MARTLET THE
Laine is a 21-year-old student at the University of Victoria taking a double major in writing and environmental studies. She grew up in Port Moody. Laine now lives in Victoria, B.C., and spends time at home with family on the mainland. She worked at White Pine Beach, a popular swimming beach at Sasamat Lake ten minutes away from Port Moody, during the Western North America heat wave in 2021.
I worked at a concession stand at the beach in a little hut. I think there was just one big fan in the whole little hut for us to be cooled down by. Fryers were just going of and we were just fghting against the fames. It was pretty tough, especially on those hot days. That’s when we would get an uptick in our workload. It was really prime time, because more people would be like “Let me get a drink” or “Can I have some
ice?” “Can I have some ice cream?”
During those days, when I would go to get things out of the freezer, I would keep putting my whole body in the freezer. When I was stocking the fridge, I’d stick my head in halfway just to give myself some relief. I remember how sweaty my boss looked. The man was Jamaican, or he seemed Jamaican. I didn’t ask but that's how he talked. So if he's breaking a sweat, if he's having a rough time, that's when we're all fucked.
I would go outside and I would just be like, “I can't stand out here.” You don't want to travel in cars. It didn't matter how much you crank the AC, if you're in a car, you felt like you were in a shoe box, like you could die. So cramped. You didn’t want to go anywhere.
I needed to go back inside, it was unbearably hot just to be in the outdoors. And then you'd sit on the couch and it'd be unbearable all of the sudden because it would just be uncomfortable at all times just to
exist. And then you peel yourself of the leather couch, make a full on sound of sweat. It was just a lot of grossness. When that happens, my family will usually go to sleep in our basement just to utilize their coolest space in their house. I can picture my dad just being a potato on the couch with a wet cloth on his head. We were just condemned to staying inside and the only thing we all had in mind for those few days was keeping cool. Finding the nearest fan, eating as much cold stuf and staying hydrated, checking in on our loved ones, and making sure everyone’s doing okay.
We started seeing on the news, ‘Oh, there’s a hundred old people dead.’ Just because of heat exhaustion, heat
stroke, whatever. That was when it felt very real and very dangerous, because you’re seeing people being picked off at the same age as our family members and there’s nothing you can do. Luckily for my mom, she has fve sisters so they kind of worked in shifts, asking if their mom was ok, telling her to close the window. All of her sisters were calling her, making sure her blinds are closed, asking ‘You got a fan going? Just making sure you’re drinking water.’ It was like a relay of daughters and one son just making sure grandma stays alive. We can’t have the elderly passing away on us. We got air conditioning in our house after the heatwave. Our family decided to add it in for safety and I think we really were thinking of our dog at the time, because we can do whatever, but he's trapped in this black, fufy body. This is life and death. This is our future, this is our ability to have children. This is all those things. It's time to take things seriously. Clearly what we are doing isn't enough. Us,
as individual voters, we only have the responsibility to elect leaders that seem to care about these issues and that will actually take action and make our voices heard and if they're not, we take it to the streets, take it to the parliament building. I'm ready to throw eggs. I'm down for a French Revolution in Canada. Let’s fip stuf on its head because we need full renovation to the way we're doing things. We're in the middle of something that's disastrous, and this is the time when you gotta be more about community than about ourselves and being greedy. We need to take care of our fellow man and I think that's something important for the future.
The Climate Disaster Project feature series in the Martlet’s 2024 climate issue includes four UVic students’ testimonies of their experiences living through — and fnding hope beyond — climate disaster. Continue the series on pg. 6.
Photo by Philip McLachlan.
UVIC LIFE
What will campus look like in 2030? UVic's climate action plan promises major changes to how we live and learn
PAUL VOLL SENIOR STAFF WRITER
ELIAS RICE VOLUNTEER STAFF EDITOR
According to UVic’s Climate and Sustainability Action Plan (CSAP), the university’s campus may look and operate quite diferently by 2030. Although many of the CSAP’s initiatives are long-term changes, others are already in progress.
GOALS FOR THE FUTURE
For one, through CSAP, UVic intends for single-occupancy vehicle transportation to be reduced. Their goal is for 70 per cent of all transportation to and from campus to be sustainable — modes like public transit, cycling, walking, and carpooling — by 2030.
According to a 2023 transportation survey conducted by the university, 54 per cent of transportation to and from UVic in 2023 included one of these options. Additional electric vehicle charging stations, revamped parking pricing to disincentivize single-occupancy drivers, and additional RapidBus transit options, with faster service, are a few changes UVic intends to implement.
Also by 2030, UVic intends for plantbased foods to make up 60 per cent of campus menu items, with the university’s food supply chain using 30 per cent local suppliers.
By 2040, CSAP also intends for all
campus buildings to include low-carbon energy systems, as well as a Gold LEED certifcation for new buildings. At present, nine buildings on campus have the “green building” LEED certifcation.
CAMPUS AS A LIVING LAB
One of CSAP’s integrated initiatives, supporting these and other projects at UVic, is Campus as a Living Lab (CLL).
CSAP defnes CLL as a university-wide program that coordinates research and teaching projects to use the campus as a place for students and faculty to engage with, trial, and advance real-world climate and sustainability solutions. An increasingly popular approach for many universities, the key idea behind CLL is to create experiential learning and practical engagement opportunities on campus.
Acting Manager of Sustainability at UVic, Kylie Hissa, explained that generating new research is one thing, but “implementing [those] learnings in practice” is another.
A primary goal of CSAP is to have Indigenous Knowledge systems guide relationships with campus lands and waters. Management of natural areas, including environmental restoration projects, will include input from Knowledge Holders and local First Nations. Furthermore, ləkʷəŋən place names and interpretive signage will be used to bring awareness to Indigenous languages and connections to campus lands and waters. Other Indigenous systems within CSAP include “opportunities for land-
based learning and sustainable land and water management on campus, such as qʷɫaʔəl | ḰȽO¸EL (Kwetlal | camas) harvesting, pit cooks, native plant gardens, and local food systems,” according to the goals of CSAP.
CLL is currently infuencing the campus through projects that incorporate UVic coursework. Ecological Restoration Principles and Practice (ES 341) is an environmental studies course that allows students to engage in hands-on restoration projects on and around campus, including habitat restoration, invasive species removal and native species planting.
Another is Green Energy and Renewable Energy Systems (ENGR 446), an engineering course that involves student projects focused on designing renewable energy solutions for campus buildings or proposing innovative energy-saving measures.
THE SEEDLING PROJECT
Another CSAP initiative is the Seedling project — an initiative planning to plant a Western redcedar tree, design a virtual 3D totem, and commit to carving and raising the totem from the cedar when it matures in 600 – 1 000 years.
“During the process of carving [an old totem], I decided that I wanted to fnd a diferent way of making full-size poles without cutting down old growth trees,” said Carey Newman, impact chair in Indigenous art practices at UVic.
Newman’s work inspires change through new practices in totem pole carving. He
Next term's climate-focused electives for students in any program
Study climate change across disciplines with prerequisite-free courses this spring
KEIRA HOLMAN VOLUNTEER STAFF EDITOR
Interested in studying climate change, but don’t know where to start? From the social impact to the historical record of climate change, these environmentfocused classes tackle climate issues across a range of academic disciplines.
TCA 210 - INTRODUCTION TO THE HUMAN DIMENSIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
There are so many sides to climate change, it can be tough to figure out what we can actually do about it. As one of three required courses for UVic’s new Transformative Climate Action Certifcate, TCA 210 explores the variety of ways that humans approach the climate crisis. With a focus on collaboration and action, this class develops the skills and tools we need to address climate change effectively. TCA 210 will be offered on Mondays and Thursdays from 1 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.
IED 379 - INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM AND EDUCATION
This online class looks at the path to environmental action and sustainability from an Indigenous lens. Open to anyone interested in learning from Indigenous teachings and worldviews, IED 379 discusses Indigenous relationships with the land and real-life examples of Indigenous environmental action. This course is also part of the Teaching and Learning Indigenous Perspectives electives from the Department of
Indigenous Education, which are available to all students. IED 379 will run online on Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. – 7:20 p.m.
HSTR 101EENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF THE WORLD
Interested in climate change of the past? HSTR 101E is the class for you. According to the course description, this history class follows the natural world from “the post-1492 period” to the present day. In this course, students follow historical interactions between humans and the environment, including agricultural development, human-animal relationships, industrialization, and climate change. HSTR 101E will be ofered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11:30 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.
EOS 130/GEOG 130 - CLIMATE CHANGE
If the science side of climate change is more your vibe, consider checking out how the Earth’s physical principles respond to human activity in EOS 130 or GEOG 130. This class can be taken with the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences or the Department of Geography — but don’t worry, the content is the same. The lectures and labs explore the driving forces of climate change, energy balance, and the Earth’s climate over time, as well as climate change impacts and projections for the future. EOS 130/ GEOG 130 lectures will be ofered on Mondays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. – 12:50 p.m.
told the Martlet that one of his goals is “demonstrating to policy makers and industry that if First Nations culture can make changes like this to traditions that are thousands of years old, then surely we can make similar changes to how we think about economy and how we think about industry.”
