2013

Annual Report
Canadian Federation of Students- Ontario
Algoma University Students
Union
Association gnrale des
tudiants et tudiantes du
Collge Boral
Brock University Graduate
Students Association
Carleton University Graduate
Students Association
Carleton University Students
Association
Association tudiante de la Cit
collgiale
Student Association of George
Brown College
Glendon College Student Union
University of Guelph Central
Student Association
University of Guelph Graduate
Students Association
Lakehead University Student
Union
Association des tudiantes et
tudiants francophones de
lUniversit Laurentienne
Laurentian Association of
Mature and Part-time Students
Laurentian University Graduate
Students Association
Laurentian University Students
General Association
Laurentian Students Union at
Barrie
McMaster University Graduate
Students Association
Nipissing University Student
Union
Ontario College of Art and
Design Student Union
Graduate Students Association
des tudiant(e)s diplm(e)s de
lUniversit dOttawa
Student Federation of the
University of Ottawa
Queens University Society of
Graduate and Professional
Students
Continuing Education Students
Association of Ryerson
Ryerson Students Union
Saint Paul University Students
Association
Association of Part-Time
Undergraduate Students of the
University of Toronto
University of Toronto Graduate
Students Union
University of Toronto Students
Union
University of Toronto
Scarborough Campus
Students Union
University of Toronto
Mississauga Students Union
Trent University Central Student
Association
University of Western Ontario
Society of Graduate Students
Wilfrid Laurier University
Graduate Students Association
University of Windsor Graduate
Students Society
University of Windsor
Organization of Part-time
University Students
University of Windsor Students
Alliance
York Federation of Students
York University Graduate
Students Association
Canadian Federation of
Students-Ontario.
350,000 undergraduate, graduate
and college students united.
With more than 350,000 members at 38 students unions in all regions of the province,
the Canadian Federation of StudentsOntario is the voice of post-secondary students in
Ontario. Our Federation represents students at the college, undergraduate and graduate
levels, including full- and part-time students.
Dear Members,
Students in Ontario are facing crises on multiple fronts. Whether were paying the highest tuition fees in
Canada, struggling under record-levels of debt or feeling hopeless about finding a decent, meaningful job,
young people today could be the first generation in a century to proportionately work more and earn less
than our parents. For many, these images paint a bleak future for young people in Ontario. Yet despite these
challenges, youth and students have adapted to shifting economic and political circumstances, organizing to
fulfill the promise of a better future that governments wont deliver.
The past year has been one of tremendous growth and careful reflection for the Federation. Young people
today live in a world of manufactured distractions; managing full-time studies, multiple part-time jobs, and
fulfilling family and social obligations can create barriers to fully participating in political and economic life.
Recognizing this reality, our Federation made a commitment to re-imagine how we educate and mobilize
our members around the issues that efect their daily lives. With a new organizing strategy and two-year
provincial action plan, weve taken a big step towards building a strong and powerful movement for justice
and fairness in the province. Already we have seen tangible victories in 2013 with the elimination of flat fees
as we know them, the introduction of tuition fee splitting and removing deferral and graduation fees.
But that wasnt all. Throughout the year, we worked tirelessly to expand and strengthen our vital services.
In a province where going to college or university can become a debt sentence, providing some financial
relief to our members is crucial to ensuring academic success and building campus community. From travel
discounts on Porter flights and Greyhound bus trips to utilizing our economies of scale to ethically bulk
purchase notebooks, t-shirts, laundry bags and even health insurance, our services give members a little
extra money in their pocket. Beyond this, our bulk purchasing programs are not-for-profit, ethical, sustainable
and socially conscious, giving members peace of mind that they are contributing to fairer and more just
workplaces.
Representing over 350,000 college and university students from Thunder Bay to Windsor to Ottawa is no
easy task; this is why we have worked hard to reach out to our members and plug them into our campaigns
and services. We are also happy to have welcomed a new prospective member to our movement in 2013,
LAssociation gnrale des tudiants et tudiants at Collge Boral in Sudbury, Ontario.
As we head into 2014, we should be proud of our accomplishments and excited to achieve what is on the
horizon. From fighting tuition fees, to making our campuses safer and more inclusive, to saving students
money, we still have a lot of work to do. Its a tall order, we know, but the Canadian Federation of Students-
Ontario has never met a challenge we couldnt face and certainly not one we couldnt overcome.
