Eye on the National Student Movement: September 20, 2017

News September 20, 2017
This story originally appeared in our September 20, 2017 issue. Eye on the National Student Movement is a column appearing in every issue of Nexus.

1. According to Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) treasurer Peyton Veitch, the estimated $202,305.11 of Camosun students’ money that the British Columbia Federation of Students (BCFS) is holding has still not been remitted to the CFS. The Camosun College Student Society gave the money, collected from Camosun students as CFS fees, to the BCFS, a separate legal entity from the CFS. The BCFS says it’s holding those funds in trust because the CFS owes the BCFS money, which the CFS has not denied; however, the CFS says the BCFS has no claim to the fees the BCFS is holding in trust.

2. There is no word from the BCFS on when its upcoming fee increase will be implemented for Camosun students. BCFS bylaws state that the fees will kick in “no later than December 31, 2019,” but BCFS chairperson Simka Marshall says that the BCFS fee increase cannot go through here unless Camosun students vote it in through a referendum. Camosun students will essentially be paying double for services if they do not defederate from the CFS before the BCFS raises its fees. However, as per CFS bylaws, Camosun students cannot defederate from the CFS if they have outstanding fees, which they do: the BCFS is holding them.