At the York University food bank, shelves and refrigerators are stocked to try to keep up with growing demand — but this crucial service, funded by student fees, could be in jeopardy.That’s because the food bank is operated by the students’ union and beginning in the fall all post-secondary students will be able to opt out of ancillary fees considered non-essential, such as those earmarked for student associations.The Food Support Centre is one of many services run by the union, and is “the closest one to my heart,” explains Rawan Habib, president of the York Federation of Students, which represents about 48,000 undergraduate students.“Every month we see more students registering,” she says. “It’s something they desperately need.” In September, the union moved the food bank out of a room the size of a walk-in closet that serviced about 800 students a month, into a larger space that now sees 1,300 students each month. But how this food bank will look next September is unclear. That’s because Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government announced changes that will impact college and university students, such as cutting tuition by 10 per cent, ending free tuition for lower-income students and getting rid of mandatory ancillary fees.Read more: Free-tuition program is gone, tuition reduced and student fees are no longer mandatory, Ford government announcesStudents call Tories’ funding changes ‘frustrating,’ ‘terrifying’ and ‘devastating’Allowing students to skip fees will reduce accountability, say campus groupsCurrently, students pay ancillary fees on top of tuition to cover costs for campus-wide services, facilities and clubs, among other things. These fees differ by school, but range between several hundred dollars to $2,000. Last month, Doug Ford’s government announced the creation of a new fee structure. Starting in September, all ancillary fe ...
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