In Solidarity,
Introduction
Letter from your Executive Team
AnnaGoldfnch
National Executive
Representative
Alastair Woods
Chairperson
22 Finances
Guled Arale
Treasurer
General inquiries regarding
this document should be directed to:
CANADIAN FEDERATION OF STUDENTSONTARIO
900-180 Bloor Street West
Toronto, Ontario M5S 2V6
TEL 416.925.3825
FAX 416.925.6774
EMAIL federation@cfsontario.ca
WEB www.cfsontario.ca
Ce document est disponible en franais.
Canadian Federation of Students - Ontario 06 07
Campaigns
& Advocacy
Campaigns & Advocacy
Not in the Syllabus
Graduate students have unique needs that relate
to the multiple roles we take on including student,
teacher and researcher. With additional pressures
like high expectations and stress levels, and
constant competition with peers for resources like
funding, the graduate studies environment can
lead to issues of bullying and harassment.
In November, our Federation launched Not in
the Syllabus, a graduate student mental health
campaign. Weve developed a survey, the
first of its kind in Ontario, that will inform the
development of campus resources designed to
identify and confront bullying, harassment and
mental health issues for graduate students. Our
survey asks graduate students to share their
experiences with bullying, harassment and mental
health issues on university campuses. We are
also collaborating with the Public Service Alliance
of Canada and the Ontario University Workers
Coordinating Committee of the Canadian Union
of Public Employees on this project.
Post-Residency Fees Now
Post-residency fees are reduced fees paid by
graduate students after they have completed
the course work component of a degree and
are undertaking the independent research and
thesis-writing stages of a program. Our Federation
advocates for the reinstatement of post-
residency fees in Ontario, a tuition fee reduction
for all students and an increase in the number
of Ontario Graduate Scholarships. We have
developed a petition outlining these demands
and continue to collect signatures on campuses
across the province.
Ontario Coalition for Better
Child Care
$14/hour Minimum Wage
Coalition
Good Jobs For All Coalition
Canadian Peace Alliance
The Common Front
Ontario University and
College Coalition
March 8th, International
Womens Day Organizing
Committee
Recent Victories:
We pushed institutions to
not renew Access Copyright
agreements. In September
2013, the University of
Toronto and the University
of Western Ontario both
rejected a renewal of their
agreements with Access
Copyright.
We split tuition fee payments
between fall and winter.
We eliminated graduation
and completion fees.
We changed flat fees to save
students money.
We defeated deferral fees.
The Hikes Stop Here
Over the past year, the Canadian Federation of
Students has shifted our organizing strategy
to focus on building local capacity. As part of a
two-year action plan, we launched The Hikes Stop
Here to push back on the provincial governments
tuition fee framework, implemented this year. The
campaign focuses on building capacity among
our membership, pressuring institutions to join
students call to reverse the framework and stop
the hikes, and winning progressive fee reductions
across the province. Campaign materials include:
posters, stickers, a petition for institutional
governing bodies and a leaflet on the myths and
facts related to tuition fees.
Our Federation also collectively developed a
180-page organizing manual to support member
students unions in efectively mobilizing our
memberships.
No Means No
For over 20 years, students have been at the
forefront of talking about and combatting sexual
assault and gender-based violence on campuses
and in our communities. The No Means No
campaign was one of the first campaigns to
talk about the need to get consent. This year,
our Federation re-launched the No Means No
campaign with newly designed materials and
updated language.
To support the No Means No campaign, our
Federation also developed a toolkit to support
the students union work to combat sexual
violence on campus. The toolkit includes ideas for
organizing, a sample sexual assault policy and a
campus checklist for physical and environmental
safety, among other useful materials.
Coalitions
Victories
Canadian Federation of Students - Ontario 08 09
Campaigns
& Advocacy
Campaigns & Advocacy
End the Ban
Our Federation has been pushing back against
the Canadian Blood Services (CBS). homophobic
policy to deny men who have sex with men from
giving blood. This year, CBS adjusted their policy
so there is now a five-year deferral period, which
efectively means men would have to stop having
sex with other men for five years before being
able to give blood. Though it signifies recognition
of an issue, this policy continues to be based on
stereotypes and is still homophobic.
