So Toronto Met is no longer a polytechnic, but that won’t stop us from identifying a polycrisis that seems to be unravelling and leading members of the school’s subreddit to urge people not to drop out because of the student union TMSU, or saying it “has always been a train wreck“.

There is a polycrisis going on, a term coined by Adam Tooze that relates to global interrelated crises. But the term is apt at TMU as well. Alternatively, one could just call the last four months a mensis horribilis.

TMSU faces crises manifold: A failed election yielding no candidates, allegations of financial impropriety, a delayed annual general meeting, a messy executive resignation, and a governance grey zone that became activated with the expulsion/resignation of a TMSU Director.

Alleged Financial Impropriety

This story is one that would be unfair to pin on the TMSU. First reported by the Eyeopener’s Gabriela Silva Ponte, Racy Rafique and Jake MacAndrew, there are allegations of some non-specific allegations during the governance year of 2021-2022.

This is not the first time in recent years that the association has been embattled. Eyeopener reporters Raneem Alozzi, Sherina Harris and Emma Sandri broke a story in January 2019 regarding improper and personal purchases on (then) RSU credit cards by two (then) RSU executive.

While the information regarding the alleged impropriety has not come to light, it may at the upcoming annual general meeting. TMSU bylaws require agendas to be confirmed 14 days prior to the meeting, meaning the public may be privy to more details about the allegations later today. When asked whether the public could expect more information about the allegations through the general meeting, the TMSU did not respond to request for comment.

To compound this issue, the position of financial controller for TMSU has been absent since their removal last July due to failure to perform duties, as first reported by Prapti Bamaniya of the Eyeopener. Having a financial controller or other equivalent, and ensuring the position is staffed by someone effective, “reduces your risk of fraud,” says BDO’s website. While auditors found these alleged concerns, Student Association Press could not confirm whether staff malfeasance or ineffectiveness played a role in the allegations, as TMSU did not respond to a request for interview.

A Failed Election and a Vacant Future

The Eyeopener’s Jake MacAndrew, Gabriela Silva Ponte and Racy Rafique report on an ongoing saga of the TMSU elections. A March decision to nullify results and conduct a physical balloting election in April has been scrapped.

While Student Association Press was intending to ask TMSU’s Executive about the legality of scheduling that by-election, the TMSU did not respond to a request for interview on the topic of elections. The Elections & Referenda Committee seems to have arrived at the conclusion that the election indeed must be scheduled for fall.

While there may be immediate implications for membership trust in the organization’s elections process, Student Association Press was unable to ask questions of the Executive Director on these impacts.

These failed elections create an issue for TMSU. TMSU bylaws give no provision for extension of executive terms after the 30th of April, and without a valid election result, there are no executive or directors to fill the seats on May 1. The bylaws make provision for this, permitting the Executive Committee to recommend a name to fill a vacancy until a fall by-election if “a vacancy occurs during the months of May, June or July”. However, upon May 1st, the Executive Committee will be empty, meaning this authority cannot be used. The bylaws are not clear on whether the outgoing executive committee and Board of Directors have authority to fill vacancies are not yet open.

Asked for comment on how TMSU’s Board of Directors plans to ensure continuity of the Board and Executive, the Board Chair could not be reached for comment.

If Directors fail to be elected, there is a remedy allowing any TMSU member to call a special meeting and elect directors, notwithstanding bylaws, under the Ontario Not-for-profit Corporations Act, 2010; under section 28 (2). However, for Executive, there may be no such remedy, leaving the critical functions of the executive vacant, including but not limited to a heavy deficit to the Management Priorities Committee.

A Delayed General Meeting May Portend Quorum Trouble

The Annual General Meeting has been delayed to April 26th, only three days before the end of the exam period, and the announcement does not make clear if this will be a traditional general meeting or delivered by hybrid. While not required to deliver online voting, the TMSU bylaws make no provision for electronic participation in general meetings.

This late-occurring meeting may mean that fewer students are able to attend in person, risking a lack of quorum, which has been an issue in at least one recent general meeting that was held online. While a bylaw amendment may be able to fix the failed election issue, approval at the general meeting would be required to enact it, meaning this delayed meeting may interconnect for a bad outcome on the governance continuity front.

Embattled President

Even without the ERC’s decision, President Marina Gerges, elected in 2022 on a reform platform, failed to win an uncontested re-election. Gerges defeating in an official review allegations of workplace harassment. However, she remains having alleged to have been set up by TMSU staff for a careless driving conviction during her governing year.

While the long-run implications of this particular crisis may not be as significant, if Gerges’ serious allegations regarding staff are correct, it may generate pessimism around future reform and financial transparency.

Reporting supporting this section by On The Record’s Brandon Patram, and the Eyeopener’s Jake MacAndrew, Racy Rafique and Gabriela Silva Ponte.

A Messy Executive Resignation

Prior to elections, TMSU VP Equity Areesha Qureshi resigned, telling Jake MacAndrew, Gabriela Silva Ponte and Abeer Khan of the Eyeopener that her resignation was due to ” constant infighting and poor management.”

While resignations of this type are not unusual in the student association world, there is an apparent unresolved standoff between Qureshi and TMSU as reported by Racy Rafique and Abeer Khan of the Eyeopener. The standoff is due to Qureshi downloading TMSU files shortly before her resignation. It is unclear if this is contrary to any TMSU operational policies.

A Resignation Grey Area

The TMSU board of Directors was ready to remove Joel Kuriakose, one of five directors. But Kuriakose resigned early, according to reporting by the Eyeopener’s Racy Rafique, Gabriela Silva Ponte and Jake MacAndrew.

What’s the importance here? There is now ambiguity as to Kuriakose’s elgibility to run in future elections. Kuriakose is a self-styled governance firefighter who wishes to be re-elected within TMSU, according to reporting by Thea Gribilas and Racy Rafique of the Eyeopener.

And indeed, with the Board voting to remove him anyway, it is unclear how such a result will be received by the ERC when the by-election is held.

Watch This Space

TMSU is certainly one of the associations this publication will be keeping an eye on, and we hope to continue to ask for comment and interviews as developments arise. We also wished to report on internal priorities for TMSU staff as well as actions they plan to take to build public trust, but we received to response to those themes when we requested a wideranging interview with the Executive Director.

With the exception perhaps of the President’s battles, all of these topics are apparently unresolved, and their resolution will have substantial impacts on TMSU’s public trust, its direction and its leadership. We’ll do our best to keep an eye out for those resolutions, and if we catch them, we’ll update you.

In the meantime, we commend you to the hardworking staff of The Eyeopener and On the Record.