By Jasmine Makar and Daniel Opasinis
The 2025 Toronto Metropolitan Students’ Union (TMSU) general election was declared null and void by the TMSU board of governors, according to an email statement released Wednesday at approximately 3:30 p.m. to students.
The statement shared that an investigation was launched on Dec. 27, 2024 following multiple complaints sent to the union from an anonymous individual.
Several unidentified members of the TMSU’s current executive team and board of directors will be suspended with pay until further notice, according to the statement.
The investigation, expected to look into allegations involving TMSU staff, executives and board members, was delegated to the TMSU Board Conduct Committee, which authorized external legal counsel to retain independent investigators.
The statement also comes after election results were not released 28 days after the voting period ended on March 12.
TMSU’s board conduct committee has brought on their long-time partner St. Lawrence Barristers P.C.—an independent litigation firm—as well as MNP LLP—the union’s business consulting firm—to perform their own respective investigations. According to Wednesday’s statement, there have been no findings of wrongdoing as of April 4 when the committee received an interim update.
The statement reads, “We did not take [the allegations] lightly. We can share that, based on the investigation to date, TMSU is communicating with both the University and the police in respect to this matter.”
The board of governors said they determined that the March 2025 elections process was “deeply compromised” and the results “cannot be considered legitimate.”
Due to the ongoing investigations and what the board described as “circumstances beyond TMSU’s control,” details surrounding a rescheduled election will not be released at this time. The remaining board members will stay in place until new directors are appointed. A temporary interim executive director will also be appointed to help lead the transitional process, according to the statement.
The statement further explains that a report will be provided to the TMU community as the investigation continues.
“Once the MNP LLP investigation is complete, TMSU will determine what, if any, further actions need to take place. We will also at that time provide as fulsome a report as possible to our Members and stakeholders,” said the statement, not detailing the process of investigation from St. Lawrence Barristers P.C.
The Eyeopener will provide updates as they become available.
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