OHIP for International Students
In 1994, the Ontario government disqualified
international students from eligibility for the
Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). Our
Federations Healthcare without Borders
campaign calls on the government to restore
OHIP coverage for international students and
follow the example of provinces like British
Columbia, Manitoba, PEI and Nova Scotia.
Students for Better
Child Care
Students in Ontario with
children struggle to pay
the highest tuition fees in the country while also
paying for child care. The child care sector in
Ontario is facing an underfunding crisis, requiring
millions of dollars to stabilize current programs.
There is a lack of space for licenced child care
with only one in five children enrolled in licenced
child care. Despite this, many child care centres,
particularly on campuses, continue to face threats
of closure. Our Federation works closely with the
Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care to support
student parents and increase access to child care
across the board.
Fair Wages Now!
This year, our Federation joined
a coalition of social justice
organizations, headed by the
Workers Action Centre, to call for
an immediate raise in minimum
wage to $14 per hour. Our Federation produced
a student-focused postcard on minimum wage
and organized a student-focused day of action on
November 14 as part of the campaign.
We Ride
Our Federation assists locals in
diferent regions with campaigns
that seek to improve the access
and afordability of public transit
for students. Many students rely
heavily on public transit, and high
costs and insuficient service
impact us significantly. This year,
the We Ride campaign included
working with students in the Ottawa region to
eliminate age limits for student discounts on
bus passes; collecting information on access to
transit in the Greater Toronto Area; and raising
awareness about improving passenger train
service in the northern Ontario.
Students & Workers United
Working conditions are learning
conditions. Students and workers on
campus share common issues that
impact the accessibility and quality
of post-secondary education. Our
Federation continues to work closely
with labour partners and individually
on a variety of issues. Many of our graduate
student members work as teaching assistants,
research assistants or contract instructors, and
are also members of the Canadian Union of
Public Employees or the Public Service Alliance of
Canada.
STUDENTS FOR GREATER TRANSIT ACCESS
Vote Education
In August, we developed material to assist voters
in by-election ridings with asking candidates
about issues related to post-secondary
education. The material outlined the crisis of
chronic underfunding and rising tuition fees
and encouraged voters to ask candidates what
commitments they would make to students and
families.
Access Copyright
Access Copyright sells the rights to photocopy
print works or access copyrighted material
to institutions like colleges and universities.
Unfortunately, Access Copyright has consistently
lobbied for copyright legislation that would be
harmful to students, researchers and others in the
academic community.
Our members have been at the forefront of the
fight against institutions signing new licensing
agreements with Access Copyright. In September,
because of student pressure, the University of
Toronto and the University of Western Ontario
both rejected a renewal of their agreements with
Access Copyright.
United for Equity
Our Federation prioritizes
promoting equity and
barrier-free access
to post-secondary
education. We distribute
and continue to update materials challenging and
discussing important issues such as homophobia,
transphobia, sexism, racism and ableism. Our
United for Equity campaign is widely used at
all member locals and supports on the ground
equity work, at campuses across Ontario.
Task Force on Campus Food
Services
Our members have long been concerned about
the availability of afordable and diverse food
options on campus, as well as the agreements
and relationships that administrations have with
large corporate food service providers such as
Aramark, Chartwells and Sodexo. We developed a
toolkit to support local organizing around campus
food services, which included a survey to talk to
members about their concerns and suggestions
for food services and security on campus.
The results of this survey provided a snapshot
of students discontent with their access to food
on several campuses, as well as what they would
like to see from food services. The report has
been used in lobbying administrations to see real
improvements and changes to food delivery.
Government Relations Canadian Federation of Students - Ontario 10 11
Government Relations
& Representation
New Tuition Fee Framework
Between 2006 and 2012, tuition fees in Ontario
were governed by the Reaching Higher plan and
allowed to increase by five to eight per cent for
most domestic students. International students
could be charged whatever an institution decided,
with no limits.
During the 2011 Ontario election, the Ontario
Liberal Party committed to reduce tuition fees.