The idea for the Seedling project came from Newman’s attempts to become more proactive, rather than reactive. One of the most important parts of the project for him is that “it integrates both art and Indigenous ways of knowing, or Indigenous knowledge, into creating a solution.”
Because part of the initiative is for the
totem to frst be designed in digital form, UVic is committing to designing more sustainable technology to preserve the design until the sapling’s maturity. Newman told the Martlet that he hopes to see a change in the way people think about their relationship to the land. He said he would like people to see themselves as “in relationship with the land, and instead of thinking of ourselves as holding dominion over land, think about [how] what we do to the land, we do to ourselves — and our campus is part of that.”
GEOG 101A - ENVIRONMENT, SOCIETY AND SUSTAINABILITY
Climate change and sustainability go handin-hand. In GEOG 101A’s lectures and labs, students will learn how the human impact on Earth’s natural processes will afect the future of sustainability. This course looks at the Earth from a variety of diferent perspectives, including earth and energy cycles, natural resources and their industries, ecosystems and biodiversity, and global development. According to the course description, the class will also discuss the “potential for a sustainable society.” Lectures for GEOG 101A will take place on Mondays and Thursdays, from 11:30 a.m. – 12:50 p.m.
BONUS: ANTH 302 (GLOBALIZATION, HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT) AND ES 407 (MINDFULNESS, SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIAL CHANGE)
If you already have second-year standing, you might enjoy ANTH 302. Ofered on Tuesday and Thursday evenings (4:30 p.m. – 5:50 p.m.), this course takes a look at the relationship between global processes, the environment, and health. In ANTH 302, dive into diseases, inequalities, climate change, and the healthcare industries. For those in their third year and up, check out ES 407 on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 p.m. – 8:20 p.m. This course will explore how to integrate mindfulness into environmental and social change. Who knew meditation had ecological benefts?
Graphic provided by Carey Newman.
UVIC LIFE
UVic student helps to create pilot program for reusable cups on campus
Meet
Matt Miller, the PhD candidate behind this eco-focused campus project
HANNAH LINK
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
After a push from UVic’s student Surfrider club, the university has implemented a reusable drink container pilot program that aims to cut down on campus waste.
Matt Miller, the student behind the project, is a PhD candidate in the department of Earth and Ocean Sciences and executive member of the Surfrider UVic Club.
Miller worked in a microplastics research lab during his undergraduate studies at Vancouver Island University (VIU), and joined Surfrider at UVic after meeting a
student who had just started the club. The club is a member of the international Surfrider Foundation, which advocates for ocean health and climate action.
Miller says he’s been in an advisory role with the club since stepping down from his chair position to focus on PhD work. His idea for a reusables program started when he observed students at waste management stations on campus struggling to sort the many components of disposable coffee cups.
Surfrider encouraged UVic to perform a waste audit, because they had fallen behind on this during COVID-19. The third-party company responsible for the audit identified
coffee cups as one of the largest sources of poorly-sorted waste on campus, said Miller.
After the audit, Miller had the chance to meet with UVic President Kevin Hall to discuss its results, and he advocated for a reusables program that would target waste reduction.
Miller says that his team was originally focused on to-go boxes, but after having met with UVic Food Services, they decided that Surfrider would focus efforts on drink containers while the university implemented Eco Boxes for campus meals. The Eco Box program came into effect in the fall of 2022, with the opening of the Cove dining facility.
“We considered [Eco Boxes] our first victory,” Miller said. “We had pushed for it, and it was a cool program that they had launched.”
Miller came across Vancouverbased company Reusables in his search for a washable drink container, and he connected the company with UVic Food Services to begin planning the project.
Miller applied for the Campus Sustainability fund, and received $25 000 for the project. The Reusables company also received a grant through the Clean B.C. Plastics Action Fund.
“It’s a pilot project,” Miller said. “The goal is to prove that it’s successful,” he added, explaining that the cups are only available at the Port Cafe in the Cove, and Boardwalk Cafe in Mystic Market — for now.
“My dream goal is to get [the program] campus-wide and by default, so that there [are] no singleuse cups even offered,” Miller said.
One way for UVic to track the
success of the project is through online metrics offered by the company, explained Miller. A goal isn’t set in stone, but Miller would like to see around ten per cent of campus coffee sales drunk from Reusable cups to prove that the pilot is successful.
Miller says that 4 000 drinks in disposable cups are sold each day on campus, so he hopes that the program will make a dent in UVic’s waste production.
The project will be reevaluated in a year to see if it was successful, says
Miller. Until then, he encourages students and members of the UVic community to buy their drinks in Reusables.
The program is free, and Miller pointed out that it can actually save students money by avoiding the $0.25 eco fee applied to all disposable cups on campus.
Students can download the Reusables app to create a free account and get started.
UVic research leads in solutions-based climate work
From urban cooling with tree trenches to empowering waste-picking communities to energy transformation
FERNANDA SOLORZA
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
UVic’s commitment to climate action and research spans 30 years. This year, UVic is ranked second in Canada for supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13 which is to “take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.”
Here are three initiatives by the UVic faculty contributing to this goal.
COOLING CITIES WITH RAINWATER TREE TRENCHES
Dr. Caterina Valeo is a mechanical engineering professor at UVic who has been working closely with UVic, UCalgary, and the City of Vancouver to develop cooling strategies to lessen the urban heat island effect. This effect develops in urban areas where buildings, roads, and other infrastructure re-emits the sun’s heat, making these areas experience higher temperatures.
One of the strategies to combat the island effect is to create cooler microclimates, with the aid of urban
forests and Rainwater Tree Trenches (RTTs) — engineered landscapes that capture and filter stormwater, which provides a space for trees to grow, making neighborhoods greener and cooler.
“We developed a proposal that looks at how to optimally design and place RTTs in Vancouver in order to mitigate the urban heat island effect in future climates,” said Valeo in an emailed statement to the Martlet
The research is still in development, but Valeo is eager to finesse the methodology that “could be used by other cities to design their urban forest using RTTs to maximize their ecosystem service.” As the project moves forward, we might see a change in public policy and urban planning — one where, in Valeo’s words, “RTTs, or at least the city's urban forest, is considered an essential, integral and vital part of a city's urban infrastructure.”
UNICATA — EMPOWERING WASTE PICKERS IN BRAZIL
Another example of unique climate leadership at UVic is Dr. Jutta Gutberlet’s work with marginalized communities in Brazil. Gutberlet
is a professor in the Department of Geography, as well as the creator and director of the Community-Based Research Laboratory (CBRL). The most recent CBRL initiative is Unicata, an innovative university program ofering education, networking opportunities, and university-level credentials to help waste pickers advance their careers and increase their impacts in the industry.
Waste picking refers to the activity of salvaging recyclable and reusable materials from spaces where they have not been separated, such as landfills. This activity has been often stigmatized, and associated with poverty and social exclusion.
“At Unicata, we challenge this stigma by reframing waste pickers as environmental stewards rather than societal outcasts,” said Gutberlet in an email to the Martlet Waste pickers play a significant role in combating climate change because they offer recycled goods, lowering the demand for raw material extraction, and reducing the amount of waste that ends in landfills. Unicata, which currently operates in São Paulo and Brasilia, has given waste pickers a platform and resources to advocate for their rights. “By integrating [waste
pickers] into formal waste management structures,” said Gutberlet, “we not only improve the sustainability of urban environments but also foster a more inclusive approach to climate action.”
“Through education, advocacy, and collaboration,” said Gutberlet, “Unicata seeks to create a more equitable and sustainable future.”
COMMUNITY-DRIVEN ENERGY SOLUTIONS — THE ACET INITIATIVE
Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET) is a national, multi-partner initiative that focuses on developing renewable energy projects tailored to the specifc needs of local communities. Dr. Curran Crawford, a professor of mechanical engineering and the executive director of ACET, advocates for climate action through community-led energy solutions.
“Universities are often misunderstood as ivory towers only interested in esoteric theoretical research,” said Crawford in a 2022 Q&A, “[but] this could not be further from the truth.”
The ACET team has been working for over 15 years with over 40
partners to create tailored projects by assessing an organization’s unique energy needs and potential for renewable energy generation such as solar, wind, or bioenergy. This bottom-up approach allows communities to produce their own energy and be more self-sufficient, ultimately coming closer to achieving net zero.
The needs of every community are unique, but their vision should be the same: to create a sustainable future where the impacts of climate change can be reduced or reversed. ACET is working to help communities achieve that vision.
This innovative work emphasizes UVic faculty’s commitment to creating climate solutions that are efective, inclusive, and scalable. Combining academic research with community partnerships shows a holistic and human approach to combating climate change that can be adapted and implemented globally. From cooling urban spaces, to reducing stigma and promoting community energy independence, UVic’s faculty are at the forefront of climate innovation, demonstrating how universities can be powerful agents of change in the global climate movement.
