Camosun Enactus club takes first place in contest, heads to nationals
The Camosun College Enactus student club team secured first place in the Enactus regional competition held in Calgary on March 14 and 15. The team presented judges with The Campus Quisine meal kit, which was created to combat high food prices for students. Enactus surveyed 230 Camosun students upon creating their project, and 10.9 percent of those surveyed reported not having access to safe and nutritious food. Enactus worked with Camosun Hospitality and Tourism instructor David Pritchard and assembled and tested healthy, low-cost meal kits for students. The team then sold the kits at a pop-up event on campus in February. Enactus will now be heading to the national competition, taking place in Toronto from May 14 to 16.
International students protest policy changes
Hundreds of international students and supporters took to downtown Vancouver on Saturday, March 23 to protest the changes made to the BC Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), saying it disrupts their chances at securing permanent residency in Canada. The changes to the program include increased language requirements and prioritization for “in-demand” jobs, which excludes master students studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs from becoming automatically eligible for the PNP program. Due to these changes there are now 3,000 available BC PNP spots available for 2024; there are 62,000 work permit holders, many of whom are searching for permanent residency.
Keep groovin’, Victoria
The City of Victoria will act as a landlord to Hermann’s Jazz Club and the Arts on View Society after purchasing the View Street building in an effort to support Victoria’s music industry. This came after the building’s tenant, the Arts on View Society, told previous owners that they would cease operating Hermann’s Upstairs Lounge and focus solely on Hermann’s Jazz Club and View Street Social downstairs. The City is now working to secure a commercial tenant for the second floor of the building.