University of Regina terminates main lease with student union URSU

Members of the University of Regina Students’ Union (URSU) will be packing up and moving out of the university.

This comes after the university’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Jeff Keshen, announced in a letter that the university has terminated its main lease agreement with URSU, effective immediately.

Read more:

• Students at U of R raise concerns over student union URSU
• U of R Women’s Centre takes student union to court over ‘withheld’ student funds
• Some students in favour of U of R ending fee collection deal with URSU

“As a result of the University’s loss of confidence in URSU’s ability to serve and represent students, additional steps have been taken heading into Fall,” he wrote in the letter.

“Effective immediately, the University has terminated its main lease agreements with URSU, meaning URSU leadership is required to vacate office and commercial space it occupies on campus. This includes URSU office space, the multi-purpose room, and the Lazy Owl.”

A Statement from President Jeff Keshen: pic.twitter.com/fD0KRvfPRp

— University of Regina (@UofRegina) August 15, 2025

The Lazy Owl restaurant and pub will remain closed until further notice.

Back in April, the university announced it would not distribute funds to URSU in the upcoming fall semester.

Processes are in place to ensure funds for core student services like health and dental benefits, and the U-Pass.

The university will also take over the role previously held by URSU to ensure funding flows to student groups and associations that rely on student fees.

980 CJME has reached out to URSU for comment but none was available at the time of publication.

Growing tensions for quite some time

The termination comes after a sense of growing unease at the University of Regina over how URSU was being run.

Some students have spoken out in favour of the university’s decision to end the fee collection agreement, but other students told 980 CJME this isn’t the only problem students have with URSU.

According to some students, problems have been brewing for quite some time, but an event at a Women’s Centre AGM in March brought everything to a turning point.

The UR Women’s Centre meeting was adjourned shortly after it began when people in the crowd started to disrupt the opening remarks and blessing from an Indigenous Knowledge Keeper.

URSU put out a statement saying that it had no involvement in the events that took place at the Women’s Centre AGM.

But at a board of directors meeting on March 22, both the newly elected URSU VP and president raised their hands when asked by a female student who was in attendance at that disrupted Women’s Centre AGM, among a few other student union members.

Students spoke out about no longer feeling safe on campus following the disruption, and that women’s voices felt silenced by URSU.

Another student raised concerns over URSU’s financial transparency.

According to its 2024 financial statement, URSU has incurred an operating loss of $1.245 million after losing $1.458 million in 2023. This has resulted in an accumulated unrestricted deficit of $1.368 million as of April 30, 2024

This means in 2024, URSU spent $1.245 million more than it brought in, and in 2023 the shortfall was even higher at $1.458 million.

A third student raised concerns over difficulties experienced while trying to opt out of programs like dental and health insurance, as well as bus passes.

Read more:

• Students at U of R raise concerns over student union URSU
• U of R Women’s Centre takes student union to court over ‘withheld’ student funds
• Some students in favour of U of R ending fee collection deal with URSU