By David Dyck

After three years of conflict, the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) has officially left the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). The issue goes back to 2008, when 67 per cent of SFU students voted to leave the CFS. The CFS, which is the largest student organization in Canada, contested the referendum’s legitimacy, and a series of legal disputes has financially mired the SFSS.

Although a court date had been set for February 12, 2012, for a trial that was expected to last approximately three weeks, the dispute was settled out of court in late December. Both parties released the following statement:

“The
 Canadian
 Federation
 of
 Students,
 Canadian
 Federation
 of
 Students‐
Services,
 Canadian
 Federation
 of
 Students‐British
 Columbia
 Component
 (collectively,
 the
 “CFS
 Entities”)
 and
 the
 Simon
 Fraser
 Student
 Society
 (“SFSS”)
 have
 come
 to
 an
 amicable,
 out
 of
 court
 resolution
 of
 their
 dispute
 regarding
 the
 SFSS
 voting
 membership
 in
 the
 CFS
 Entities.
 As
 part
 of
 this
 resolution
 it
 is
 agreed
 that
 the
 membership
 has
 ended.
 The
 agreement
 was 
motivated 
by 
a 
desire 
on 
the 
part 
of 
all parties 
to 
resolve
 all
 outstanding
 issues.
 The
 parties
 have
 agreed
 to
 this
 common 
statement
 and
 have
 agreed
 to
 make
 no
 further
 public
 statements 
regarding 
this matter.
”

The full story will appear in print and on the web on Monday, January 9.