Referendum question
This year, the UVSS Board of Directors has submitted the following referendum question:
“Are you in favour of establishing a fee of $1.50 per full-time student per semester and $0.75 per part-time student per semester, starting in September 2022 and ending in August 2027, to evaluate and fund environmental sustainability initiatives for the UVSS (including, but not limited to: hardware, software, new windows, heat pumps, the recycling program, solar panels and student-led initiatives)?”
This question will be on the same ballot as the Board of Directors candidates, and you can vote “yes” or “no” to the question.
- Sign up to get reminders to vote and win prizes
- Find us on Instagram, Facebook, Discord and Reddit
Referendum platform
Proponent: Nigel Bisnar
If passed, this funding would allow the UVSS to invest in environmental sustainability within the SUB and in the student community. One of the core values guiding the activities of the UVSS is environmental sustainability. By approving this referendum question, students have the opportunity to reduce the environmental impacts of UVSS operations and support sustainability initiatives by the student body.
There are plenty of projects that could be supported by this funding. In 2020, the UVSS completed a SUB Energy Audit that was conducted by an external firm. This report indicated a number of steps that could be taken to reduce operational emissions of the SUB. Potential infrastructure improvements include completing air sealing, installing heat pumps, installing heat recovery and waste water recovery systems. This funding can also be used to support student-led projects. Other student societies at UBC and the University of Alberta have similar financing mechanisms that allow them to support projects that emerge from within the student body.
Overall, this referendum question aims to accelerate the decarbonization efforts of the UVSS by providing a recurring source of funding for sustainability projects. Vote Yes!
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Most of our members are located in Victoria, BC., the traditional territories of the Lekwungen peoples, also known as the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations communities.
Many of us are settlers or visitors on land that was violently stolen from Indigenous peoples. The historical and continued dispossession of land threatens Indigenous peoples’ physical and emotional safety, cultural and linguistic growth, and basic and legal rights.
The Electoral Office organizes elections for students at the University of Victoria, but we, just like you, exist within a wider context of colonization. We encourage you to think about why you possess certain rights (like the ability to vote) while others may not, and why elected Directors are rarely Indigenous – or People of Colour, folks with disabilities, and other marginalized identities (both at the University and broader levels).
We are always open to feedback in order to critically evaluate our policy and processes. Deconstructing colonial systems and rebuilding equitable ones is uncomfortable, hard work, but we are ready.