Complaint against the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU)

The complaint alleged that there were issues of bias and non-compliance with UTMSU’s Elections Procedure Code (EPC) regarding election procedures that created an unfair election result.

The Panel recommended:

• Add language to the EPC guiding candidates about the type and quality of evidence required for the CRO to consider complaints, and the steps the CRO will take to assess complaints.
• Add language to the EPC requiring the CRO to investigate and adjudicate individual complaints, and the Elections and Referenda Committee (EARC) and Appeals Committee to review and adjudicate individual appeals – each issuing separate decisions for each appeal. The Chief Returning Officer (CRO), EARC, and Appeals Committee should each provide written reasons for decisions regarding each complaint/appeal. 
• Add language to the EPC requiring the CRO and UTMSU administration to resolve all complaints and appeals before ratifying the election results.
• Add language to the EPC requiring the UTMSU to select a CRO who is arm’s length from the UTMSU.
• Clarify the EPC’s language respecting the circumstances in which the CRO can refuse a candidate’s recount request.
• Ensure that the CRO team is adequately resourced so that it can adjudicate all complaints within the timelines provided in the EPC. Alternatively, UTMSU may wish to reconsider the value of its demerit point system altogether.
• Provide the board minutes from the February 7, 2025 UTMSU board meeting to corroborate when changes were made to the EPC prior to the 2025 election campaign period.
• Revise section 3.b. under “Appeals Process”, which states that a candidate will be disqualified if a student solicits the UofT Administration “…to interfere in the Election Process”.