Referendum 2021

On May 13th and 14th 2021, students will be asked to vote on three referendum questions. The questions shall be concerning the amendments of the union`s By-Laws and Consitution, the addition of a Student Insurance Group Plan as well as a modification of the membership fee.

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How to Vote?

Students will be able to vote virtually on https://dsuelections.simplyvoting.com/. Each student will receive credentials to log in and vote by email. Make sure to check your personal or Dawson email on the day of voting! Students will be able to vote starting on May 13th at 12 a.m. until May 14th at 4 p.m.

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New DSU Constitution

Students will be asked to vote on a new constitution for the DSU. This new document will serve as the union`s By-Laws and Constitution and shall be one of the Union`s most important documents. 

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The Union`s constitution has to be updated to ensure that it never becomes obsolete. Unfortunately, due to a complicated amending formula, the By-laws had not been updated in almost half a decade. Our team made a commitment 9 months ago to have a new constitution by the end of our mandate. We hope to make good on that promise.

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To find more about the incoming changes with the new constitution, please consult both documents below. 

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Referendum Question 

Do you ratify the Constitution of the Dawson Student Union, which was approved by the Board of Directors on April 26, 2021, and by the General Assembly on April 27, 2021, to be the official General By-Laws of the Dawson Student Union and replace all previous documents?

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Student Group Insurance Plan

Students will have the chance to vote on a new insurance plan. This plan will cover students for health, dental, travel while also offering a mental health service, telemedicine service and legal assistance service. The plan will be offered by a well-established student insurance plan provider called StudentCare. They currently offer coverages for universities such as McGill, Concordia and the University of Toronto! For more information on StudentCare, you can visit their website https://www.studentcare.ca/

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Students were surveyed on the matter and the results indicated that our members wanted a complete insurance plan. Results of the Survey can be found here. 

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Students can find more detailed information on the plan by clicking here. 

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Referendum Question

Do you ratify the addition of the DSU Health and Dental plan, approved by the DSU Executive Committee on April 29, 2021? 

The plan would be funded by an optional fee of a total of 183$ for a twelve(12) months coverage which includes mental health, health coverage, dental coverage, travel insurance, legal protection, and telemedicine?

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Members will have the choice to select according to their needs whether they want coverage for all the mentioned above or select the coverage they need for either dental (50$ per year), only health (50$ per year) or additional services which include telemedicine and legal protection (83$). Specific coverages will be listed below. 

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The DSU student health and dental plan fee would be added to Annex A of the DSU Constitution.  The health and dental plan fee to cover the cost of the plan would be considered part of the DSU membership fee under an Act respecting the Accreditation and Financing of Student Associations, R.S.Q., c. A-3.01.  All DSU members would be able to opt-out of this fee on an annual basis during an opt-out period set up under the provisions of the plan. 

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Modification of the Membership Fee

Students will also be asked to vote on a new membership fee. This would be the first modification in over 10 years. It is important for the union`s long-term financial health that the fee be revised on a regular basis. 

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For more information on the student fee modification, click here.

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Referendum Question

Do you ratify setting the membership fee in Annex A of the Dawson Student Union Constitution from $19 to $22 per semester for full-time students and from $9.50 to $11 per semester for part-time students to reflect the increase in inflation from last time the fee was set in 2011? 

  

The fee would be revised every three (3) years according to the change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and rounded to the nearest half-dollar. 

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In the event where a fee increase is not ratified, the amounts mentioned in Annex A of the new constitution for fees would be changed to the current fee levels set in 2011 previously mentioned.

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If you have any questions concerning the referendum questions, please feel free to contact general@dawsonstudentunion.com.

 

For any questions on logistical and voting matters for the 2021 Referendum, please contact elections@dawsonstudentunion.com.