Instead, they committed $430 million towards the
creation of an up-front non-repayable grant, the
30% of Ontario Tuition Grant (OTG). The OTG
is worth a flat amount for those eligible, not 30
per cent of a students tuition fees and excludes
nearly two-thirds of all students in Ontario.
Under the Reaching Higher plan, tuition fees in
Ontario climbed to the highest in Canada while
per-student funding remains the lowest in the
country.
Anticipating a new tuition fee framework, our
Federation released Changing Priorities: Towards
Afordable Post-Secondary Education, outlining
students recommendations for the new
framework.
Students recommended that in a new tuition fee
framework, the government should:
Reduce tuition fees for all students, including
international students, graduate students and
students in professional programs, by 30 per
cent over three years.
Outline a long-term plan to eliminate tuition
fees.
Re-introduce tuition fee reductions for graduate
students in the research and thesis-writing
stages of their degree (post-residency fees).
Conduct a province-wide, institutional review
of existing ancillary fees to determine which
fees are in violation of provincial ancillary fee
protocols.
Eliminate illegal ancillary fees.
Improve various technical issues related
to tuition fees including: ending flat fees,
mandating colleges and universities charge
fees per term, aligning payment deadlines with
financial aid dispersement, eliminate tuition fee
deposits and eliminate late payments for late
tuition fees.
On March 28, the Ministry of Training, Colleges
and Universities announced a new framework for
tuition fees in Ontario. Under the new framework,
tuition fees are allowed to increase by three per
cent in most programs, but can increase as much
as five per cent in graduate, professional and
high demand programs. By the end of this new
framework, tuition fees will have increased as
much as 108 per cent since 2006.
In December, the Government announced
several technical changes to tuition fees including
eliminating deferral fees, graduation fees and
registration fees, as well as increasing the
threshold for flat fees and splitting tuition fees.
2013 Ontario Budget
Each year, the Federation outlines students
demands for the provincial budget in a document
that is presented to government oficials and
stakeholders. In 2013, students recommendations
focused on reducing tuition fees by 30 per
cent for all students and proposed ways the
government could aford to reduce tuition fees.
To gauge the publics support for students
77%
of ontario residents
support reducing
tuition fees.
proposals, the Federation commissioned Harriss Decima
to conduct polling. The results showed that the public
supports students, with 77 per cent saying they support
reducing tuition fees and 76 per cent agreeing with
students proposal to increase taxes on incomes over
$250,000. The poll also found that 69 per cent or seven
in ten Ontarians believe the Liberals broke the spirit of
their 2011 election promise to reduce tuition fees by 30
per cent.
Unfortunately, the 2013 Ontario Budget continued the
current government policy of increasing tuition fees,
cutting funding for international students and providing
funding to largely inefective programs.
Lobby Days
In addition to the ongoing work meeting with
government oficials and decision-makers, from time
to time, our Federation schedules an intensive period
of government meetings in advance of a provincial or
federal budget or other significant policy developments
to help ensure that politicians hear and understand
students concerns. These lobby days also provide
space to connect local student representatives with
government oficials in their region.
Ontario Lobby Days
Ontario Lobby Days took place from March 18 to 21,
2013. Students from across the province gathered in
Toronto to call on the provincial government to reduce
tuition fees for all students by 30 per cent, stop colleges
and universities from charging illegal ancillary fees and
various other proposals to save students money and
defend our public post-secondary education system.
Over the week, students met Members of Provincial
Parliament, including Minister of Training, Colleges
and Universities Brad Duguid, both the Progressive
Conservative (PC) and New Democratic Party (NDP)
critics for Training, Colleges and Universities, Minister of
Labour Yasir Naqvi and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.
Government Submissions s
Over the course of 2013, the Federation
made the following submissions to
government:
Changing Priorities: Moving Towards
Afordable Post-Secondary Education
Setting Priorities: Recommendations for the
2013 Budget
Fair Wages Now: Submission to the
Minimum Wage Advisory Panel
Pre-Budget Submission to the Federal
Government
Committee Representation s
Our Federation represents students on
various advisory groups for government or
government-funded agencies, including:
Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer
Student Advisory Board
Contact North Online Portal Student
Reference Group
University Key Performance Indicators
Working Group
Work Integrated Learning Working Group
Technical Working Group on Tuition Billing
and Associated Fees
215
Total number of meetings
with provincial and federal
Members of Parliament and
staf in 2013.
