ON Court of Appeal quashes ON appeal over SCI

Ontario’s Court of Appeal has unanimously dismissed the Government of Ontario’s attempt to overturn a decision by Ontario’s Divisional Court to quash the Student Choice Initiative (SCI). The SCI, which was intended to give students the ability to opt out of fees that were considered “non-essential,” was struck down by a court challenge in 2019 from the Canadian Federation of Students and the York Federation of Students. “[G]iven the role played by student associations in university governance, the framework is a profound interference in university autonomy — not a mere fettering of the universities’ discretion, as the Minister submits,” wrote Justice Grant Huscroft. ON has been ordered to pay $20K to the CFS and YFS. CBC | Queen’s Journal | The Varsity (ON)