SERVICES
New and existing services are constantly being created and improved by the membership. Students have prioritized purchasing and providing ethically sourced materials with consideration for the rights of workers and the environment. Collectively participating in services gives members of the Federation the ability to negotiate for better pricing while maintaining high quality.
Handbook and Dayplanners
Students’ unions often produce and distribute dayplanners, agendas or handbooks to communicate with their membership. Handbooks contain important information about the executives that represent students on their campus, resources and services available to members as well as campaigns and advocacy work that they can get involved in. Handbooks are a useful organizational tool for students, and a useful outreach tool for students’ unions to engage with their membership.
For a vast majority of students’ unions, producing a campus dayplanner can be an expensive and time-consuming endeavour. Many students’ unions have been overcharged by printing companies, often for basic books of low-quality.
The Federation’s handbook project was initiated to reduce the cost of producing high-quality handbooks, particularly for smaller students’ unions. By pooling together resources, students’ unions of all sizes soon benefited from the project, and today even the largest students’ unions in Canada realize savings from the economies of scale enjoyed by the Federation’s handbook service.
By bulk purchasing, the Federation has been able to negotiate for more affordable, better quality and ethically sourced handbooks. The handbooks are made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper and vegetable ink with colour pages. Students’ unions also save money in writing and editing, design, printing and binding. These economies of scale have enabled some students’ unions to reduce or eliminate local advertising from their handbooks.
Although producing a dayplanner through the Federation dramatically reduces costs because of the size of the print run, students’ unions can maintain robust and unique content relevant to their campus communities. Cover art, optional advertising, customisable calendar pages and up to 64 pages of local content are all available through the service.
International Student Identity Card (ISIC)
About the Card
The International Student Identity Card (ISIC) is an internationally recognized student travel discount card. ISIC holders can use their cards while traveling abroad in over 80 countries around the world at various museums, hostels, hotels, historical sties and entertainment attractions.
In Canada, students save money through national discounts on flights and bus tickets, at major department stores, at sports events and more. Students can also use the ISIC card for discounts at local small businesses around their campuses.
For a full list of ISIC discounts in Canada and abroad, visit the ISIC website at ISIC.org.
How to Get an ISIC
The ISIC is available to full-time students for free as a benefit of membership for the Canadian Federation of Students. Members can get their card online for free at ISIC Canada/a>. Non-members, including high school students 12 years of age or older, can purchase the ISIC for $20.00.
The Federation is the only licensed authority to issue the ISIC in Canada. Members can receive the ISIC at participating students’ unions. The ISIC can also be purchased online at ISICCanada.ca.
For a full list of ISIC discounts in Canada and abroad, visit the ISIC website at ISIC.org.
Co-Branding
The ISIC provides member locals with the opportunity to create partnerships with businesses by co-branding the card. Co-branding allows local student services to be incorporated as an added benefit to the card. In Ontario, students’ unions have co-branded the ISIC with bus passes and health and dental plans.
To find out more information about co-branding, please contact the Federation.
Studentsaver Card
About the Card
The Studentsaver card is offered through Canada’s only student-owned and operated national discount program. Thousands of discounts across the country help students save money on everyday purchases like books, clothing, food and entertainment.
Unlike the ISIC, the Studentsaver is available to all students, including part-time students. Students can get a Studentsaver card for free at their students’ union.
How to Solicit Discounts
The Studentsaver discount program is student-run because students know best which stores and attractions their peers frequent most often and, as a result, are the most capable of securing discounts from businesses in their communities. Student solicitors are hired to approach businesses encourage them to participate in the discount program.
Student solicitors encourage local businesses to provide exclusive discounts for Studentsaver cardholders and help students save money. In exchange, the Federation offers to list their businesses online, in handbooks and on promotional flyers and posters that are distributed throughout the year.
Discounts are renewed and added each year. Local discounts solicited for the Studentsaver discount program are also made available to ISIC holders.
To become a Student Solicitor, apply for the job by contacting the Federation.
Tax Filing
The Canadian Federation of Students negotiated with UFile.ca to offer students free online tax filing. UFile.ca is one of Canada’s leading online tax filing services. Although the service starts at $15.95 per use, members of the Federation are provided with a code to access UFile.ca for free all year round.
Students can use UFile.ca to file taxes for their spouses, partners or dependents. The service is also available in French at impôtexpert.ca.
During tax season, the Federation provides students’ unions with updated promotional materials to raise awareness amongst students about the free tax filing service. Posters include the current tax year’s access code that students enter online at UFile.ca.
2018 Special code offer: CFS1981
National Student Health Network
The National Student Health Network is the Federation-coordinated, buying consortium for health and dental insurance. The primary purpose of the consortium is to use the collective expertise and combined purchasing power of participating students’ unions to secure lower rates and better coverage for individual members.
Through the cooperative services model offered by the Federation, students’ unions have direct control over the services offered by their health and dental plans. It was this control that allowed the Network to be among the first providers to regularly cover oral contraception and the first to offer spousal benefits to same-sex partners.
Discount Networks
Over 850 dentists participate in the Dental Discount Network to reduce student members’ co-pay by 20% to 30%.
The Vision Network discount varies between 10% to 30% at The Bay Optical, Hakim Optical, ContactExpress.ca, ClearlyContacts.ca and The Eyewear Advantage Network (Sears Optical and LensCrafters).