Canadian Federation of Students - Ontario 12
Government Relations
& Representation
National Lobby Week
National Lobby Week took place from October
21 to 25, 2013. Member local representatives from
across Canada met with over 160 Members of
Parliament and Senators from their respective
regions.
The lobby sessions focused on several priorities:
Increasing federal funding for post-secondary
education and reducing tuition fees to 1992
levels.
Creating a dedicated federal cash transfer
governed by a post-secondary education act.
Reducing of student debt by half over 3 years.
Replacing federal student loans with non-
repayable grants.
Increasing funding to Statistics Canada for
post-secondary education statistics.
Increasing funding for Aboriginal learners
through the Post-Secondary Student Support
Program (PSSSP).
Increasing funding for graduate students
through the Canada Graduate Scholarships
program and removing policies that prioritize
commercializable research over basic research.
Implementing a national strategy to address
high youth unemployment and the prevalence
of unpaid internships.
In the past year, the Canadian Federation of Students -
Ontario has developed, distributed, and organized:
31
press
releases
8
media
advisories
3
press
conferences
Communications
Services Canadian Federation of Students - Ontario 14 15
Discount Programs:
Our Federation operates a national
student discount program that uses
two discount cards: the International
Student Identity Card (ISIC) and the
Studentsaver Card.
International Student Identity Card (ISIC) is
an internationally recognized student travel
discount card and proof
of full-time status. This
year, over 45,000 cards
were issued to members
across Ontario. The card
is provided for free as a
benefit of membership
and costs $20 for non-members.
The Studentsaver Card was developed in 1981
to ensure all that part-time students who are
members of the Federation and are unable to
obtain the ISIC have access to some student
discounts. Similarly to the ISIC, Studentsaver helps
students save money on everyday purchases
like books, clothing, food and entertainment.
Studentsaver Cards are free for members. This
year, a total of 5,000
Studentsaver Cards
and booklets were
distributed to
student unions
across the
province.
Ethical Purchasing Network
The Ethical Purchasing Network
is an ordering consortium created
by the Federation to assist student
unions in ordering and purchasing
ethically produced and union-made materials for
campuses.
The collective purchasing orders of students
unions across the province keeps prices low for
high quality products due to the high number of
items ordered. This year over 155,153 items were
ordered in Ontario, including: t-shirts, laundry
bags, tote bags, shopping bags, pens, lanyards,
water bottles and clipboards.
Through the Network, our Federation has been
instrumental in shaping a discussion on the
textile industrys treatment of its employees.
Through leading by example, our Federation has
pushed institutions to implement sweatshop-
free standards and changed the practices of
companies producing promotional materials.
Some of the new discounts
are: 15 per cent of Porter
flights, 10 per cent of at
the Body Shop and 10 per
cent of all purchases at
SoftMoc. Visit isiccanada.ca
for a list of all discounts.
Our Federation works with the Single Mothers
Cooperative of El Salvador. This cooperative provides
students unions with textile products made in a
sweatshop-free environment. Through this partnership
with the cooperative the workers are able to live active
independent lives free from abusive relationships and
oppressive sweatshop environments while contributing
to their community.
Services
Handbook Service
The Handbook Service is now in its 11th year.
The handbook service provides member student
unions fully-customizable student agendas
that use 100 per cent post-consumer recycled
paper, vegetable-based
ink and colour pages. Our
Federations collective
purchasing power brings
a high quality product,
which otherwise would
not be afordable for some
campuses.
For September 2013, our
Federation produced 23
diferent handbook versions
totaling 128,750 individual
books.
Health and Dental
A majority of students in post
secondary education do not generally
have health and dental coverage and
the upfront costs of a dentist visit or the
need for reading glasses can become
increasingly expensive. The need for a uniquely
tailored student health and dental plan is one of
the reasons our Federation birthed the concept of
extended health and dental coverage for students
by students.
The Federation created the National Student
Health Network in 1986 to assist students unions
with the negotiation and administration of health
and dental insurance plans for their members.
The Federation works with Green Shield Canada,
the only non-profit health insurance provider
in Canada, to ofer comprehensive benefits at
very competitive low costs for member locals.
