By Amira Benjamin

Disclaimer: Trudy Kuropatwa Trent is an organizer with the Student Mobilization Committee and has paid for ads in The Eyeopener.

Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) students gathered in the Thomas Lounge in the Student Campus Centre to organize against the provincial government’s OSAP cuts and Bill-33, the Supporting Children and Students Act, on the evening of Feb. 26.

The in-person meeting, with over 40 student organizers, was hosted by the university’s three student unions:  the Toronto Metropolitan Students’ Union (TMSU), the Toronto Metropolitan Association of Part-Time Students and the Toronto Metropolitan Graduate Students’ Union. There were also representatives from CUPE Local 1281 and the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario (CFS-O).

Trudy Kuropatwa Trent, president of the Performance Students Union and third-year production and design student, said she was very pleased with the town
hall’s turnout. 

“I think we got a lot done and we got these action plans going, so we can take this from online organizing like emails…and make some material change happen,” she said in an interview with The Eyeopener. 

“I think [the] important part here is building a good foundation through real, effective outreach and base-building.”

In an email to The Eye, Jay Ashdown, communications coordinator for the TMSU, said they were “thrilled to have a full house.” 

“TMSU will work to hone what we hear into productive, coordinated action and provide students with tools to advocate for the shared cause of affordable and accessible education,” the email said.

Bill 33 gives the Progressive Conservative government authority over how student ancillary fees are used on university campuses, as previously reported by The Eye. This means they could stop funding certain student-run services like health clinics or radio stations without student input.

Bill 33 was passed in November and TMU’s equity centres, such as the Trans Collective, are already concerned about how funding cuts will impact their services, as previously reported by The Eye. Presenters recognized that Bill 33 is an “overarching” piece of legislation that doesn’t prioritize student interests.

Cyrielle Ngeleka, the chairperson of CFS-O spoke to The Eye, “With Bill 33 what we’ve seen the government try to increase oversight on the education system, they want to influence admissions…ancillary fees and research security. But that goes against what students have asked for,” she said. “All students have asked for is to be able to afford going to school, and that means increased funding in the education sector. What this recent announcement proves is that Doug Ford is really out of touch with students’ realities,” she said. 

Much of the town hall was dominated by discussions of the PC government’s decision on Feb. 12 to lift its seven-year tuition freeze and cut OSAP grants. 

“Speaking on behalf of the students, it’s disappointing to see the government make decisions that are consistently anti-students and anti-education,” Ngeleka said. 

For the rest of the town hall, students were taught some key tactics to further mobilize others on campus and informed about future planned events, including TMSU-run outreach and banner making in collaboration with other student organizations.

Some students in attendance appreciated the action plan, but believed rallying against the provincial government is just the first step. Ace Abdollahi, a fifth-year aerospace engineering student, believes CFS-O and the student unions should “systemically mobilize” their actions to escalate towards a strike.

“I think it’s very important for TMSU to emphasize…if all of these values, if all of these action plans do not build towards a strike, we are just going to fatigue the student body,” they said.

“We need this end goal that will push us towards what we’re trying to accomplish and that can only happen if we put pressure on the [PC] government…if we actually go on a strike and materially affect these people who are running our education
as businesses.”

Kuropatwa Trent and Ngeleka do not oppose the idea of a strike, but want to ensure students across the province can build a proper momentum first. 

“There’s a necessity for a coordinated, organized movement,” said Ngeleka. “There’s a fundamental difference between wanting a strike and doing what it takes to sustain a strike.”