Photo provided by Greg Miller.
Photo provided by Greg Miller.
UVic is still making ad hoc decisions about extreme winter weather
The university has yet to change protocol after student injury last winter
SYDNEY LOBE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
In January 2024, a student was struck by a car on Ring Road during a snowstorm, and rushed to the hospital. Following the incident, UVic faced harsh criticism for choosing to keep campus open during the extreme winter weather, and promised they would review their protocols.
Now, as another winter looms near, not much has changed.
Sophie Taylor, the student who was injured in the collision, told the Martlet in January, “I hope this is a wake-up call for UVic.”
A student petition emerged following the accident, demanding that the university address “negligence” and justify why they didn’t opt to conduct virtual classes when a period of extreme weather had been previously forecasted.
UVic's
Lane O’Hara Cooke, director of outreach and university relations for the UVSS at the time, met with UVic administration, and put forth a recommendation that the university change their approach from “when in doubt, keep the university open” to “when in doubt, close the university.”
Cooke was also concerned with how academic accommodations are handled following an accident like Taylor’s —which is typically on a case-by-case basis.
“The response needs to be more uniform,” Cooke told the Martlet in January, so that a student’s choice to stay home for their own safety during extreme winter weather isn’t affected by the attitudes of individual professors.
The UVSS representative also told the Martlet in January that Associate VicePresident Student Afairs Jim Dunsdon was “receptive” to their recommendations.
In a more recent statement to the
Martlet, a UVic spokesperson explained that the university reviews their “winter weather protocols” every fall, which include decision-making criteria, operational plans, and communication processes.
According to the spokesperson, in the event of an extreme winter weather event, the university still consults with BC Transit, monitors Environment Canada forecasts, thoroughly assesses on-campus conditions, and considers the ability of custodial staf to manage snow and ice removal.
“The [executive] team works with the best information available at the time to make these recommendations,” said the spokesperson.
This is the same approach as was used in January. However, as the climate changes, the frequency, intensity, and oftentimes volatility of extreme weather events is changing, too.
ClimateReadyBC reports that “B.C. 's changing climate means more unpredictable weather events, including winter storms and extreme cold temperatures.”
The UVic spokesperson said the executive team at UVic recognizes that extreme winter weather events aren’t static, and makes appropriate changes to recommendations on closures as conditions evolve.
“We have seen and heard feedback from many students and understand that UVic’s response to winter weather on Jan. 17/18 was frustrating to some. We are listening carefully to feedback and will consider what we’ve heard as part of our debrief of this weather event as we look to refne our approach in the future,” said the spokesperson in a January statement.
Now, as we approach the 2024–2025 winter season, no apparent changes have
been made to UVic’s decision-making approach for closure recommendations — or their academic accommodation processes for extreme weather events.
oldest buildings can't cope in summer heat Plans for climate resilience are in early stages, but the heat won't wait
ETHAN BARKLEY SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Victoria’s hottest day on record was June 28, 2021, at 37.8 degrees celsius. This record was reached during the 2021 heat wave, which affected much of western North America, and was also responsible for the Lytton wildfire.
While Victoria’s summer temperatures have not quite reached that record in years since, global temperatures have continued to climb, and extreme heat events like the 2021 heat wave are becoming more common.
According to a statement from David Adams, associate director of Energy Programs in Facilities Management, UVic’s newest residence buildings ( Č eq ʷəŋ ín ʔ é ʔ l əŋ / Cheko’nien House and Sŋéqə ʔéʔləŋ / Sngequ House), which were finished in 2022 and 2023, were deliberately
designed to stay cool in “severe summer weather conditions.”
Adams said these blueprints rely on climate modeling data from UVic’s own Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, and their heat mitigation capabilities were designed based on projected summer weather in 2050.
“New buildings are designed to meet thermal comfort requirements, including [the] consideration of projected future climate conditions,” reads Adams' statement. These include buildings such as the Centre for Athletics, Recreation, and Special Abilities (CARSA), Sngequ and Cheko’nien, and the National Centre for Indigenous Law, which is still under construction.
Older structures on campus, Adams said, are more difficult to manage in terms of extreme summer weather conditions, because any buildings constructed prior to 2010 were not designed with cooling systems.
Adams told the Martlet that
updating these buildings to be more resilient will “require significant capital investment.”
One Reddit user wrote, on the UVic subreddit, “I’ve been having a hard time sleeping in my dorm because of the extreme heat. Any tips or tricks on how you guys cool your rooms down?”
Recommendations from commenters included “set up a fan at the base of your bed pointing at your body,” and “mist yourself.”
UVic does not currently have a campus-wide heating and cooling strategy.
Adams said the university plans to develop one which addresses concerns about extreme heat and cold temperatures.
“This strategy will assess buildings and spaces most vulnerable to disruption due to overheating, and will prioritize investments in infrastructure retrofits, including HVAC systems and building
decarbonization plans to mitigate temperature extremes,” he said.
As part of this strategy, he said, UVic is looking into technology such as heat pumps which could provide heating and cooling needs of buildings, and would also enable UVic to reduce emissions by shifting their reliance off of fossil fuel-based heating systems.
The first phase of UVic’s climate resilience plan — which aims to reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions — is expected in 2025, said Adams.
Once this initial phase is completed, he said, the next phase will focus on campus cooling, and resilience to increasingly extreme summer weather. Adams told the Martlet that UVic does not currently have a date set for the completion of this phase of the plan.
As students and faculty anticipate a reliable, centralized strategy for dealing with extreme heat, the
temperatures of many buildings on campus come spring, summer, and fall will continue to climb.
Sea cucumber crime and illegal fishing impacts global ecosystems The 'cornerstone of marine ecosystems' is in critical danger
When people hear the term “wildlife crime,” they often think of activities like shark fnning or elephant poaching, but there is an entire world of illegal activity focused on more unusual marine species, including sea cucumbers.
Teale Phelps Bondarof, a Saanich councillor and former visiting research fellow at UVic’s Centre for Global Studies, is the co-founder of OceansAsia and an expert in marine wildlife crime.
OceansAsia, a volunteer-run marine conservation organization, has undertaken a variety of marine research initiatives, including investigations into the shark fn industry and wildlife crime routes in the shipping industry.
“The oceans have traditionally been neglected from a conservation perspective,” Phelps Bondarof said in an interview with the Martlet. “Marine wildlife crime and illegal fshing is too often treated as an administrative issue whereas the same thing on land would be a criminal issue.”
OceansAsia is also the leading organization researching sea cucumbers
globally. Sea cucumbers, Phelps Bondarof explained, have been called “the earthworms of the sea,” and are “critical for marine conservation [and] for the health of ecosystems.”
He considers marine species such as sea cucumbers and krill to be the “cornerstone[s] of marine ecosystems,” but they are difcult to humanize and are often ignored in favor of more charismatic animals like whales and dolphins.
In their recent chapter in The World of Sea Cucumbers, Phelps Bondarof and Felix Morrow explore crime pervading sea cucumber fisheries globally and the connections to organized crime, noting that “wildlife crime is one of the fastest growing criminal sectors … behind drugs, counterfeiting, and human trafcking.”
Crime occurs at every stage of sea cucumber fishing supply chains, from overfishing to the financial services associated with fsheries. Illegal fshing operations will target easily exploitable sea cucumber populations with weak governance, and will follow a “boom-bust cycle” of rapidly exploiting and then abandoning fsheries. This leaves behind marine ecosystems that may never recover.
Beyond the inherent damage to ecosystems, illegal fishing also has implications for boat crews. “A lot of illegal fishing boats treat their crews terribly,” Phelps Bondaroff told the Martlet . “There are human rights violations taking place on those boats on a daily basis.”
Further, illegal fshing has negative impacts on individuals. It actively reduces income and employment opportunities in legitimate fsheries and impacts the government in the sense that income from illegal fshing does not contribute to the economy.
Illegal fishing is not only an international issue; it happens in B.C. In May 2024, commercial fsherman Brent Belveal was fned $33 596 for illegally fshing in the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Marine Protected Area (MPA).
A news release from Fisheries and Oceans Canada explains that “harvesters who disregard fshery closures under the Fisheries Act and the Oceans Act MPA regulations pose a risk of causing new damage to the reefs, and undermine decades of work to provide protection to
these globally unique ecosystems.”
Sea cucumber crime is also present in B.C.
Scott Steer, a former commercial fisherman from Nanaimo, has been convicted and sentenced to jail time in multiple instances for illegal fishing, beginning in 2008. Steer has been charged with the illegal harvest of sea cucumbers as recently as 2021, and has been banned from fshing for life.
Marine ecosystems don’t respect geographic borders, so considering international issues of wildlife crime helps deepen our understanding of human impact on marine ecosystems as a whole.
“We depend on our oceans to survive,” Phelps Bondarof explained. “Whether
it’s for food or ecosystem services, oceans are critically important to our survival as a species and if we don’t protect them, we’ll die.”
