Questions and answers
Where will the new facility be located?
The new sports and recreation complex will border Military Trail and Morningside Avenue. The location was chosen because of the amount of land available to accommodate a facility of this size, as well as provide transportation access and valuable visibility. This new facility along with the Instructional Centre will be key anchors in the North Campus development.
Is it true that the Pan Am facilities will bring public transit to campus?
Yes. In order to accommodate traffic demands for the Pan Am Games and create a community legacy, the governments and the city have agreed to accelerate Light Rapid Transit (LRT) to the heart of our campus decades before it is currently scheduled. As well, a similar government commitment to improve TTC and GO Transit service will result in dramatically improved access to the St. George campus.
When will construction begin if the vote is yes?
Many students have already been consulted by survey and focus groups about what they want to see in a new sports and recreation complex. The facility plans reflect those preferences. Once the yes vote is in, then the detailed planning begins, including further consultations with students, Approvals from the City, tendering for the architect, and hiring of the contractors. All this would move as quickly as possible.
How much is the student levy going to be?
The referendum will ask students to contribute $40 per semester for full-time students ($8 for part-time students) inflated for costs by 4% annually. In 2014, the year the new sports and recreation complex opens, the second-stage of the levy takes effect at a rate of $140 per semester per full-time student ($28 per part-time student).
How will UTSC pay for construction before it receives any revenue from an increased fee?
The project will be financed through a 25-year mortgage, just like the way the Student Centre was financed.
What is UTSC contributing to the project?
UTSC's planning process envisions a $750-million long-term investment in the North Campus; Students are asked to contribute $30 million to this entire vision (2008 dollars).
For this project in particular UTSC has successfully found funding partners with the City of Toronto, Canadian Sports Institute Ontario, and both the federal and provincial governments. U of T is investing its land, and $7.5 million cash as well as human resources. Of approximately $170 million in total costs (all 2008 dollars), students are being asked to contribute 18% or $30 million over a period of 25 years.
Some students will not use the facility, no matter how good it is. Can they opt out?
No, all fees are compulsory. This allows us to plan and secure the financing. All universities operate this way. Like municipal taxes, all citizens contribute to the services, whether they use them or not. However, a large number of students use the Recreation Centre now … A modern facility four times the size will no doubt attract even more.
Why should students contribute?
This is an opportunity for today’s students to leave a legacy for future generations, and to enhance the reputation of their alma mater. Students contribute to similar projects at all universities. The Ministry for Training of Colleges & Universities (MTCU) does not fund non-academic sports and recreation facilities, student centres or other extracurricular spaces. So the fees to build such structures must come from other sources. Key examples in Ontario, where student contributions have been instrumental in the development of new athletic facilities, include: University of Toronto Mississauga, Brock, McMaster, Trent, Queen’s , Guelph, Wilfrid Laurier and most recently, Ryerson. Please see the “Benefits to you” link on this website’s front page for more reasons why this is a transformative opportunity for you, for UTSC, and, indeed, the entire eastern GTA community.
The vast majority of students who will be eligible to vote in the referendum will never have the opportunity to use the facility. Why should we vote ‘yes’ for a facility that we will never see?
Students at UTSC have long demonstrated a history of visionary leadership in support of campus development. Students today benefit from the collective efforts and generosities of their predecessors with facilities such as the residences, library and the Leigha Leigh Brown theatre, the fitness key, the r-wing accessible elevator and most recently the Student Centre. All these legacies are the result of the advocacy and financial contribution of UTSC students.
Virtually every sports and recreation complex at Ontario universities has been realized with a referendum or special capital contribution from the students with support from University and community partnerships. The reality is that a new recreation complex cannot happen without current students making a decision that will benefit future generations.
Current students are also future alumni. Imagine what a new recreation complex would do to enhance UTSC’s student experience. You will also be able to access these Olympic-quality facilities through an alumni membership. The reputation of your alma mater follows all alumni for the remainder of their lives, and the new sports and recreation complex will be a source of pride for a long time for all alumni.
How will I benefit from my contribution before the new complex opens?
No current student would pay more than a boat cruise ticket or an early bird Orientation registration. Every single dollar a student contributes towards the down payment (between 2010 and 2014) will be credited towards a future alumni membership!
What might be some of the academic/ educational benefits of these facilities?
The new complex provides UTSC with an opportunity to work with academic colleagues across the university to assess the potential for collaborations with existing programs; new programs that build on the existing strengths at UTSC, such as a sports management program; or new joint programs that draw on the leading-edge expertise associated with the Canadian Sports Institute Ontario(CSIO), such as a masters degree in high performance coaching.
What facilities will be open 24 hours? What will student access be?
There will not be 24-hour access to these facilities unless there is a demonstrated benefit from doing so once the facility opens. UTSC students will have full access to the facilities with their T-card, similar to how they access the Recreation Centre now. The added benefit will be that with larger, more diverse facilities, our students will in fact have more access to recreational space than they do now.
Would a large project like the Pan Am games detract from our small community at UTSC?
UTSC has experienced significant growth over the past eight years on campus that has enhanced the sense of community that we value. We anticipate that a new sports and recreation complex left as a legacy from the Pan Am games would further engage our student body as a result of new community outreach, opportunities and sufficient space for more student activities to occur under one roof.
Why don’t we simply renovate the existing facilities and keep our fees lower?
The current facility cannot be adequately expanded to meet the needs of our current 10,000 students (ranked 18th of 20 Ontario universities for size), let alone any future enrollment growth. Renovations have taken place over the past several years to make the best possible use of what we have. There are no other options but to build a brand new athletics facility on the UTSC campus.
If the university becomes pre-occupied with a major sports complex for the next five years or so, will plans for other priorities like additional libraries, study spaces, etc., be crowded out?
The University currently has several projects earmarked for development, as part of the $750 million master plan. The recently excavated Instructional Centre is one example of what the University has in store for the North Campus at UTSC. Synergies exist for many other projects to unfold as a result of the construction of a major sports complex, including residences, restaurants and the LRT project for ease of transit to campus. Further UTSC now has the expertise and capacity in place to move on several fronts in parallel.
What will happen if students say “No” to the referendum?
With such a long history in creating legacy facilities for future generations, it’s highly unlikely students at UTSC would not support this opportunity. This partnership proposal responds directly to what students have been saying they want on the UTSC campus, and now the best possible package has been put together through our partnerships. It would entail a phenomenal deal for our students; they will be partners in world-standard facilities at a fraction of the investment – an opportunity that would not be possible without the partnership of the Pan American Games.