Students' union files lawsuit against University of Regina over terminated fee agreement

Alexander Quon · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 25, 2025 5:11 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

The University of Regina Students' Union has filed a suit against the assemblage arsenic a quality implicit the pupil organization's governance continues to escalate.

A connection issued Friday by URSU's board of directors says the assemblage is making "unilateral decisions without immoderate co-ordinated input from the pupil body." The committee claims the assemblage is putting services astatine hazard with imaginable antagonistic impacts connected students. 

Earlier this month, university president Jeff Keshen announced helium had terminated the U of R's fee postulation statement with the pupil national effectual Aug. 31. 

Keshen said assemblage officials had mislaid assurance successful URSU aft an auditor reviewed its 2024 audited fiscal statements and recovered its finances unsustainable. 

WATCH| U of Regina ends backing statement with students' union

"The auditor pointed to an ongoing worldly uncertainty, which successful auditor's connection means that the fiscal sustainability of that enactment is successful superior question, meaning that they whitethorn not beryllium capable to wage their bills, they whitethorn not beryllium sustainable," Keshen told CBC News earlier this month. 

URSU's financial report found that during the 2023-2024 fiscal twelvemonth it had posted gross of $8.9 cardinal and expenses of $10.2 million, leaving the enactment in a "deficit position" of approximately $1.3 million. 

Keshen said the auditors recovered URSU is "depleting immoderate reserves that they have," and that the assemblage has a work to students to guarantee the fees they wage are utilized responsibly. 

'Unsubstantiated rumours'

URSU's connection connected Thursday claims the assemblage should not person intervened successful pupil governance "absent grounds of fraud."

"Despite unsubstantiated rumours you mightiness person work connected societal media, we bash not person grounds that anyone committed fraud oregon that admittedly mediocre decisions were made successful atrocious faith," the connection reads.

The committee admits that its anterior grounds of fiscal nonaccomplishment is simply a reflection of overmuch needed alteration to URSU's governance operation and its interior spending policies.

In a statement, the University of Regina said it is "disappointed" with URSU's ineligible action. 

"Over the past respective months, the University has tried to enactment with URSU leadership, offering fiscal and governance assistance. Unfortunately, URSU has not undertaken the steps recommended by the University to amended and code these matters," the connection reads. 

As a result, the university's medication says, it made the determination to terminate the agreement. 

The assemblage said that earlier this twelvemonth it implemented a outgo protocol that would let URSU to person pupil fees truthful that its operations and pupil services, specified arsenic the UPasss autobus walk and wellness and dental benefits, would not beryllium interrupted. 

URSU has chosen to not prosecute with that protocol oregon entree the funds, according to the U of R.

"The University volition beryllium defending the action, and volition not remark further portion the substance is earlier the Courts," the connection reads.