“The important thing would be to step up and take action in some area,” he said. “That … to me, involves taking bigger issues and breaking them down into bite-sized chunks. You and your three friends could afect change on a global scale… [You] could work to protect a specifc bay or move forward on a piece of legislation that will protect migratory birds. You can have that infuence.”
“Often we feel like we’re screaming into the void,” Phelps Bondaroff added. “Scream into a smaller chamber.”
KIERA CLARK VOLUNTEER STAFF WRITER
Illustration by Sage Blackwell
Illustration by Sage Blackwell.
Photo courtesy of Teale Phelps Bondaroff.
Welcome
UVic's thriving marine biology program has room to grow
The University's location and position on Reconciliation
opportunity for more feld study, says professor
PAUL VOLL SENIOR STAFF WRITER
According to Dr. Ben Neal, a biology professor at UVic, the university’s undergraduate marine biology program could expand to include more locally applied marine conservation aspects.
“We have a great crop of graduate students who work in applied conservation,” he said. “But with undergraduates, I want to create more of those opportunities,” added Neal.
Neal told the Martlet that while the biology program’s marine concentrated courses are strong, he would still like to see more support provided to the program.
“There's lots of students [and] I think we have a great opportunity to continue to build this into a bigger program.”
Marine biology has the highest
enrollment of the three concentrations — forest biology, marine biology, and neuroscience — that UVic’s Department of Biology ofers.
For Neal, applied conservation education in undergraduate level courses is an important step to helping address some of the province’s marine ecological defciencies.
Factors like demand for courses in the marine concentration, UVic’s geographical situation along the Salish Sea, and the university's self-identifed position within Reconciliation play into this opportunity for growth.
“Wild fish populations are down between 90 and 100 per cent.
Depending on how you defne it, that's the level of functional extinction . . .. It's astounding how bad it is,” said Neal. “We should be putting a lot more effort into this, both from a First Nation standpoint, and an ecological standpoint.”
However, UVic biology professor and marine concentration advisor, Dr. Diana Varela, who was the chair of the committee that created the Department of Biology’s marine concentration twelve years ago, said expanding the program to include more applied feld study courses isn't something that will happen immediately.
“For now, nothing is happening, to be honest,” Varela told the Martlet. “We [the biology faculty] have to all get together and discuss those issues. There will be some changes [in the future].”
One of the main obstacles for offering field-based and applied conservation courses for upper-level undergraduates, said Valera, is that frst year biology courses are so large they end up taking a majority of the support the department has available to it.
“Because they're so huge, there’s only so much efort to go around . . . [and] then there’s not enough support for the upper-level courses,” said Valera, who added that the marine biology concentration is still pushing for more support, based on the success of its high student enrollment and popularity.
“We had some discussions at the departmental level for more support, but we [currently] have very little in the biology department in terms of lab support and feld trip support.”
While many of the upper-level marine biology courses include lab and field components, Ben Neal currently teaches the only on-campus course through UVic Biology that is a full feld-study class.
Biology 470: Advanced Topics in Biology: An introduction to marine science feld methods, is a two-week feld course ofered in the summer that uses local ecosystems to illustrate applied biological principles.
“We travel up and down the island for two weeks meeting with people who are directly involved,” said Neal
UVic researchers are leaders in
show
of his course. “Listening to frst-person testimonies from First Nations chiefs, commercial fshermen, people who run hatcheries, and people who run salmon farms. They're all engaged in this [question of], ‘What are we going to do about this biological situation to address salmon?’”
According to Neal, the course includes aspects of learning such as how to put together a data set, snorkel, take pictures, and use biology tools in the feld.
Another UVic biology professor, Dr. Francis Juanes, who teaches a popular upper-level biology fsheries course that doesn't include a feld component, pointed out that field courses are complicated for a variety of reasons.
“As you might imagine, feld-based courses are logistically complicated to run,” said Jaunes. “They require extra funds and a lot of additional paperwork [like] animal care, feld safety protocols, etcetera.”
Other field study opportunities within the biology department for
undergrads are offered through directed studies and the honors program, however, these options are not always feasible for all students, said Neal.
“If the student has the time, ability, support, and inclination, take those. [But] I see mine as a more available option.”
Neal’s eagerness to further advance the department’s repertoire of feld courses comes in part from the ecological opportunity UVic has at its fngertips.
“There are really important marine biological applied conservation questions right on our doorstep. Literally right here on the peninsula and on the island,” said Neal. “That's what I'm personally interested in is trying to provide undergraduates with: examples that are from right here on the island to experience our local systems and how we can apply conservation locally to make a real change.”
Indigenous climate action
Meet two scholars who work to combat climate change through holistic practices
HANNAH LINK
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Indigenous-led climate action is crucial in moving toward a more sustainable future, and programs and research at UVic are dedicated to fnding climate solutions grounded in Indigenous worldviews.
We got the opportunity to sit down with two UVic scholars to learn about their work, and their perspectives on this important element of climate leadership.
Janna Wale is the Indigenous Research and Partnerships lead at UVic’s Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS). Two weeks ago, she was named on the Corporate Knights list of “30 Under 30” sustainability leaders.
“It’s really cool to be recognized in that way,” Wale told the Martlet She’s proud to be one of the Indigenous youth featured on the list. “I just think it’s so amazing being able to provide a little bit of that representation,” she said.
Wale has been at PICS for just one month, and she was nominated for the award by the PICS team while she was still working at Canadian
Climate Institute.
In her new role as the Indigenous Research and Partnership lead, Wale will work with Indigenous Climate Fellow Siila Watt-Cloutier to help inform people and policymakers about the importance of Indigenous knowledge in combating climate change.
Wale is Gitxsan from Gitanmaax First Nation, which is located in northern B.C. at the intersection of the Skeena and Bulkley Rivers. Growing up, she heard stories from members of her community about how the landscape had changed during their lifetimes.
“[This] really resonated with me, and I really wanted to do something of value … that would help my community,” she said.
“We have lived sustainably on these territories for time immemorial,” said Wale. She explained that her graduate studies allowed her to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into her research work for the first time.
Wale looks to nations across B.C. for examples of Indigenous-led climate work. In Gitanyow, a neighbouring community to Gitanmaax, Wale said that traditional
burning has been revitalized.
The burning increases the growth of berries, and lowers the risk of wildfire by reducing the fuel load, said Wale. This is one example of how Indigenous land stewardship can flourish even after being banned by colonial government.
Wale said that climate doom is something she’s had to grapple with as a young person inheriting the climate crisis. She spoke with a community member about her concerns, and he helped her see it from a different perspective.
“Maybe it’s not my job to solve the climate crisis,” she said. “All I have to do is do the work that I can, do as much as I’m able to, and just trust that the next generation is going to pick it up and carry it forward.”
Hōkūlani Aikau is another Indigenous scholar working to advocate for Indigenous climate solutions. Aikau is the director of the School of Indigenous Governance at UVic, where she works on building its program.
As Kanaka ‘Ōiwi (Native Hawaiian), Aikau brings a background in Indigenous-based research to her position. She previously worked with a non-profit
in Hawaiʻi to restore the farming of taro, a root vegetable that is the primary starch in a traditional Kanaka ‘Ōiwi diet.
“The restoration of wetland taro farming is the restoration of our relationship with our ancestors,” Aikau told the Martlet , explaining that this important plant is considered the older sibling of Kanaka ‘Ōiwi.
“This old, ancient system also supports – and is important for –current and changed weather patterns,” said Aikau. She explained that the restoration of Indigenous systems is crucial to grappling with climate change today.
In the UVic-based research project called “Archipelagos of IndigenousLed Resurgence for Planetary Health” Aikau works with other scholars to find solutions to climate issues.
“Climate change as we understand it is a product of imperialism, colonialism, and unchecked capitalism,” explained Aikau. “The corrective for that is to not try to use those same systems to fix the problem, but to go back to Indigenous ways of understanding and being in the world.”
“Indigenous peoples have very sophisticated, scientific, verifiable ways of understanding their ecosystems,” she added.
Aikau encourages anyone interested in Indigenous-led climate work to get involved with hands-on restoration work. She uses the Kanaka ‘Ōiwi phrase “maka hana ka ike,” which means “we learn through doing.”
“There’s so many important land [and] water-based restoration projects happening right here on W̱SÁNEĆ and lək ʷəŋən territories, and [students] should get involved,” she said.
Aikau looks to the creative arts as an important part of combating climate despair. She says that art “gives a way to vision alternative futures.”
“Once we have a vision for where we want to be, we can reverseengineer the steps that we need to take to get there,” she said.
Photo by Ben Neal.
Photo by Ben Neal.
'There's so much
that needs to change': Four UVic students share their stories of climate disaster A Climate Disaster Project feature series
The stories in this series were shared as part of the Climate Disaster Project (CDP), an international collaboration of post-secondary and media partners coordinated through UVic’s writing department. Students in CDP classes learn trauma-informed techniques for interviewing and working with survivors of disasters from wildfres to foods to extreme heat. Before they take that work into the community, these students interview each other, sharing their own experiences with climate change and what they think can be done about it. These are some of their stories.
