By Jane McDowell

Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) students raise concerns about lack of outreach from the Toronto Metropolitan Students’ Unionx (TMSU) ahead of the upcoming Fall 2025 by-elections, saying they are unaware of the union outside of its reputation.

At the time of publication of this article, the campaigning period for the TMSU Fall 2025 by-elections is scheduled to start in six days. Students will start voting on Nov. 24 until Nov. 26 to decide their executive committee and Board of Directors for the 2025-26 academic year.

This comes after motion by the TMSU to postpone the Fall 2025 by-election at a Special General Meeting failed on Sept. 29.

The TMSU Board of Governors voided the April general election. MNP LLP, TMSU’s independent investigator, reported that a Fall by-election would likely be subject to the same corruption as the Winter 2025 general election. However, the motion to postpone the Fall by-election did not receive the two-thirds majority votes required, as previously reported by The Eyeopener.

However, many TMU students who spoke with The Eye say they are unaware of the TMSU and the upcoming by-election.

James MacLean, a third-year media production student, told The Eye that while he is aware of the TMSU, he does not fully trust the union due to their past scandals.

“I would love to get to know more about it”

“I haven’t heard recent news of fraud, so I would say that’s good,” he said. “I would say…give them another year and then I’d fully trust them.”

Jonas Ibana, a second-year accounting and finance student said that he rates his knowledge of the TMSU as “definitely a one” out of ten.

“All I know about them is I received the emails from [the TMSU] and then I’ll read it, and it’ll be like, “oh, wait, I’m not that interested”…I scroll off with the emails a lot,” he said.

Ibana said he does trust the TMSU but hopes that “as a student…they’d have the best interests for the rest of us.”

“I would say…give them another year and then I’d fully trust them”

Kate Lopes, a second-year public health student shared this same sentiment but expressed a willingness to learn more of the union.

“I’m actually not super aware of it. I’m not super into it, but I would love to get to know more about it,” said Lopes.

Despite her lack of awareness, Lopes says that she thinks the TMSU is doing a good job to represent student interests.

“I feel like [TMSU] is very, very involved and they try their best to make campus very inclusive.”

Angela Hanasan, a second-year computer science student said she was unaware of the programs and services the union provides on campus.

“For the health and dental plan, [there should be] more knowledge about it, cause [in my] first-year I didn’t know much about it and I didn’t end up using the health benefits much,” she said.

MacLean says that preventing major scandals could be the best thing for the TMSU to do.

“If people don’t really [hear] about any scandals that could potentially be good. If I don’t hear about scandals going on, that must mean they’re doing their job,
right?” he questioned.

The campaign period for the Fall by-election will be held from Nov. 17 to 21. Students will be given three days to vote, from Nov. 24 to 26.

The TMSU will be holding its semi-annual general meeting on Dec. 2, with an agenda scheduled to be published on their website on Nov. 18.