Students solving sustainability challenges
Camosun College and UVic recently set up teams of students with organizations to try to solve local sustainability challenges in the Capital Regional District’s Ready, Set, Solve program. 42 students from a variety of academic backgrounds volunteered their time to solve 13 unique energy and climate challenges. Find out more at crd.bc.ca/readysetsolve.
Charges won’t be laid in sexual-assault investigation
The University of Victoria Students’ Society (UVSS) says that students at UVic are outraged that a fair process and outcome for survivors of sexualized violence has once again been halted, due to charges not being laid in a recent sexual-assault investigation at the university. The UVSS blames this lack of justice on what they say is a deeply embedded rape culture within society, and they say that the justice system is fundamentally unable to deliver justice to the people who are most marginalized in society.
United forces fight homelessness
Oak Bay United Church and Threshold Housing Society (THS) recently agreed to work together to create eight new housing units for homeless youth. THS plans to lease a building owned by Oak Bay United Church and upgrade it for both housing and life skills training. THS operates three other facilities and supports a number of young people in apartments throughout the Capital Regional District.
Carleton University board of governors faces no-confidence motion
Unions representing faculty, librarians, administrative staff, and graduate students at Ottawa’s Carleton University have unanimously passed motions of non-confidence in the university’s Board of Governors. According to the Carleton University Graduate Students’ Association (CUGSA), there’s concern from students and workers that the board of governors is not acting with the best interests of the community or the public good in mind. This is in response to new bylaws that made the board less open and less accountable, and that centralized power within the executive committee of the board, according to CUGSA.
Victoria’s car-free day wins award
The Downtown Victoria Business Association has won an award of excellence for their Car Free YYJ day, which was held last June. The award was handed out at the Best in the West Awards, which were held at the annual conference of the Business Improvement Areas of BC. More than 20,000 people attended Car Free YYJ; six blocks of Douglas Street were closed to vehicles during the event. This year’s Car Free YYJ is scheduled for June 19 and is expected to include an extra three blocks. To find out more, visit downtownvictoria.ca.
Capital funding to benefit the region’s health-care facilities
The Capital Regional Hospital District Board has approved funding of over $6.7 million to support capital projects and equipment purchases to improve and upgrade the region’s health-care facilities. $3.75 million is slated for Island Health 2016 capital projects, and $2.95 million is to go toward health-care equipment replacement and upgrades in the region’s hospitals and residential-care facilities.
Victoria’s sewage water too stinky?
The office of the Minister of Environment recently said that Victoria’s wastewater systems are significantly above the Capital Regional District’s high-risk designation threshold, and said that they need treatment by 2020. Hopefully someone’s paying attention: fines or even imprisonment could go down if deadlines for change aren’t met, according to the Fisheries Act.
Curbside glass collection to continue
The Capital Regional District (CRD) board says that the collection of glass containers will continue as part of the CRD curbside blue box program until the current collection contracts expire in April of 2019. The CRD has collected glass containers as part of its residential curbside blue box program since it began in 1988 and say that approximately 1,600 tonnes of glass containers are recycled every year.