Who We Are

What is QPIRG?

QPIRG-McGill is a student-run, student-funded social and environmental justice organization. QPIRG-McGill facilitates research opportunities for students that link them up with the broader Montreal community through the Community Research Program, an alternative resource library, and funding for summer research projects. QPIRG also empowers students to take action in their community; we offer funding and support to 15+ Working Groups, who take on a variety of social and environmental issues. QPIRG offers a variety of Popular Education programming on campus and in Montreal including two annual event series, Printemps Militant and Culture Shock. We also organize an alternative orientation (Rad Frosh) and publish School Schmool, a free agenda and resource guide, in collaboration with GRIP-Concordia.

GRIP-McGill a été à l'origine d'étapes importantes sur le campus de McGill, comme le lancement du recyclage du papier dans les années 1990, la création de la première coopérative de logement pour les étudiants de McGill, et a joué un rôle essentiel dans l'approvisionnement en café équitable sur le campus.

Qui est le GRIP?

Every McGill student who has not opted-out is a member of QPIRG-McGill because they pay a membership fee at the beginning of each semester with their tuition. QPIRG-McGill is run by our staff, board, and volunteers, who are both students and non-students.

Every year, at QPIRG’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), our 12-member Conseil d'administration is elected by the QPIRG membership (any student who has not opted-out of our fee, as well as QPIRG community members). The board, of which at least half are students, is responsible for making major decisions – such as granting discretionary funding and selecting working groups – and working towards the long-term vision of the organization determined by the membership. At the AGM, the membership also has the chance to voice concerns and emphasize priorities for the upcoming year. While the board makes many of the financial and structural decisions, and the staff keep the organization running day-to-day, our programming and operations are especially shaped by our many student volunteers, who serve on many of QPIRG’s committees.

QPIRG Staff

Put simply, there is just way too much going on at QPIRG not to have staff! We have hundreds of actively involved members, 20 working groups, a library, a community research program, multiple publications, 3 major event series throughout the year, and ongoing training and development programs for student organizations. We simply could not maintain this work on a purely volunteer basis, and we certainly could not also meet our legal and financial responsibilities as a non-profit, such as preparing for an annual audit, meeting the criteria for incorporation, and managing the organization’s insurance.

Though the direction of the organization is decided by members of QPIRG-McGill, the staff are the ones who carry out these decisions and do all the hard behind the scenes work of ensuring these projects run smoothly. This includes our three full-time staff, three part-time student staff, and three summer positions. For more information on available positions, check out our Offres d'emploi page.

As an organization committed to social justice, we also believe that this commitment extends to how we treat our employees. To begin, that means we believe that our staff should be paid a “living wage”, that is, a wage that brings them above the poverty line. Minimum wage does not pay enough for an adult to live above the poverty line in Montreal. Many of our staff are paid through grants such as Young Canada Works, Emploi Quebec, McGill Work Study, and Canada Summer Jobs.

Comment le GRIP est-il financé?

QPIRG is funded primarily through an opt-outable student fee levy of $6.75 per student per semester. We receive some additional funding through our fundraising efforts, the Work Study system at McGill, and some government grants that fund student summer jobs.

Chaque année, le GRIP publie un rapport annuel, qui comprend un rapport financier complet sur l'utilisation de nos fonds, ainsi qu'un résumé de ce que nous avons accompli au cours de l'année précédente.

Ce rapport est disponible chaque année lors de notre assemblée générale annuelle (qui se tient généralement au début du mois d'avril), et publié en ligne peu après. Pour consulter nos rapports annuels, cliquez ici.

All members are also welcome to reach out to QPIRG-McGill to learn more about what we do and the resources we provide.

What does it mean to be a member?

En tant que membre du GRIP-McGill, vous pouvez voter lors de notre assemblée générale annuelle et vous présenter au conseil d'administration. Vous avez accès à une pléthore d'avantages, notamment:

  • our photocopier and printer
  • meeting space (QPIRG has two main meeting rooms available to any QPIRG member); 
  • opportunities to be published or receive class credit for meaningful research (student members are welcome to participate in the Community Research Program);
  • le soutien à vos projets (le GRIP finance des projets ponctuels ainsi que des projets plus durables grâce au financement des groupes de travail) 
  • an alternative library (we have over one thousand titles, including books, journals, magazines, zines, DVDs, and videos);
  • la formation (notre conseil d'administration, notre personnel et les membres du groupe de travail offrent une formation spécifique sur la gestion organisationnelle, des formations sur les médias et divers ateliers) 
  • jobs (QPIRG McGill hires work study students every year to coordinate the library, the CURE project, and help with campus outreach, as well as students in the summer to coordinate Rad Frosh and School Schmool);
  • educational events (we invite all our members to attend educational events we organize, such as Culture Shock, Spring into Action, and more!)
  • la possibilité de s'impliquer en faisant du bénévolat au sein de l'un de nos comités, qui apportent des compétences précieuses dans des domaines tels que l'organisation d'événements, la sensibilisation, les structures à but non lucratif et l'accessibilité

Non-students can become members as well! Learn more on our membership page.

Our Services

McGill students value a diverse and lively campus community. Students recognize that education is more than what you learn in class – it’s about the people you meet and the experiences you have.

We run an Bibliothèque radicale, host free events (like Culture Shock and Printemps Militant), organize Rad Frosh, and support a variety of Recherche communautaire projects. We also offer Financement discrétionnaire to local small-scale projects.

QPIRG is an important part of campus life and an important home and resource to many, many students.