‘KPU welcomes the B.C. Government’s notice’: KSA under provincial investigation for possible misuse of funds or problematic conduct

The B.C. government launched an investigation into the Kwantlen Student Association for possible misuse of funds or other problematic conduct on March 13. 

Last month, The Runner reported the KSA spent nearly $1 million on council wages and was $3.5 million over budget in 2025.

B.C. Finance Minister Brenda Bailey initiated the investigation under the Societies Act following a report from the Registrar of Companies, a government watchdog that oversees compliance of societies like the KSA.

The Societies Act is a provincial act that outlines rules and restrictions under which non-profit societies can operate. 

With a ministerial order in place, the KSA cannot dispose of, deal with, or diminish the value of its assets pending the investigation, effective as of March 13. The student association can spend “reasonable amounts” on operational expenses budgeted prior to the date of the order and legal advice.

“Action is being taken to protect the student association and its members pending the investigation,” the B.C. government press release reads. 

The order was called under section 213 of the Societies Act — a penalty provision which concerns the investigation of a society and “appointing an investigator to conduct an investigation of the society, providing directions in relation to that investigation and setting the investigator’s remuneration.” 

There is no publicly available record of section 213 being enacted against a student society in recent years. 

The ministry aims to have an investigator “as soon as possible,” a ministry spokesperson wrote in an email to The Runner, adding that the KSA executive committee has been made aware of the order.

The ministry also wrote that the report from the Registrar of Companies, which initiated the investigation, is not being released. 

In an email statement to The Runner, KPU Vice-President Students Zena Mitchell wrote that the institution “welcomes the B.C. Government’s notice.”

“The KSA is an independent society governed under the Societies Act and is therefore accountable to its members, who are KPU students. KPU itself is not a member of the KSA.”

An issues note dated February 2025 from the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills outlines the ministry’s concern about fiscal mismanagement allegations made against the society. 

“There are limited accountability mechanisms available to government or institutions to address issues with student societies,” the document read. 

The document was released through a freedom of information request regarding any meetings the KSA had with a ministry representative and briefing notes prepared by employees for such meetings. The request was published in September 2025.

In a statement released on March 18, the KSA wrote it plans to cooperate with the investigation and has already taken “proactive steps through legal counsel” to support the process. The association’s legal and professional spending was $788,734 in 2025 — over budget by $588,734.

“The investigator will have the authority to compel the production of documents and require answers from individuals in the course of the investigation,” the KSA’s statement reads. “The Order addresses certain concerns regarding KSA spending that were previously made publicly available on our website.”