Laurie Callsen - news editor 

The price of the U-Pass could go up to $140 per term over the next three years after city council approved the price increase.

University of Alberta and MacEwan will be headed towards a referendum this spring to decided whether or not to continue using the U-Pass.

Students’ Association President Nils Holmgren said that the referendum is still in the planning stages, but will take place during the spring election for the SA Executive Council. 

Holmgren said that only full-time students are able to vote in the referendum, and that resources will be provided so voters can make an educated choice.

Edmonton City Councillor Kim Krushell helped introduce the U-Pass when she was first elected. She hopes students realizes that even if the U-Pass doesn’t help them directly, that it can still help fellow students as well as the environment. 

“I feel for those students that have to pay the fee and maybe aren’t benefitting,” she said. 

“But I think that fee, even if you’re not using [the U-Pass] is still helping the environment, and we’re not asking for a huge, huge amount.” 

The University of Alberta subsidizes their students’ U-Pass fees because the administrators of the university are also using it. “That’s the commitment they’ve made,” said Holmgren. 

He said that currently, subsidization is not an option for MacEwan. 

The current price of MacEwan’s U-Pass is $97.50 per term, which breaks down to a little over $24 a month.

 Even when the U-Pass goes to $140, the price per month will be $35. An ETS monthly pass for post-secondary students is $67.50 a month. 

The first U-Pass referendum passed in March 2007, with 73 per cent of MacEwan voters approving the U-Pass.