‘It was like walking into a sauna’ Victoria, Canada, Western North America heat wave, 2021
HALEY REYNOLDSON AS TOLD TO LAUREN HUTCHINSON
Haley grew up riding horses in Merritt, B.C. After graduating high school in 2012, Haley moved to Victoria, where she started working to save money. Eventually, she enrolled at the University of Victoria, double majoring in gender studies and environmental studies. When the Western North America heat wave
brought unbearable temperatures to southern Vancouver Island, she was living with her cat, Lily, in a bachelor apartment on the third foor of a dated building near Victoria’s Royal Jubilee Hospital.
It's an old building with really, really old windows, and they don't close properly. So in the winter, there's a draft. In the summer, there's hot air coming in through them. It was regularly getting to 36 degrees inside my building. I’m on the corner, so I got the sun for most of the day. Coming from the hallway into my apartment, there was a noticeable change in temperature.
It was like walking into a sauna. I had no air conditioning. I had one standing fan I would turn on and have pointed at me. I remember the landlord sent out a notice to our resident portal about air conditioners and how window unit air conditioners weren't allowed. You can get the concern they might have about the ones that stick out the windows, but for them to be saying that while we’re sitting in the building, just boiling?
It was a lot of time spent lying on the floor in my apartment. No clothes, because it was too hot to wear clothes. Lily had been spending a lot of time under the bed, which I think was just the coolest place in the house. So it
wasn't particularly worrisome. But, after I came home from work one day, I saw her walk out from under the bed and come over to me. She was panting, which is not a normal behaviour for cats. They don't act like dogs do. They don't pant to cool down.
So I called the emergency vet hospital here in Victoria, and they said I should defnitely bring her in right away. I don't drive, but I have a friend who lives in the same building as me. Luckily, he was home. So he was driving. I was in the passenger seat—with Lily in her carrier—crying, and my friend being like, “It's gonna be okay” to both of us. It was really great to have someone there. This was during COVID, so we weren't able to bring her into the hospital. You had to call the desk and they would come and get her from you. After that it was just sitting in the parking lot, just waiting to hear from them again. We were there from around 7:30 p.m. to close to midnight. I was sobbing the whole time. I was just sitting in tears and snifing. They kept her for another day and a half or so.
I think what I went through with Lily was the frst time that something driven by climate change directly afected me. I joke all the time. I say she's my emotional support animal, and I just couldn't even imagine what I would have
done if I had lost her during that. I know there are tons of people who did lose loved ones, including pets—I’m counting them in as loved ones—and a lot of people who lost their own lives because of the heat.
It made me think about how, maybe experiencing something like the heat dome could help people start thinking about how bad it is and what we could do about it. I know that in Colwood, there is a bill being put forth that apartments need to guarantee a maximum temperature: I believe, 26 degrees. Something like that is absolutely crucial, especially as we're just going to be experiencing hotter summers. Policies about building materials, insulated windows: anything that can be done in that sense to help keep buildings to a reasonable temperature. There’s so much that needs to change. I think we need a big shift away from capitalism and consumerist culture, because the only way to run those systems is through continual exploitation of the land. And that's how we got here in the frst place. Giving the management of land back to Indigenous communities is another step that defnitely needs to be taken in order to address climate change. And I do believe that there's a level of individual action that can and should be taken. Anything that can be done by anyone, it's not going to hurt, so why not do it? Knowing that there are people that actually care, who are really working towards a better future for people and for the planet, that's what I try and focus on.
Haley Reynoldson, photo by Lauren Hutchinson. Laine Taylor, photo by Philip McLachlan.
‘Nature is powerful and it doesn't care
if there's a town there’ Victoria, Canada, OsoyoosOliver Wildfre, 2021
Linnea is a student at the University of Victoria. Growing up in the community of Squamish, she was drawn to UVic as it is only a ferry ride away, just across the Strait of Georgia. The coastal environment inspired her to study marine biology, but Linnea found she was more interested in the political and social aspects of the environment, moving on to complete a degree in environmental studies and political science. While completing her studies, she lives with six girls and two dogs.
This was 2021, the year after COVID. Things were starting to open up again and I planned a trip with my friend Amelia from high school to stay at her family's property near the lake in Osoyoos. Her family has this really cute little cabin her grandpa built that's basically one room and they have an RV that we were sleeping in. I had planned the trip a while in advance. It's becoming something where, whenever you make any summer plans in BC, you're just hopeful the wildfres aren't too bad because you never know.
We went about the trip as normal, which is weird to say. What really sticks out for me is this one night, we went on a walk up to this point that goes out into the middle of Osoyoos Lake with the dogs. It was dark. Looking across the lake, we could see little red dots of fire on the hillside and you could even see the flames moving. It was quite hazy,
the wind had shifted, but you could definitely still tell that the fire was there.
My friend and her parents told me that, even a few days before it was way worse, they could see big chunks of fire at night burning along the hill. They weren't in imminent danger because it was on the other side of a pretty big lake. I've never seen even small fires like that up close, I had only experienced seeing the smoke from them. It was really jarring.
When there's a lot of smoke in the air, it feels weirdly silent. It muffles everything, so I remember it being kind of apocalyptic. One night we went to this little amusement park and they have a mini golf course and cotton candy. But you could still smell the wildfire smoke all the time. It was always in the background. I stayed for three or four days and then I drove back with my dog alone. The smoke got so bad in this one section of the Crowsnest Highway that I could barely see the road 200, 300 meters ahead of me. I knew vehicles coming the other way also probably couldn't see very far ahead of them. I had my headlights on in the middle of the day, driving through really heavy smoke. I was checking the wildfire map and all the alerts for highway closures. Roads pretty close by were getting closed off because there was a fire fairly close up the mountain. It felt weird to come back to Squamish and have significantly less smoke and less presence of wildfire.
It always feels very strange to go on living normal life when I know there's also people who are being acutely impacted by the fires. A lot of the time it feels like there's not anything to be done about it, even though I know that's not the case. I'm an environmental studies student. I work with lots of people who are really passionate about slowing down climate change, and about taking practical action towards it. I'm lucky to live somewhere where it hasn't so far been as big of an issue, but I think it just made me scared for the future, honestly. Whenever there's a threat of wildfires I'm more aware of it than maybe other friends and family. Every summer is a reminder that nature is really powerful and it doesn't care if there's a town there.
I didn't directly experience a loss of my home or safety, so I feel like I'm someone who can offer support to those who are more affected. We all need to support each other and be aware that there's people who struggle with asthma, or who aren't as mobile. It seems like every wildfire season, there's no strong leadership: not to make people feel better, that's not necessarily what needs to happen, but to prepare people better. To keep having conversations about being prepared, and what you would do in case of having to evacuate, or letting people you know that live in other areas of the province they can stay with you. Having those conversations with people preemptively is important. We all have individual responsibility, but we need to collectively push bigger corporations and governments to take action and to transition away from fossil fuels. We need to have a balance of people and human needs, and that needs to be led by First Nations groups and voices. You can't deny it anymore because we experience it every season. It's really scary, but we have to face it.
‘We're on fire. And people catch
fire
from your fre’ Victoria, Canada, Pacific Northwest Wildfres
Growing up in the 1960s, Paul spent time in Toronto and on their uncle’s farm in Quebec. There, they climbed trees, got to know the pigs and chickens and the surrounding wilds. ‘I’ll always remember lying on a cow when I was sick one time. It was wonderful,’ says Paul, describing nature as ‘one of the saving graces for me.’ Paul just completed their bachelors degree in writing at the University of Victoria. They were recently involved in the Fairy Creek blockades, protesting the logging of old growth forests.
My frst experience of the degradation of man towards nature was as a tree planter back circa 1980 to 85. At times, it would feel like I was being sucked into the earth by the spirits of the killed trees, that often were left lying strewn about, like a bunch of corpses, and then bulldozed into piles to be burned. It was like Mordor you know. It was the dark lord. And then I would plant to the edge of the clear cut and wander into the old growth. And the night and day experience was so profound, just wandering one hundred feet into the mossy, damp, lush world that was there.
Then, the first year of the fires: the smoke was every day, for a long time. The sun on the Island was obscured. I drove to the Kootenays to do a retreat. And I heard people with respiratory problems really struggling. The smoke was so thick, it was hard to breathe. It felt once again, like it was apocalyptic. There was the sense of doom. And I was like, okay, this is real.
Some in my community take strong action and are inspiring for me. I take some strong action myself and hopefully inspire others. I think that's the way it works. We're on fire. And people catch fire from your fire. I have a friend who's a super activist. She's one of the first organizers of Fairy Creek. She's also a theatre person. And she said, ‘Okay, I know you're nervous.’ I had been involved in logging blockades before. People's trauma gets stirred up. It gets reactivated. So it's challenging. I tend to want to not be so front and centre. But she knew she'd get me involved if we co-created a play to perform in front of a rally. So I got to play John Horgan. Another guy had a real chainsaw going without a chain, and we were cutting down the trees in front of City Hall. It looked real because we had sawdust, and the two chainsaws
running. I'm playing Horgan who's doing a dance, cheering on the trees being cut down.
