Information and Notice for upcoming UPass Referendum - Fall 2021

Information and Notice for upcoming UPass Referendum - Fall 2021

The GSA Board of Directors passed a Motion at the July 21, 2021 Board Meeting, approving the UPass Referendum question and timeline for Fall 2021.

Graduate students have the opportunity to run a 'yes' or 'no' campaign.  Please contact the GSA CRO (Chief Returning Officer), gsacro@uoguelph.ca to register a Campaign.

Deadline to register a campaign: September 16, 2021, 4:30 p.m. 
Campaign Period: September 17 to October 1, 2021, 4:30 p.m.
Voting Period: October 4 to 8, 2021 (up to 11:59 p.m.)

Electronic ballots will be sent on October 4, 2021, to graduate student’s U of G email address.

The UPass Referendum is being held in conjunction with the CSA. Voting and communications for undergraduate students will be facilitated by the CSA.
 

Preamble

For more than 20 years, the Central Student Association (CSA) and the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) have negotiated with the City of Guelph for a Universal Bus Pass (UPass) that offers unlimited rides on Guelph Transit at a lower rate than the City of Guelph Post-secondary Semester Bus Pass. The UPass provides all University of Guelph main campus students with affordable transportation to campus, downtown, and the greater City of Guelph.

The previous UPass contract, which was negotiated for a five-year term, expired on April 30, 2021. In year-five of the UPass contract, the cost was $150 per student, per semester.

The CSA and GSA have negotiated a new UPass contract with the City of Guelph, priced at $151 per semester, with an annual price increase of no more than 2% per academic year, effective January 1, 2022.  The contract term is indefinite unless the annual increase exceeds 2%, at which time another referendum must be held. The City of Guelph has committed to hold the annual fee increase at 2% or less for the next 5 years.

Should the referendum pass, the bus pass fee will be charged to all University of Guelph main campus students for the Winter 2022 semester, and UPass service will resume January 1, 2022. The Universal Bus Pass fee will be mandatory, with no opt-out option. Should the referendum fail, there will be no UPass, and students who require Guelph Transit services will be able to purchase passes directly from Guelph Transit. Currently the City of Guelph offers a Post-secondary Semester Bus Pass priced at $272 per semester and is subject to annual approval by City Council. The regular monthly fare for adult riders is $80 per month.

The below question is being asked to all undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at the University of Guelph main campus. Due to the joint nature of the bus pass negotiations, ballots for graduate and undergraduate students are combined for the purposes of counting; however, quorum for each student group must be reached independently in accordance with the CSA and GSA quorum by-laws. Provided that quorum is satisfied at both the undergraduate and graduate level, student approval will require a majority (50%+1 vote) of the total valid votes cast.

Question:

Do you support a Universal Bus Pass fee for all University of Guelph, main campus, full-time and part-time, undergraduate and graduate students, effective January 1, 2022, with the following terms?

• Priced at $151 per each Fall, Winter and Summer semester, with an annual price increase of no more than 2% per academic year.
• The City of Guelph commits to hold the fee increase at 2% or less for the next 5 years.
• The contract term is indefinite unless the annual increase exceeds 2%, at which time another referendum must be held.

Yes/No