LAWSUIT LAUNCHED BY STUDENT OVER RESOLVED FOLLOWING A RESOLUTION BETWEEN THE TWO PARTIES THROUGH — GENERAL ASSEMBLY SET TO TAKE PLACE SUNDAY MORNING
A student launched a civil suit against the University of Ottawa’s Students Union (UOSU) days leading up to their Autumn General Assembly, over the rejection of his motions proposal. Both parties managed to reach an accord, submitting a Consent Order, allowing for the General Assembly to take place on Sunday Nov 30.
On Nov. 26, engineering student, Daniel Thorp, served UOSU with a court application, following the repeated denial of his motion to be added to the General Assembly’s agenda.
Thorp claimed the rejection of his motion to address UOSU’s new partnership with the Bounce app company reveals “the UOSU’s repeated willingness to disregard statutory requirements under the [Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act (CNCA)] and to operate on the assumption that student members will not enforce their rights.”
Per UOSU president Jack Coen, the motion proposed by Thorp was denied repeatedly due to “factually incorrect” information. Coen’s statement continued that despite multiple attempts encouraging Thorp to edit his proposal, it was not done in a timely enough manner, leading to the denial of the motion.
Citing their general fiduciary duties under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act, UOSU said it blocked the motion to ensure that proposals presented in an electoral context were clear and not misleading.
Thorp’s original motion stated that UOSU’s new partnership with the Bounce app constituted a “perpetual agreement” under the union’s Articles of Incorporation and therefore could not be terminated by a vote of the board of directors. However, annexes of the contract provided to the Fulcrum showed that UOSU may terminate the partnership as long as they give 90 days’ notice within the first year, or before the end of the fourth year.
Following the legal involvement, both parties discussed the terminology presented within the motion, which now reads: “a student has expressed concern that the Bounced Inc. contact… can only be terminated with notice after 12 months… [or] only be terminated after three years unless Bounced inc. is in breach of the contract.”
Despite resolution being agreed upon by both parties, UOSU and Thorpe submitted a Consent Order to the Ontario Courts to add this item to the General Assembly agenda.
The total legal fees on UOSU’s end, are undetermined but estimated to be around $10,000 by Coen — these will be paid for through student fees, with UOSU’s budget allocating $80,000 for the 2025/2026 operating year.
Editor’s Note: This article has been edited for clarity on January 22, 2026. The phrase “request to dismiss” the lawsuit has been changed to “submitted a Consent Order.” The phrase “As per legal obligations, under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act, UOSU must ensure that no misleading information is presented to members in an electoral context” has been changed to “Citing their general fiduciary duties under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act, UOSU said it blocked the motion to ensure that proposals presented in an electoral context were clear and not misleading”. The phrase “indefinite duration that cannot be terminated by vote of the board of directors.” has been changed to “constituted a ‘perpetual agreement’ under the union’s Articles of Incorporation and therefore could not be terminated by a vote of the board of directors.”
Editor’s Note: This article has been edited for clarity on February 5, 2026. The phrase “dismissing the civil suit” has been changed to “submitting a Consent Order.” The date November 27 has been changed to November 26 to reflect the accurate date. The sentence “or before the end of the third year” has been changed to “before the end of the fourth year.”