Then there was a march to take place, blocking the street. We were walking down blocking all the traffic. I was handed the bullhorn by someone because he thought I looked like a good person, fairly respectable. It'd be good PR to have me leading the march. So there I go from being nervous about my too over-involvement, to leading the march, kind of walking back and forth.
With the chants going, ‘Hey, hey, ho, ho, John Horgan’s got to go,’ I'm just totally over the waterfall. And it was completely fine. I was worried I'd probably be on the news because I'm friends with people who are like, ‘Why would you want to be with the extreme fringe?’ At that point I kind of radicalized myself more, and then started not caring. You know, if you want to unfriend me, unfriend me. I don't care.
Here's what's important to me. I'm going to post about Fairy Creek and whatever on Facebook and try and get people involved. And I might have lost some friends over that. I need to be the voice for those that cannot stand for themselves, like the trees and the lichen, and all of the animals. They don't have a voice.
Because, you know, when I was a kid, I kind of promised the animals that I would look after them. It's almost like the people are holding your breath, and closing your eyes and saying, ‘There's no climate change, there's no climate change.’ To have a forum and a format, somewhat, to talk about it, to say how I'm being affected, to be emotional, to cry is to be empowered. We might be powerless. At least when you’re being frontline activists, you're actually taking matters into your own hands. You're taking action. Your conscience becomes free. And that's what's important. Things might not change. But to do something, to take action, is to be free from victimhood.
Linnea Burke, Photo by Georgia Myles.
LINNEA BURKE AS TOLD TO GEORGIA MYLES
PAUL MONFETTE AS TOLD TO NAOMI DUSKA
Paul Monfette, photo by Naomi Duska.
'Where am I going to park this downtown?' Cyclists and pedestrians are making Victoria's streets greener -- and large vehicle owners wary
LIAM AURINGER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The transit infrastructure in Victoria B.C. has been undergoing a decade-long overhaul with a focus on sustainability. Bike and bus lanes and pedestrian-only areas have been popping up everywhere in recent years — evidence of the city’s eforts to increase livability, while also moving away from car dependency.
Many Victoria residents have taken to social media to call for a “big truck ban” in the pedestrian-heavy downtown core. Others who still choose to drive — especially in larger vehicles — have other challenges with the reclaimed road space, and increased number of cyclists and pedestrians.
Victoria residents on both sides of the issue continue to sound of online about the validity of vehicle trafc in a city that is moving towards alternative transportation.
For the large number of UVic students who rely on public transit, biking, and walking to get around the city, the expansion of bike and bus lanes, and an increase in pedestrian walkways have made a positive impact.
The City of Victoria’s assistant director of engineering, Ross Kenny, told the Martlet that these changes are all part of the city’s climate action plan.
“Our primary goal is to have 55 per cent of all trips made by walking, rolling, or cycling by the year 2030,” Kenny said.
Kenny emphasized that creating safer, more accessible spaces is essential to this shift.
“Alternative transportation options such as walking, cycling, and public transit take up less physical space than private vehicles . . . which require parking at both ends of every trip,” he said.
“By expanding these options, we’re not only reducing emissions, but we’re also seeing improved health outcomes, cleaner air, reduced noise pollution, and more freedom for people who can’t drive.”
Caleb Crookes, a UVic student who does not use a car, also sees the infrastructure changes as a positive step for the city.
“The expansion of pedestrian–ization in Victoria is fantastic to see,” Crookes told the Martlet. “Large areas of the city are becoming more accessible to people on bikes and on foot . . . The Fort Street bike lanes, for example . . . make commercial areas a lot easier to access without a car.”
Crookes also noted the growing danger posed by modern trucks and SUVs on Victoria’s streets.
“Modern trucks and SUVs have visibility issues that manufacturers try to solve by adding dozens of exterior cameras,” he said. “Their height poses a tremendous danger, as many of them now have front-end blind spots, meaning drivers can’t see directly in front of them.”
Crookes said larger vehicles are not just dangerous for pedestrians, but
for other road users.
“Huge, oversized trucks and SUVs are significantly more dangerous to other vehicles on the road, too. When someone else’s bumper is at your head level in a crash, we have a massive problem,” he said.
For Kenny, balancing the needs of all transportation styles remains a complex task for Victoria.
“We rely on a transportation hierarchy where our number one priority is ensuring pedestrian safety,” he said.
Fred Jenner, general manager of Jenner Chevrolet in View Royal, B.C., says Victoria’s push toward sustainability is not only creating challenges for large vehicle owners — it’s driving changes in vehicle preferences.
“People are second-guessing their purchase decisions,” Jenner said. “We’re seeing more interest in midsize SUVs, but if you have a large family or need to haul equipment, downsizing just isn’t practical.”
Jenner explained how trucks and SUVs are now bigger than ever. “The Chevy Colorado is now almost as large as the Silverado used to be,” he noted. “People are asking, ‘Where am I going to park this downtown?’”
He explained that while trucks are essential in rural areas, they are often more of a lifestyle choice in the city.
“In Victoria, you see people driving massive trucks alone, and you wonder if they really need it,” said Jenner.
Crookes believes there are better alternatives to suit the city’s evolving
infrastructure.
“Pickup trucks aren't the only option . . . Box trucks or Kei trucks would function better for industry... and [would] be safer for everyone,” he said.
Beyond personal preference, talks of a “large vehicle ban” also implicate those who drive large operating vehicles.
“Even with loading bays, delivery vans and trucks end up blocking lanes because there’s just nowhere to park,” said Jenner. “With more people ordering groceries and packages, the number of delivery vehicles on the road is only going up.”
Despite these challenges, Jenner expects large vehicles to remain necessary for certain professions. “If we have an economy that still has, as a contractor needs, lots of delivery services, you're not gonna get away from that.”
Kenny explained that the city manages delivery truck access through a permit system, and is exploring additional curb space solutions. This will help reduce congestion as residential areas become dense, and the demand for short term loading zones increases.
Kenny also mentioned an ongoing parking modernization review aimed at adapting curb space to the city’s needs.
“A consultant team is conducting a deep dive on parking regulations, covering both off-street development requirements (bike parking and car share vehicles) and on-street policies
(metres, time-limited parking, and resident-only parking). This review will result in recommendations to help manage curb space more effectively, and we’ll continually adjust our parking strategy based on changing needs,” he said.
For Crookes, the priority should remain on pedestrian and cyclist safety.
“Even if traffic increases . . . pedestrian and cyclist safety should come first…. The convenience of one driver shouldn't outweigh the safety of someone walking on the side of the street or riding a bike,” he said. Victoria’s challenge is to create a city that supports its environmental goals, while still meeting the needs of all of its residents, whether they bike, walk, or drive.
'Juggling pain, spoons, and guilt' Environmentally friendly student life choices often make disabled lives harder
ELIAS RICE VOLUNTEER STAFF EDITOR
SKY DRAGUSHAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
There is a severe lack of disabled representation in conversations about how fast fashion, driving, and singleuse plastic affect the environment. When able-bodied individuals complain about single use items, the perspectives of disabled people are often conveniently ignored.
When it comes to avoiding the unsustainable practices of the fastfashion industry, many point to thrift shopping as a viable alternative. I love thrifting. However, it is not a viable substitute for everyone. Most of Victoria’s thrift stores are located
downtown, which can be difficult for people with mobility issues. Once I make it downtown, I have to spend a lot of time on my feet, walking around and carrying heavy bags, which aggravates my chronic pain, meaning thrifting is not a feasible alternative to ordering fast fashion online for me.
Sustainably travelling is another issue I face every day. Gas emissions from driving cars negatively affect the environment, but other more environmentally conscious options are not accessible to me. I am often encouraged to walk or bike to school to reduce carbon emissions — a viable option for many able-bodied individuals — but I physically can’t bike or walk long distances due to my mobility issues.
For able-bodied people, taking the
bus is one of the most common ways to travel sustainably, especially if they live too far to bike or walk. As an ambulatory cane-user, taking public transit is not easy either. When I do use my cane, I consistently have to ask people to move so that I can sit in the disabled-priority seating. Simply sitting on the bus will cause me additional pain — bracing against the momentum of the moving bus and trying not to fall onto the people next to me exacerbates my muscle and joint pain, causing aches when I finally arrive at school.
When it comes to single-use plastics and disposable implements, the perspective of disabled people is also overlooked. For many of us, disposable straws and containers are more than just convenient — they
actively make disabled lives easier. Getting food anywhere on campus, I am forced to juggle food, drink, my backpack, and my cane all at the same time. Due to my tremor I end up having to use straws to prevent spillage. Where other food outlets use paper straws as a replacement, which increase the chance of choking as they get soggy and disintegrate with extended use, UVic outlets use cornstarch straws. These straws allow for some of the benefits of plastic straws, like being able to use them with both hot and cold beverages.