Through this partnership with Green Shield our
Federation is able to save students and member
student unions millions of dollars on their health
and dental plan as well as administrative costs
of implementing the plan for the participating
member student unions.
Mobile App
Communication through smartphones
has become one of the most common
ways students interact with each other.
Our Federation, in partnership with
Oohlala, ofers a mobile application
for use by the Federation, its member locals and
individual members. The application provides a
medium to promote campaigns and events, to
connect individual members with local discounts
and to allow members to communicate with other
students on their campus and across the country.
Some of the new developments this year includes:
indoor mapping which provides a building by
building map of campus,
campus tour features for
new students on campus,
and campus announcement
systems that can be utilized
during an emergency.
Website
Service
Student unions, student groups,
course unions and student clubs are constantly
trying to communicate with their members,
advertise events and publicize their various
campaigns and services. Due to a high turn over
within student organizations it can be challenging to
successfully ensure the online presence of student
group or club is maintained. Our Federations
Website Service was created to ensure that a
platform exists to maintain online communication
of various student unions, clubs and groups. This
year, the Federation developed and launched a
completely new Content Management System (CMS)
that is based on WordPress an existing open source
platform that is used by million of people around
the world. The new CMS ofers more flexibility and
many add-on features. Member student unions are
able to save money and rely on the expertise within
the Federation to maintain a website, purchase of
domain names and manage emails.
$
OFF FLIGHTS
with
About Canadian Federation of Students - Ontario 16 17
Democratic Decision Making
General meeting
Each member students union has an equal
say in setting the policies and priorities of
our Federation, including how campaigns are
organized and how money is spent. All major
decisions are made at provincial general meetings
which happen twice a year. Each member
local, no matter the size, has one vote at these
meetings.
At each provincial general meeting,
representatives from member students unions
vote on a variety of resolutions about the aims
and goals of the Federation. A summary of
resolutions adopted at recent general meetings is
available on our website.
To ensure all member students unions can
attend general meetings, our Federation fully
subsidizes the cost of one delegate to attend the
meeting from every member students union.
Additional subsidies are ofered to students
unions with small budgets, delegates that are
part of constituency groups and those who send
delegations that have gender parity.
To promote the diverse needs and interests of
students during general meetings, constituency-
based meetings for racialized students, women,
queer and trans* students, international students,
students with disabilities, mature, part-time
students and Aboriginal students take place.
Executive Committee Meetings
In between general meetings, the Executive
Committee manages the afairs of the Federation.
The Executive Committee meets at least four
times throughout the year. At each meeting
the Executive Committee reviews campaigns
and services work and reviews the Federations
financial reports.
Each member local has one representative
on the Executive Committee. The other
members of the Executive Committee are the
Chairperson, National Executive Representative,
Treasurer, Womens Commissioner, Constituency
Coordinator, and the chairperson or
commissioner of each Caucus.
Caucuses
Ontario Graduate Caucus
The Ontario Graduate Caucus facilitates the
exchange of information and ideas amongst
Ontario graduate students and promotes
graduate student interests to university and
government bodies.
Northern Region Caucus
The Northern Region Caucus brings together
students from colleges and universities across
northern Ontario. Representing students from
Barrie to Thunder Bay, the Caucus brings forward
the unique perspectives of northern students to
Federation campaigns and services. Every year,
the Caucus hosts Spirit of the North, a gathering
to discuss issues facing students in the region.
Francophone and Bilingual Caucus
As a bilingual organization, the Canadian
Federation of Students-Ontario has an active
Francophone and Bilingual Caucus. The caucus
brings together students at francophone and
bilingual institutions to discuss higher education
issues as they relate to our members who study
About the Federation
in French or who attend institutions where French
is a primary instructional language. The caucus
advocates for more institutional and government
support for francophone education in Ontario
while ensuring the Federation represents our
members in both oficial languages of the
province.
Constituency Groups
As part of an ongoing process of ensuring
our Federation is equitable and inclusive to all
identities, constituency groups are a central
part of our structure. A constituency group is
comprised of individual students who identify
similarly and help to shape and direct the
Federation and its campaigns through that lens.
