KSA appoints president and plans to revise 2026 budget in light of audited statements
Gurdit Singh is back as president, and council passed a motion to revisit its budget in light of declining student enrolment
Byelections and Welcome Week planning were also discussed during the meetings. (File photo)
The Kwantlen Student Association’s council wrapped up its first month in office by electing a president and moving to revise its 2026 budget.
On April 23, the executive committee held its first meeting of the 2026-27 term, where Vice-President (VP) Finance and Operations Gurdit Singh was appointed president after nominating himself. VP Student Life Sukhdev Singh also nominated Gurdit.
Gurdit previously served as president from January until the end of March during the 2025-26 term.
Executive Director Timothii Ragavan said in his report that the KSA is looking to partner with external vendors for its summer semester Welcome Week.
“One of them [is] Costco. We had a chat with them previously as well,” Ragavan said. “We hope that they will be able to join in our future external events that we do hold.”
At the council meeting that occurred soon after the executives met, Gurdit said in his report that he attended a meeting the week prior with the KSA’s lawyers, Miller Thomson LLP, where he helped his fellow executives get to know them.
He also said he helped them understand the three ongoing court cases involving the association and the B.C. Ministry of Finance’s order. The order is part of an investigation into the student union for possible misuse of funds or other problematic conduct.
As of this council meeting, Gurdit said he asked legal counsel if there were updates regarding the investigation, to which there weren’t.
Gurdit also said in his report that he met with new and returning KPU students.
“Students were requesting and asking for events because, this spring semester, we didn’t have any events,” he said. “We have restrictions under the ministerial order, but we can still look for the possible ways [on] how we can organize these events in the summer semester. So I’m going to work on that.”
Ragavan said in his report that nominations have opened for the associate president position.
He also said that he does not recommend the KSA hold byelections in the summer semester. Following the KSA general elections earlier this spring, there are nine vacant positions on council.
“I don’t think that we will see the voter turnout that we’re hoping for.”
He added that he spoke with KPU about spaces open for September, October, or possibly earlier in July and that he will present more information to council once he gets confirmation.
During question period, Women’s Representative Rukmandeep Kaur said she plans on opening a women’s centre in the Birch building so students have a place to connect.
Besides Gurdit, no other elected representatives presented a report during the meeting.
“Can we perhaps set an expectation that people can have something to report, including myself, for the next council meeting, just in terms of what their goals are for the next year?” Indigenous Students’ Representative Elysia Ritchotte said.
“Now that finals are almost done, it would be nice if we just had a clear expectation for what people are going to be working on.”
Gurdit said he supports this idea, adding that “we can’t force someone, but we can all ask always.”
At an April 29 council meeting, student representatives passed a motion to direct Gurdit and the finance committee to review and revise its 2026 budget.
Gurdit proposed the motion by a recommendation from the KSA’s financial controller, Rolando Navarro, he said. The finance committee has not yet been appointed.
“The budget was made by the previous council. There are some changes that we have to make according to [Navarro],” said Gurdit, who was KSA president when the budget was approved in January.
Navarro said the budget was created based on a 10 to 12 per cent decline. However, the decline in enrolment is “much higher than 12 per cent.”
“In light of the completion of the audited financial statements, we have new information that would be very reflective of the current financial condition of the KSA,” Navarro said.
The association’s audited financial statements were presented at its annual general meeting on March 27.
The audit reported that the KSA’s revenue was down from $9.7 million in 2024 to $8.5 million last year. Despite the revenue decline, the association’s expenses increased to $10.4 million in 2025 — nearly $2 million higher than the previous year.
“This new information would be very useful as input to the 2026 budget, and it would give us an opportunity to revise the overestimated revenues and underestimated … major expenses,” Navarro said.
He added that the big-ticket items in expenditures are elected officials’ stipends and honoraria, human resources staff, and legal fees.
The 2026 budget allocated $500,000 to wages and benefits for elected officials. The association spent $947,848 in wages and benefits in 2025, as per its December 2025 financial statement.
The staff wages budget was set to $800,000, but the KSA spent more than $1.5 million last year.
“The 2026 budget, as it is, is not realistic and is based on, I would say, invalid assumptions,” Navarro said.
