to save the only residence reserved for graduate students, the building was vacated to make way for office space. However, due to delays in renovating the hall, the building sat empty as of January 2006.

Similarly, the University of Alberta Students' Union webboard has been restored - albeit with a "Terms of Use" documents that emphasizes the non-responsibility of the Students' Union for comments posted theirein. A "National Forum" for discussion on student issues nation-wide has been disabled, however.

The 2005 election fiasco at the Kwantlen Student Association had to be resolved by a court case, in which the court's decision gave the election to the "Reduce All Fees" party. But that story requires a whole post by itself.... (And no, they haven't yet restored their webboard.)

The Embassy continues to exist at the University of Waterloo; but as far as I can tell, the Federation of Students haven't reversed their decision to cease recognizing the Embassy Students' Association.

Sheldon Levy is clearly settling into his position as President of Ryerson University.