At the February GMM, the membership approved a pilot project to divide the annual Ways and Means (W&M) Fund amount into two equal parts. These parts would function as two separate funds: a Ways and Means Emergencies Fund that operates on the existing model and a Ways and Means Hardship Fund that considers only financial need. The membership also approved a temporary increase in the current annual per-member funding limit from $1500 to $2000.
A separate W&M Hardship Fund Jotform application and appeals form will be posted online in the next couple of weeks. The W&M Emergencies Fund will continue to use the existing (renamed) W&M Fund application.
Important Note: The yearly individual maximum of $2000 would apply to all funds awarded to members from both categories. That is, no member would normally receive more than $2000, subject to the W&M Committee’s discretion under the bylaws. The W&M funding year runs from September 1 to August 31.
If you have questions about this pilot project or the new fund division, please contact the Ways and Means Committee at waysandmeans@cupe3903.org or Joseph Tohill, Vice-President Unit 2, at vpu2@cupe3903.org.
Ways and Means Emergencies Fund
The Ways and Means Emergencies Fund operates according to the existing Ways and Means Fund—that is, it assists members experiencing unexpected financial hardship caused by an emergency or unexpected event. Members may apply at any time, and the Ways and Means Committee adjudicates applications on a rolling basis, meeting every two weeks to do so.
Eligibility
- Proof of a recent unexpected event, accident, illness, death in the family, or other emergency that has caused unexpected financial hardship
- Must provide documentation to substantiate the expenses incurred and their link to the emergency or unexpected event
- Must hold a contract currently or have held a contract within the 12 months preceding the submission of the application
- Only one application per emergency
- Members may submit more than one application, but cannot receive more than $2000 per year
Expenses Claimable Under W&M Emergencies Fund
- Same as existing criteria
Ways and Means Hardship Fund
The Ways and Means Hardship Fund aims to assist members experiencing financial hardship unrelated to an emergency or unexpected occurrence. It will require members to submit a detailed explanation of their circumstances and need with supporting documentation and a detailed budget including all sources of income (employment, scholarships, grants, loans, family support, etc.) and expenses. To be eligible for the fund, members must have an income below the low-income cut-off for their family size and demonstrate their financial need.
Under this pilot project, the W&M Hardship Fund will be divided equally by the number of academic terms in a year. Since there will only be two funding periods remaining this year (a winter and summer round), the approximately $150,000 allocated to the W&M Hardship Fund will be divided in two: $75,000 for each round of adjudication. Members will be awarded an equal share of the fund up to the yearly individual maximum for the W&M Fund ($2000). Members may apply in each funding period, if necessary, but cannot receive more than the yearly maximum allowance.
| Adjudication Round | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Winter | March 31, 2026 |
| Summer | July 31, 2026 |
Pilot Project Rationale
Under the current W&M guidelines (Bylaws Appendix C and W&M Fund website), only members experiencing unexpected or unforeseen financial hardship are eligible for support, and members only receive funds to cover eligible, documented (i.e., receipted) expenses. Ordinary, anticipated expenses (like rent, food, tuition, etc.) are explicitly excluded from coverage.
However, some of our members who are in the most financial need don’t qualify for support from the W&M Fund because their financial hardships aren’t related to an unexpected or unforeseen event or circumstance. Given the high cost of living in Toronto, inadequate funding packages of Unit 1 & 3 members, and uneven/varying compensation received by Unit 2 & 4 members, many members are experiencing significant, ongoing financial strain related to daily living and housing expenses.
The new W&M Hardship Fund allocates a significant portion of the fund to assisting members experiencing economic hardships that result from members’ low incomes and routine cost-of-living expenses. It aims to ensure the W&M Fund better addresses and accommodates changing membership needs.
The W&M Fund can’t solve the problem of our members’ chronic financial precarity, but we have the funds currently to provide at least some financial assistance to our members who are most in need.
Plan to Assess the Pilot Project’s Outcome
The division of the W&M fund will remain in effect until the end of this funding year. The Ways and Means Committee will report on the outcome of the pilot project in its final report, to be delivered at the September 2026 GMM. (Annual W&M Committee elections take place in September.) At that time, the membership can decide whether to revert back to the current W&M Fund guidelines, continue the pilot project for another year, or make the changes permanent by proposing a bylaw amendment to Appendix C.