Constituency groups that are currently active
include:
Aboriginal Students
International Students
Mature & Part-time Students
Queer & Trans* Students
Racialized Students
Students with Disabilities
Women Students
number of members:
students we represent:
part-time mature domestic international
trades + technical apprentices full-time
college undergraduate graduate
350,000+
Member local students unions
spent a total of 378.5 hours
participating in democractic
meetings this year.
Labour & Social Justice
Partners
ACORN Canada
Canadian Association of University Teachers
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Canadian Centre for Policy
Alternatives-Ontario
Canadian Peace Alliance
Canadian Union of Public Employees
Canadian Union of Public Employees-Ontario
Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains
Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario
EGALE
London and District Labour Council
Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care
Ontario Common Front
Ontario Confederation of University
Faculty Associations
Ontario Federation of Labour
Ontario University and College Coalition
Ontario University Workers Coordinating
Committee
Ontario Public Service Employees Union
Public Service Alliance of Canada
Put Food in the Budget
Sierra Youth Coalition
Toronto Environmental Alliance
TTC Riders
Toronto and York Region Labour Council
Unifor
United Steelworkers
Workers Action Centre
Youthline

Finances Canadian Federation of Students - Ontario 18 19
Independent Auditors Report
To the Voting Members of
Canadian Federation of Students - Ontario/
Fdration Canadienne des tudiantes et tudiants - Ontario
We have audited the accompanying financial statements of Canadian Federation of Students -Ontario/
Fdration Canadienne des tudiantes et tudiants - Ontario, which comprise the statements of financial
position as at June 30, 2013, June 30, 2012 and July 1, 2011 and the statements of revenue and expenses,
changes in net assets and cash flows for the years ended June 30, 2012 and July 1, 2011 and a summary of
significant accounting policies and other explanatory information.
Managements responsibility for the financial statements
Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of these financial statements in
accordance with Canadian accounting standards for not-for-profit organizations, and for such internal control
as management determines is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from
material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
Auditors responsibility
Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted
our audits in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards. Those standards require that
we comply with ethical requirements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about
whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement.
An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures
in the financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditors judgment, including the
assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error.
In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entitys preparation
and fair presentation of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate
in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the efectiveness of the entitys
internal control. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the
reasonableness of accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation
of the financial statements.
We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is suficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our
audit opinion.
Opinion
In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of
Canadian Federation of Students - Ontario/Fdration Canadienne des tudiantes et tudiants - Ontario as at
June 30, 2013, June 30, 2012 and July 1, 2011 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years
ended June 30, 2013 and June 30, 2012 in accordance with Canadian accounting standards for not-for-profit
organizations.
Chartered Accountants
Licensed Public Accountants
Markham, Canada
January 14, 2014
Finances
Overview of Revenue
What is an audit?
Each year the Federation contracts an
independent firm to conduct a financial
audit. The independent auditor is selected
by member students unions at the
Federations annual general meeting.
Auditors will review various parts of
an organizations financial operations
to obtain suficient evidence that the
information disclosed in an organizations
financial statements are correct. During
the audit process, auditors will review
a variety of areas including financial
protocols, accounting practices, payroll
information, bank statements and
budgeting practicing.
About our auditors
Grant Thornton is one of Canadas largest
accounting firms providing audit, tax
and advisory services to both public and
private organizations. Grant Thornton
has been appointed as the Federations
auditors for the past three fiscal years.
Members Fees
$2,000,522
National Allocation
$341,131
General Meeting
Delegate Fees $39,648
Interest
$3,185
Campaigns &
Government Relations
$576,923
Membership
Development & Support
$369,431
Ofice &
Administration
$218,105
Member Services
$213,441
General Meetings $175,753
Executive Member Stipends $123,493
Bad Debts $1.558
Designated Funds $4,364
Constituency Group Allocations $5,145
Coalition Work $8,387
Donations & Memberships $9,600
Ofice & Computer Supplies $17,538
Amortization $20,425
Caucus Allocations $21,731
Printing $25,523
Professional Fees $45,495
Executive Meetings $66,248
Communications $78,996
Research $83,065
Translation $106,508
Overview of Expenses
cfsontario.ca
federation@cfsontario.ca
@cfson | #cfsfcee
CANADIAN FEDERATION OF
STUDENTSONTARIO