Unfortunately, they don’t contain the same flexibility that allows for those with mobility issues to use them, which is a necessary feature for many to maintain independent
living. I am not the first person to say that single-use cutlery, straws, and containers are important for the disabled population, but I hope that this makes clear both their importance and the guilt-laden struggle disabled folks experience when selecting what will be less painful for us.
In future conversations about sustainable habits, I hope disabled people are duly considered, more so than they have in the past. Sustainable living is often marketed as one-size-fits all, but disabled people live in the grey, the in-between, juggling pain, spoons, and guilt on a daily basis.
We need electoral reform to fight climate change B.C.'s frst-past-the-post system makes it harder to realize climate action
ETHAN BARKLEY
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The recent provincial election in B.C. returned a historic result: despite more than 200 000 British Columbians voting for progressive candidates over Conservatives, we now have an almost evenly split parliament, with the NDP holding just enough seats to form a majority.
This split is the result of our flawed first-past-the-post electoral system, which means that it will be harder for the government to take action on crucial issues like climate change.
If we want to avoid future results like this, we need to reform our electoral system.
In both B.C. and Canada, we currently use a system known as “first-past-the-post” (FPTP). FPTP is a winner-take-all system where voters pick one candidate, and the
candidate who gets the most votes in a district wins. Critics of FPTP point out that it allows one party to form a political majority without actually representing the majority of voters.
B.C. held a referendum in 2018 on replacing the FPTP system with proportional representation — this would mean that the percentage of seats a party gets reflects the percentage of people who voted for them — but the result was overwhelmingly in support of FPTP.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to replace FPTP federally when he ran in 2015, but he abandoned this plan shortly after winning.
Another alternative to FPTP is ranked-choice voting, which would allow voters to rank all of the candidates in order of preference. If their first-choice candidate is not elected, their vote carries on down
the list. This way, all voters have a say even if their preferred candidate is not elected.
One narrative surrounding the most recent election in B.C. is that much of the province has shifted to the right. The NDP are down 10 seats from the number they held (57) in the previous government, while the Conservatives’ meteoric ascent from 0 elected seats to 44 suggests that B.C.'s electorate is becoming increasingly sympathetic to the right.
But these results don’t tell the whole story. In 2020, the B.C. parliament was made up of four parties — the NDP, BC United, the Greens, and the Conservatives. BC United did not run in this year's election, meaning that centre-right and right-wing voters consolidated behind the Conservatives.
On the left side of the aisle, votes remained split between the NDP and
the Greens. Both the NDP and Green platforms include significant climate objectives, including reducing carbon emissions, prioritizing clean energy, protecting biodiversity in our ecosystems, and safeguarding old growth forests.
In politics, when the presence of a perceived “minor candidate” on the ballot leads to the “major candidate” losing, this is known as the “spoiler effect.” The spoiler effect — splitting the progressive vote between the Greens and the NDP — is what allowed the Conservatives to win a plurality, but not the majority, of votes in many ridings.
Take, for example, the CourtenayComox riding, where I grew up.
Courtenay-Comox went Conservative by a margin of 92 votes. In this riding, the Greens earned 7 203 votes — more than enough to have prevented a Conservative victory. Under FPTP,
only 13 481 people voted for the Conservatives, whereas more than 20 000 voted against them. Despite this, the Conservative candidate won, because non-Conservative voters were split.
Courtenay-Comox is not the only place where this happened. In at least ten other ridings this election, a Conservative candidate was elected despite a majority of voters in that riding voting against them, because the non-Conservative vote was split. Most British Columbians believe climate change is an issue, and that additional action is needed to address it. As we live under a FPTP electoral system, however, we will continue to see results like this, which do not adequately represent the views and values of most voters.
AI is destroying the environment one query at a time Students have the responsibility to reduce their emissions, and that includes AI
HANNAH LINK
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
There’s no denying that students are turning to AI for help with homework these days. While most of us understand that asking ChatGPT to write a reflection or complete an assignment is plagiarism, some students still use AI for routine tasks like brainstorming and copy editing. As these tools only become stronger and smarter, however, they pose threats to academic integrity and the very essence of human creativity. Not only is AI terrifying in this sense, but it also creates a new threat to our climate that we are only now starting to understand.
The tech space is already a carbonemissions monster, with the extraction of precious minerals, the waste caused by old gadgets deemed useless, and the energy required to store fles in the cloud. AI scares me because it adds one more layer into a system that already holds so much power over our daily lives.
One study found that generating one AI image takes as much energy as fully charging an iPhone. Another found that the training required for one AI model like ChatGPT emitted as much carbon annually as “hundreds of households in America.”
The companies behind these tools are
slow to release the fgures on carbon emissions from the making of each model, but fast to claim how their new systems will supposedly help when it comes to climate change.
When questioned about the increase in carbon emissions caused by AI, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said that AI will “certainly” reduce emissions equivalent to the ones it causes.
Companies claim that AI has the potential to combat climate change through the design of eco-friendly materials, monitoring of energy consumption, prediction of oil leaks, and creation of agricultural insights.
While these examples are entirely possible, I struggle to imagine that AI will have a net positive impact, when we can be sure that it will be forcefully implemented in every aspect of human life. Maybe I could believe that AI will ultimately do good things for the environment if that’s the only sector it was used for — but in a capitalist system, that could never happen.
Google’s use of AI drove a 48 per cent increase in emissions since 2019, according to its recent environmental report. I can’t help but wonder if a large percentage of those emissions are wasted on the useless AI-generated responses at the top of every single internet search I make.
Apple, a company that tries to appear
dedicated to reducing its emissions, is now incorporating AI into all aspects of its operating systems. How much carbon will we emit when asking Siri a question, or generating a “custom” emoji?
Now, don’t get me wrong, I know that you’re not automatically evil if you choose to use AI. I have been known to ask ChatGPT to write me the occasional poem, or come up with a recipe with the ingredients left in my fridge. But it’s hard
to visualize the carbon impact of a transaction made on a screen.
When it comes to student life, AI is only going to get bigger. Just as some students sacrifce their carbon output to buy a quick cofee in a disposable cup on campus to keep them going, they will too turn to AI in moments of desperation.
Companies are implementing these tantalizing tools with consumer use and dependency in mind. They are the ones
responsible here. They know what they’re doing, and they’re doing it anyway. The only thing we can do is understand our place in the system, and try to make more conscious and intentional decisions.
Illustration by Neha Saxena.
SPORTS
Fake grass, real problems Articial turf fields are saving UVic money, but costing the environment
ERIC KWAKERNAAK VOLUNTEER STAFF WRITER
When it comes to facilities, the world of professional sports has had to walk a fne line — satisfying the needs of their athletes, the demands of the public, and the pockets of their executives and benefactors. However, in recent years, a new entity has begun asking for attention from sports: Mother Earth.
More than ever before, sports teams are being asked questions about their impact on the environment and how their facilities can best practice ecofriendliness and carbon neutrality. A notable example, and one that is as prescient to collegiate athletics as it is to pro sports, is the ongoing discussion between artifcial turf and grass felds.
Back in July, the Vancouver Whitecaps were on the wrong side of headlines after it was reported that Wrexham AFC, the viral Welsh club owned by Ryan Reynolds, would withdraw from their scheduled exhibition game unless real grass was installed at BC Place.
A painstaking process followed, wherein the stadium was forced to import 30 trucks worth of grass for a single 90 minute match. A similar process will happen in 2026, when the FIFA World Cup comes to North America.
Much like BC Place, UVic’s recreational soccer and feld hockey felds are artifcial. And, much like the Whitecaps, the Vikes should be putting their use of the material under the microscope. Because, while artifcial turf is often presumed to be more environmentally friendly than real grass, recent research has been showing that this may not be the case. In fact, it might be just the opposite.
“Were there a greenwashing hall of fame, this would be in it,” said Charles
EDITORIAL
Miller, chair of the LA division of the Climate Reality Project, in an LA Times op-ed. “Artificial turf is bad for our ecosystems as well as our health.”
Miller, alongside his fellow turf detractors, cites multiple reasons for phasing out these synthetic surfaces.
First of all, grass and soil are natural carbon sinks. They take in greenhouse gasses and either convert them or break them down. However, since artifcial turf cannot be installed on top of existing grass, those carbon sinks must be ripped up and replaced, usually by sand or fnely crushed rock. Not only does this eliminate a useful source for reducing greenhouse gasses, but it actively releases stored carbon into the atmosphere.
Typically made from either nylon, polypropylene or polyethylene, artifcial turf is, by defnition, a single use plastic. Not only that, but it is filled with microplastics and PFAs, or “forever chemicals,” which make it extremely difcult or impossible to recycle.
A chemical analysis done by Yale University found 96 diferent chemicals — ten of them carcinogens — in artifcial turf. Combine that with new studies which say athletes have an upwards of 16 per cent higher chance of injury on artifcial turf compared to grass, and it is clear that turf poses a real health risk to players.
