Provide feedback for proposed amendments to UBC Snow Policy

Provide feedback to the University Counsel on the UBC Snow Policy by September 25.

The UBC community is invited to comment on proposed amendments to the Snow Policy (SC5) and its associated Procedures. The original Policy has been in place since May 1994 with no substantive changes having been made since the initial approval, so recent amendments have been recommended to reflect our current working conditions.

View Snow Policy draft with proposed amendments.

The primary changes include expanding the scope of what is included as an extreme environmental condition, providing greater clarity on employees whose roles require them to work on campus, information regarding remote work arrangements, and confirming that the policy does not restrict the ability to move cancelled in-person learning activities to online learning activities.

Proposed amendments to the Policy include amendments to:

1. expand the scope of the Policy to apply in the event of any adverse environmental conditions such as snow, storms, extreme heat, wildfire smoke, or floods;
2. update the long title and short title of the Policy to reflect the broader scope;
3. clarify that the Policy applies with respect to in-person operations on UBC’s Point Grey campus and UBC’s Okanagan campus and that it does not apply with respect to other UBC spaces such as UBC’s Robson Square facility, space administered by UBC within the teaching hospitals, UBC’s research forests, or other areas outside of the boundaries described in the Policy proposal;
4. include a comprehensive definition of “Learning Activities”;
5. set out that, where feasible, UBC will make and communicate decisions to curtail, cancel, or re-schedule: (i) in-person Learning Activities by 6:00am for morning and afternoon Learning Activities and by 3:00pm for evening Learning Activities, and (ii) other operations by 6:00am;
6. require that, where decisions to curtail, cancel, or re-schedule in-person operations have to be made or updated at other times throughout the day in response to changing conditions, UBC communicate such decisions as soon as it reasonably can;
7. provide information about which services are necessary during extreme environmental conditions, being such activities, operations, and services that are: (i) required to comply with applicable laws; (ii) required to comply with applicable UBC policies, procedures, rules, or regulations; or (iii) UBC deems necessary to maintain safe and ongoing operations at UBC, such as animal care, snow removal, emergency repair and maintenance, health, and student residence services;
8. set out a definition for “Necessary Employees” that allows flexibility to determine, based on the circumstances, which employees are required to perform their duties in order to maintain the necessary services; and
9. clarify work arrangements during extreme environmental conditions.

The proposed amendments are now being published and all UBC community members are encouraged to provide their comments.

Please submit feedback to the Office of the University Counsel at university.counsel@ubc.ca by Monday, September 25.