Yesterday, WUSA vice-president Remington Zhi travelled to Queen’s Park, Toronto to speak on behalf of UW students, joining other Ontario student representatives in opposing Bill 33 ahead of the resumption of the legislature.

At the live-streamed press conference at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Zhi was joined by representatives from the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), the College Student Alliance (CSA), Ontario Student Voices, and the Trent Durham Student Association (TDSA). All representatives called for the Minister of Colleges and Universities Nolan Quinn to meet with them, for the bill to be referred to the Standing Committee on Social Policy, and for Section 21.1 of the bill to be reconsidered.

“Students at Waterloo and … schools across the province currently have democratic decision making power over how fees are set and how services are prioritized,” Zhi stated. “We vote for these fees because they reflect what we collectively value … Bill 33 risks pulling the rug out from under those services and from students, without consulting us.”

Zhi spoke about how student fees that could become optional under Bill 33 support not only events and community spaces that are part of campus culture, but essential campus services that the university does not provide. They cited WUSA’s peer-to-peer mental health support (the MATES program), emergency food support programs (the Pay-What-You-Can and Food Support Service), and equity-based services (such as the Centre for Academic Policy Support for guidance on academic petitions).

“These aren’t just for fun — they help students stay, succeed, thrive and cultivate lifelong support networks,” Zhi stated.

As part of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA), WUSA and other post-secondary student associations across the province formed the Coalition to Protect Student Services last month. The Coalition also consists of CASA, CSA, and Ontario Student Voices.

“Students are ready to be constructive partners in this process, but we need to be at the table,” said Bella Fisher, president of CSA. “All students are users of the system. The Coalition stands ready to help [and] to co-create, ensuring student perspectives are thoughtfully considered and acted on.” Fisher added that the Minister’s office had agreed to meet with student representatives in the coming weeks.

Sabina Kapoor, TDSA’s vice president of Campus Life, and Rajveer Singh, Chair of Ontario Student Voices, also stressed the hardship Bill 33 would put on students who already face high living costs in a strained economy. Kapoor emphasized that “no student should have to choose between studying and surviving,” a struggle that would be exacerbated if Bill 33 is passed in its current form.

Zhi closed the conference by asking the provincial government to “work with [them] instead of against [them] to support Ontario students in ways [they] actually need.”

More information on WUSA’s stance on Bill 33 and what it means for UW students can be found here.