To make matters worse, the supposed beneft of artifcial turf — reduced water usage — may not be accurate. If you’ve ever passed by an artifcial turf feld, you may have noticed it being sprayed down with water.
This is because turf is impermeable, meaning that sweat, spit, blood, and animal feces all stay on the surface, whereas with grass they would be absorbed. On top of frequent cleaning,
for cooling purposes, as on hot days it can reach higher temperatures than concrete or asphalt can.
Some artifcial turfs, like that at the Lynne “Buzz” Beecroft Field, where the Vikes women’s feld hockey team plays, take this usage a step further. Buzz Field uses what is known as “water-based turf,” which requires “integrated irrigation systems and water cannons or sprinklers to apply the water ‘infll’ layer,” according to Sport and Play. This water layer reduces friction and improves ball speed, but must be frequently reapplied. Greenfields, an internationally recognized turf company who supplied the fields for the 2014 Field Hockey World Cup, reports that approximately 6 000 litres of water is used each match to irrigate the water-based turf. That’s
equivalent to the drinking water of a three person household over a six and a half year span.
There are, of course, legitimate reasons for the use of artifcial grass. It’s cheaper, with one study — which was organized by a turf supplier, and thus should be subject to some scrutiny — estimating it costs around four times less over a ten year span. Turf is also easier to maintain and oftentimes more aesthetically pleasing.
The University of Guelph, in conjunction with Canadian Premiere League team Toronto FC, has recently been working with hybrid grass, which sews about fve per cent artifcial turf into real lawn grass. This method is used by the top football clubs in Europe, and has now been permanently adapted to BMO Field in Toronto.
Playing against the clock Varsity sports can't keep contributing to the climate crisis
PAUL VOLL
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
ERIC KWAKERNAAK
VOLUNTEER STAFF WRITER
The sports industry and climate change are inextricably linked. One estimate reports that the 600-billion-dollar global sports industry is responsible for a total of 350 million tons of CO2e (carbon emissions) per year. For context, the average car emits about 4.6 tons of CO2e per year, whereas the entire nation of France produces around 315 million tons.
The irony is that sport relies completely on the climate — on clean air, clean water, and a safe place to play. Nowadays, whether from rising global temperatures and heat waves to fires, diminishing air quality, and flooding, climate change is frequently altering where, when, and how sports are played.
With this in mind, sport organizations must find ways to reduce their environmental footprint. Though global sporting events and major professional leagues such as the NFL account for the industry's most looming impacts, local and regional sports such as Vikes varsity athletics must also consider their part in the climate equation.
UVic Executive Director of Wellness, Recreation and Athletics (WRA) Nicole Greengoe said the department — which oversees Vikes varsity athletics programs — is
“committed to aligning with UVic’s broader climate action goals and sustainability strategies.” But what the department doesn’t have, Greengoe said, is a standalone carbon budget, or a method of recording and monitoring their carbon footprint.
For a university that touts itself as one of the world leaders in sustainability, it’s an avenue where we are firmly behind our peers. The University of British Columbia (UBC), by comparison, has already published research on its environmental performance at UBC Athletics and Recreation sporting events. Using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) based approach, which analyzes the environmental impact of an activity or program over its entire life cycle, UBC tracked their varsity teams’ energy consumption, water use, and waste recycling, alongside spectator and team travel, to generate an overall carbon footprint.
UVic would undoubtedly benefit from similar research as a starting point for better understanding the climate impact of Vikes varsity sports. It’s a logical first step. To strategically reduce the environmental impact of a given department, it’s crucial to first define how much of an impact is present.
One of the largest carbon contributors within college and professional athletics is travel. According to Greengoe, the majority
of the Vikes regular season takes place regionally and does not require air travel, with the exception of international exhibition events and national championships that take place all over the country. However, those international exhibitions can, at times, be a considerable contributor to the Vikes footprint. For example, over the last two years, the Vikes men’s basketball team has travelled to the Bahamas to play pre-season games. A round trip from Victoria to Nassau emits an estimated 658 kg of CO2e per passenger. According to UBC, that’s more than ten times the average per athlete emissions for one event.
Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams (who travel together) also fly to all regular season away games beyond the island and lower mainland, including separate air travel to Kamloops and Kelowna — two cities that are relatively close by charter bus.
Air travel for short distances is particularly harmful to the environment because emissions are highest during takeoff and landing. For example, the approximate distance of a flight from Vancouver to Kamloops will emit almost 500 times more CO2 per passenger than a charter bus would for the same trip.
UBC’s research on its varsity teams confirms this idea. Tracking the travel of 23 varsity teams over 502 games, their research
determined that UBC athletics generated around 630 tonnes of CO2e per year, with air travel making up the majority of the teams’ carbon footprint.
However, this carbon output is not solely the responsibility of varsity athletes. We, as spectators, also contribute to the emissions of our beloved teams. While the UBC athletics program may have generated 630 tons of CO2e in a single season, their fans generated a whopping 960 tonnes.
There are ways that fans can help reduce their environmental impact in regards to athletics. There are also ways that varsity programs can push their fan bases in the right direction. In the 2010 Olympics, for example, the City of Vancouver issued free bus passes to all ticketholders, which led to a 40 per cent increase in bus use during the games. Universities could and should look into implementing similar programs for their nonstudent fan bases.
While Vikes varsity athletics and WRA could do a better job monitoring and defining how much of an overall environmental impact it creates, the department is also already implementing strategies for sustainability.
CARSA, where the Vikes basketball teams play, is one of nine buildings on UVic’s campus with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification — earned by using
Moreover, several of the largest and most well-respected American athletics programs — Alabama, Iowa State, and Georgia — continue to use exclusively real grass. In the case of feld hockey, the IHF has recently begun encouraging the development and use of non-irrigated dry turfs, with the ultimate goal of completely replacing the 2 000 plus water-based turfs used globally. Despite this, the vast majority of varsity sports felds in Canada are still artifcial turf. Whether it’s Thunderbird Park in Vancouver, Foote Field in Edmonton, or the CARSA felds here at UVic, artifcial turf has become the norm in the North. But it may be time to start looking hard at whether a surface which is worse for athletes, worse for the community, and worse on the environment is really still our best option.
green building strategies — and reportedly includes technologies to reduce water consumption by 40 per cent. CARSA also generates half of its energy for cooling and heating using a geothermal system. Specific programs, too, have made strides towards greater environmental consciousness. The Vikes women’s rowing team, for example, have recently begun a partnership with WinTech, a boat manufacturing company whose factory is almost entirely operated via solar power and claims to produce zero air pollution.
Other department initiatives include reducing sports equipment waste by selling operational equipment on BC Bid, and repurposing other equipment for campus groups such as the engineering department, where parts are used in student projects.
As the climate crisis worsens, the question of how much our society should prioritize sport over the environment will only get louder. For athletes and fans alike, the message should be clear — play sustainably, or risk not playing at all.
artifcial turf must also be watered
Photo by Sage Blackwell.
FUN STUFF
Visithttps://pondscumgames.blogspot.comformorepuzzleslikethis
ACROSS
1. Moniker
7. Drive into something
12. Like a joke you've heard for the millionth time
13. 11:50
14. Vietnamese sandwich 15. Beelzebub
16. Going for another bike ride?
18. Variety of cabbage 21. Gossip
22. "I have ___ in that lake before"
23. It's important for a ship or a news show
28. Like a moody teen
31. Caramel-flled chocolate
32. Wine variety
34. Command-Z
35. Trio of pirate afrmations... or a clue to 12-, 16-, and 46-across
40. Michelangelo's sculpture of Mary and Jesus
41. Make a sound quieter
45. Party or gala
46. Simmer down 47. Hold up 48. Make it by the skin of your teeth
DOWN
1. I won't be gone long, in a text
2. With 17- and 30-down. Sarcastic impatience that makes sure Heads Will Roll?
3. Pious sister
4. Hindu monasteries
5. Wojak or troll face
6. Ofcial decree
7. MRI alternative
8. Genuine
9. Opposed
10. Term for a super fan coined by Eminem
11. ___Kong
17. See 2-down
18. Org. that may or may not spy on you
19. Bristle-like appendage on grass
20. Wrinkled dog
24. Indiana Jones and the Last ____
25. Sweet name to be called in the South
26. M. Night Shyamalan movie about a beach
27. Winnie-the-Pooh's young friend
29. One of the many deals named after James Douglas
30. See 2-down
33. Ice Cube companion
35. Wasteful prank that might have happened to houses on Halloween, in short
36. Bee's home
37. Instagram video
38. Italian volcano
39. Stink
42. Daft Punk or The Black Keys
43. Vancouver art sch.
44. Central element of tennis or pickleball
Acacia Cousins, Sky Dragushan, Naomi Duska, Lauren Hutchinson, Paul Monfette, Georgia Myles, Haley Reynoldson, Laine Taylor, Emily Thomson, Emma Treleaven, Neha Saxena, Sadie Voigt