SRC Councilor Tim Hansen Explains SRC Involvement in Food Service at SUB
This is a long email, not because I agree about Tim Hortons being in the SUB, but because it was a rather vague process, so bear with me! haha
Yeah, as a (now former, by one day haha) member of the SRC, I can say we were definitely told that the ASU was going to buy out the remainder of Chartwell’s contract in the SUB, to provide food services anyway. There was never an SRC meeting ‘per se’ to talk about the different options in the food services in the SUB, but the people I DID talk to about it wanted to make sure it was A) sustainable for the environment and B) some kind of popular outlet to increase traffic in the SUB.
There was never an SRC meeting devoted entirely to the issue, because during the ‘Question’ and ‘Roundtable Correspondence’ parts of our meetings, we constantly asked Kyle and the other executive members what was happening (you can ask Steve Barron about this as well, if you need his email just let me know), and when/if we were buying out Chartwells, which they eventually told us they were going to do, and then a few weeks later they did.
As to who/what business was coming in, the executive kept an air of secrecy about the whole thing, ostensibly for business reasons so as to not mess up the prospective chances of certain businesses who were interested in moving into the SUB. I’m not a business student, so I don’t get the logic behind their secrecy, but apparently it was well founded? Either way, we had no report of the bidding process or what business gave what offers, but were assured that the final contract would be in the best interests of the ASU.
So, I guess while we never met about bringing in Tim Hortons specifically, Kyle did finally announce it at one of our later meetings (I can find the exact minutes if you’d like, just let me know), and the SRC did sponsor the move in the end, though I do not believe there was a vote on the issue. I can give you my personal reasons for at least ‘accepting’ the move, which were that they promised to install water fountains in the SUB so people could fill up their water bottles, they promised to initiate a proper recycling program for their cups (as they have wax lining, it is still possible to recycle them but there are no proper receptacles in Wolfville right now), it was popular enough to get more people in the SUB, and they were giving a substantial financial contribution to the ASU.
Anyone I spoke with, which obviously wasn’t enough people, agreed with having a chain coffee shop of some kind in the SUB. There were also proponents of bringing in a local store, perhaps Just Us. The reason I didn’t take it more seriously (or perhaps it was just my failing as a councilor) was that I had thought either A) the executive had done public research about what it wanted done or B) we would have an actual vote on the matter to approve dealing with a new merchant in the SUB. And it may still be the case that the new SRC will have to approve the moving-in of Tim Hortons. The rub is, that if they ‘approve’ this over the summer, the executive alone is given the entire power of the SRC because everyone goes home for the break. So I guess, technically, over the summer when the executive is acting in the stead of the SRC they could approve Tim Hortons moving in.
As this has not happened before, I’m not even sure that they (the executive, as those in charge of the ASU) need approval, being that they do run/own the building. But if the AES has a problem with it, then I think it would be EXTREMELY impertinent of the ASU to go ahead with something that one of its own internal organizations has problems with. While I might not be against the idea of a Tim Hortons in the SUB, I am against having improper representation within the ASU.
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