The Tribune’s Editorial Board presents its endorsements for the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Fall 2025 Referendum questions. The endorsements reflect a majority vote of the editorial board, with the option for editors with conflicts of interest to abstain from pertinent questions.

First Year Fee Renewal: Yes

This motion aims to create an opt-outable $0.35 CAD First Year Council (FYC) fee, following the expiration of the previous fee in 2023 and its non-passage in the Winter 2024 Referendum. The Tribune  endorses a ‘Yes’ vote to establish this fee. The FYC offers essential services for first-year students, including social events, forums, and representation on SSMU’s legislative council. In previous years, the FYC has organized events for mental wellness, sponsored giveaways, and held town hall meetings to amplify the voices of an often underrepresented student group and support their transition into university life. The reinstatement of the FYC is particularly important in light of McGill’s decision to abolish Floor Fellows in first-year residences, as well as the death of a student in La Citadelle residence, in winter 2025, which both highlighted ongoing concerns about first-year support and safety on campus. 

Renewal of the Access McGill Ancillary Fee: Yes

The Tribune endorses a ‘Yes’ vote to renew the Access McGill Ancillary Fee. The Fee directly supports approximately 4,500 students registered in McGill’s Student Accessibility and Achievement (SAA) office who face disability-related barriers to their studies and beyond. This is a non-opt-outable fee of $2.00 CAD per student per term, and goes towards SAA’s provision of resources, services, equipment, and facilities for students facing learning barriers. Specific services include one-on-one student academic support, funding for a dedicated Access Services Advisor, tailored support services such as sign language interpretation, conversion of course materials into more accessible formats, and continuation of over 25,000 exam accommodations per year, to name a few. Supporting the provision of these services is non-negotiable—they are essential to upholding democratic and accessible education at McGill. This fee is set to expire in Winter 2026.

Renewal of the SSMU Access Bursary Fund Fee: Yes

The SSMU Access Bursary Fund Fee, established in 1999, funds bursaries for undergraduate students in financial need through the McGill Scholarships and Student Aid Office. This opt-outable fee is $8.50 CAD for full-time students and $4.25 CAD for part-time students per semester. All funds accrued by this bursary are matched by McGill, making it one of the university’s most significant bursary funds—in the 2024-2025 academic year, for example, the bursary fund allocated $763,000 CAD to 275 students in financial need. Right now, as Quebec imposes tuition hikes for out-of-province students at McGill, this bursary fund is more important than ever. If this motion fails, the bursary fund will end in Winter 2026, eliminating the $700-900k CAD it allots annually. Not only is this fee necessary for hundreds of McGill students to continue their studies, but it also upholds SSMU’s commitment to equity and accessible education. The Tribune endorses a ‘Yes’ vote for this fee. 

Student Services Fee: Yes

The Student Services Fee motion aims to increase the Student Services fee—currently $204.74 CAD—by 4% each year, for the next three years ($212.93 CAD in Fall 2026, $221.45 CAD in Fall 2027, and $230.31 CAD in Fall 2028). The fee supports several essential services at McGill, including the Student Wellness Hub, the McGill Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, Career Planning Service, Scholarships and Student Aid, International Student Services, the Office for Students with Disabilities, Campus Life & Engagement, and First Peoples’ House. The cost of maintaining these services now exceeds the revenue generated by the existing fee; without the proposed increase, many vital programs risk a significant reduction in the services they can offer to students. The Tribune endorses a ‘Yes’ vote on this motion, with the caveat that SSMU ensures transparency in funding allocation and makes a greater effort to engage students to maximize the value and accessibility of these services. 

Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) Service Fee Increase: Yes

This motion seeks to increase the MSA’s opt-outable fee levy from $1.55 CAD a semester to $2.19 CAD. The MSA not only provides a space for Muslim students at McGill to connect but also promotes a variety of services, including prayer spaces, tajweed (Qur’an recitation) classes, and social events. If this motion is approved in the referendum, the fee increase will go into effect in the Winter 2026 term, and will be voted on again for renewal in 2028. If the motion fails, the fee levy will remain at $1.55 CAD a semester per student. 

The MSA claims its current budget does not allow it to fulfill its mandate, as evidenced by its decreased capacity for participants and, in some cases, cessations of certain programs altogether. It notes the importance of this fee increase to match the increasing Muslim population at McGill, as well as rising costs in general. The MSA hopes the fee increase will allow for cheaper ticketing, larger venue capacities, and the broadening of activities unburdened by budget constraints. 

The Tribune endorses a ‘Yes’ vote given that the MSA provides vital prayer resources for Muslim students on campus, and the $0.64 CAD per student increase will result in a larger budget, leading to greater accessibility and capacity for the MSA.

Musicians Collective Fee: Yes

The Musicians Collective is a volunteer-run SSMU Service which provides students with a public ‘jam space’ on campus. The service allows students to rent instruments, book rooms, and make music at a minimal cost. This motion seeks to renew the $0.10 CAD fee to keep the Collective running and accessible to all undergraduate students. 

The Tribune endorses a ‘Yes’ vote. Renewing this fee supports music, the arts, and community on campus while maintaining an affordable and inclusive space for students to create music and collaborate. Rooms in the Schulich School of Music are reserved for music students only, so it is imperative that the broader McGill community has access to inclusive creative spaces. Without this renewal, the Collective risks losing its funding and its ability to operate. In voting ‘Yes,’ the fee will go into effect from Winter 2025 until Fall 2029 (inclusive). 

Creation of Gender Affirming Care Fee: Yes

This motion seeks to create an opt-outable fee of $10.05 CAD for the creation of a Gender-Affirming Care (GAC) insurance plan offered through Alumo (formerly StudentCare). The plan will cover medication, gender-affirming procedures, mental health support, and more, funding up to $5,000 CAD per procedure with a lifetime maximum of $50,000 CAD  per individual. 

Under prior GAC plans, lifetime maximum coverage was capped at $10,000 CAD, an insufficient sum unable to cover most procedures not already covered by provincial or international insurance. The current GAC insurance plan—a reimbursement program offered by SSMU’s Gender and Sexuality Commissioner—also falls short, as its mandate lacks formal protections and therefore fails to guarantee its long-term efficacy. Research shows that GAC reduces gender dysphoria, anxiety, depression, and suicide; it quite literally saves lives. 

Without the creation of the new GAC fee, Two-Spirit, transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals (2STNBGN), who are disproportionately low-income, will experience financial strain and mental distress. As the referendum question critically notes, without the institution of this opt-outable fee, there will be no GAC plan offered to students in the upcoming year.Although a non-opt-outable fee would be preferable given the vital nature of this fund to 2STNBGN students,  The Tribune endorses a definitive ‘Yes’ vote for the creation of a GAC fee.