Network members’ plans are covered by Green Shield Canada, the country’s only not-for-profit insurer. For more information about coverage under Green Shield Canada, visit GreenShield.ca.
Handbook and Dayplanners
Students’ unions often produce and distribute dayplanners, agendas or handbooks to communicate with their membership. Handbooks contain important information about the executives that represent students on their campus, resources and services available to members as well as campaigns and advocacy work that they can get involved in. Handbooks are a useful organizational tool for students, and a useful outreach tool for students’ unions to engage with their membership.
For a vast majority of students’ unions, producing a campus dayplanner can be an expensive and time-consuming endeavour. Many students’ unions have been overcharged by printing companies, often for basic books of low-quality.
The Federation’s handbook project was initiated to reduce the cost of producing high-quality handbooks, particularly for smaller students’ unions. By pooling together resources, students’ unions of all sizes soon benefited from the project, and today even the largest students’ unions in Canada realize savings from the economies of scale enjoyed by the Federation’s handbook service.
By bulk purchasing, the Federation has been able to negotiate for more affordable, better quality and ethically sourced handbooks. The handbooks are made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper and vegetable ink with colour pages. Students’ unions also save money in writing and editing, design, printing and binding. These economies of scale have enabled some students’ unions to reduce or eliminate local advertising from their handbooks.
Although producing a dayplanner through the Federation dramatically reduces costs because of the size of the print run, students’ unions can maintain robust and unique content relevant to their campus communities. Cover art, optional advertising, customisable calendar pages and up to 64 pages of local content are all available through the service.
International Student Identity Card (ISIC)
About the Card
The International Student Identity Card (ISIC) is an internationally recognized student travel discount card. ISIC holders can use their cards while traveling abroad in over 80 countries around the world at various museums, hostels, hotels, historical sties and entertainment attractions.
In Canada, students save money through national discounts on flights and bus tickets, at major department stores, at sports events and more. Students can also use the ISIC card for discounts at local small businesses around their campuses.
For a full list of ISIC discounts in Canada and abroad, visit the ISIC website at ISIC.org.
How to Get an ISIC
The ISIC is available to full-time students for free as a benefit of membership for the Canadian Federation of Students. Members can order their card online for free by visiting ISIC Canada. Non-members, including high school students 12 years of age or older, can purchase the ISIC for $20.00.
The Federation is the only licensed authority to issue the ISIC in Canada. Members can receive the ISIC at participating students’ unions. The ISIC can also be purchased online at ISICCanada.ca.
For a full list of ISIC discounts in Canada and abroad, visit the ISIC website at ISIC.org.
Co-Branding
The ISIC provides member locals with the opportunity to create partnerships with businesses by co-branding the card. Co-branding allows local student services to be incorporated as an added benefit to the card. In Ontario, students’ unions have co-branded the ISIC with bus passes and health and dental plans.
To find out more information about co-branding, please contact the Federation.
Studentsaver Card
About the Card
The Studentsaver card is offered through Canada’s only student-owned and operated national discount program. Thousands of discounts across the country help students save money on everyday purchases like books, clothing, food and entertainment.
Unlike the ISIC, the Studentsaver is available to all students, including part-time students. Students can get a Studentsaver card for free at their students’ union.
How to Solicit Discounts
The Studentsaver discount program is student-run because students know best which stores and attractions their peers frequent most often and, as a result, are the most capable of securing discounts from businesses in their communities. Student solicitors are hired to approach businesses encourage them to participate in the discount program.
Student solicitors encourage local businesses to provide exclusive discounts for Studentsaver cardholders and help students save money. In exchange, the Federation offers to list their businesses online, in handbooks and on promotional flyers and posters that are distributed throughout the year.
Discounts are renewed and added each year. Local discounts solicited for the Studentsaver discount program are also made available to ISIC holders.
To become a Student Solicitor, apply for the job by contacting the Federation.
Tax Filing
The Canadian Federation of Students negotiated with UFile.ca to offer students free online tax filing. UFile.ca is one of Canada’s leading online tax filing services. Although the service starts at $15.95 per use, members of the Federation are provided with a code to access UFile.ca for free all year round.
Students can use UFile.ca to file taxes for their spouses, partners or dependents. The service is also available in French at impôtexpert.ca.
During tax season, the Federation provides students’ unions with updated promotional materials to raise awareness amongst students about the free tax filing service. Posters include the current tax year’s access code that students enter online at UFile.ca.
National Student Health Network
The National Student Health Network is the Federation-coordinated, buying consortium for health and dental insurance. The primary purpose of the consortium is to use the collective expertise and combined purchasing power of participating students’ unions to secure lower rates and better coverage for individual members.
Through the cooperative services model offered by the Federation, students’ unions have direct control over the services offered by their health and dental plans. It was this control that allowed the Network to be among the first providers to regularly cover oral contraception and the first to offer spousal benefits to same-sex partners.
Discount Networks
Over 850 dentists participate in the Dental Discount Network to reduce student members’ co-pay by 20% to 30%.
The Vision Network discount varies between 10% to 30% at The Bay Optical, Hakim Optical, ContactExpress.ca, ClearlyContacts.ca and The Eyewear Advantage Network (Sears Optical and LensCrafters).
Network members’ plans are covered by Green Shield Canada, the country’s only not-for-profit insurer. For more information about coverage under Green Shield Canada, visit GreenShield.ca.