University of Victoria
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

Over the past two decades, a broad range of academic programs with an Indigenous focus have been developed and delivered. Many programs focus on the education and training of professionals who will work with Indigenous peoples and communities are committed to ensuring that students are made aware of the history of Indigenous people in Canada and how past and current laws, policies and practices have systematically disadvantaged Indigenous peoples. This commitment is consistent with, and responds to, the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The UVic Indigenous Plan 2017-2022 “Strand 3 – Education” outlines 2 explicit goals each with sub-strategies for implementation and tracking. They are as follows (see pages 22-23):

-Goal 1: “Ensure the quality, sustainability and relevance of the university’s Indigenous academic programs.”
o a. Ensure that students in professional programs who will serve, and interact with, Indigenous peoples and communities become knowledgeable about Indigenous history and culture and the impact of colonial practices on Indigenous peoples and communities
o b. Continue to work with Indigenous students and communities to identify areas of educational programming that would be of interest and value to them, such as an Indigenous-focused Foundation year through the Faculty of Continuing Studies
o c. Review existing programs to ensure they are of high quality and they are meeting indigenous student and community needs
o d. Support the development of new programs where there is an identified student/community interest, where UVic has existing or emerging faculty expertise, and where we can develop quality programing and essential resources needed for program sustainability
o e. Develop an Indigenous Studies major to complement the existing Indigenous Studies Minor

-Goal 2: “Develop opportunities for UVic students to gain a better understanding of Indigenous peoples, histories and cultures, and the impact of colonization.”
o a. Develop opportunities for UVic students to gain a better understanding of Indigenous peoples, histories and cultures, and the impact of colonization
o b. Work with the Division of Learning and Teaching Support and Innovation and academic units to support a framework to indigenize curricula in order to enable students to gain knowledge of Indigenous epistemologies and histories
o c. Offer faculty professional development opportunities about how to indigenize and decolonize pedagogy and curricula
o d. Highlight in campus publications and promotional materials opportunities for students to learn about Indigenous histories and issues
o e. Continue to develop, identify and promote opportunities for cultural learning through land-and water-based and community learning in a range of programs and courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The University of Victoria Gustavson School of Business’ (GSB) Center for Social and Sustainable Innovation (CSSI) have incorporated specific priorities with correlating initiatives in their CSSI Strategy related to the integration of sustainability in both education and research, of which are as follows:

•Research: “Strengthen Gustavson’s capacity to contribute to transformative sustainability research”
o “Strengthen and expand Gustavson’s research capacity around sustainability and social responsibility”
o “Provide support for sustainability research, financially and through mentoring”
o “Support, host, organize and/or participate in research supportive sustainability events”

•Education: “Deepen integration of sustainability concepts, cases and tools throughout GSB’s educational programs”
o “Monitor and assess integration of sustainability and social responsibility in course content in all programs”
o “Support faculty and programs with sustainability teaching materials, content and methods”
o “Support programs and student initiatives in their efforts to integrate sustainability”

The University of Victoria’s International Plan 2017-2022 provides a section on “Intercultural Curricula,”outlining that UVic curriculum must prepare students to be global-ready graduates and enable faculty, staff and students to be open to, and effective in, diverse settings. The university recognizes that to support development of intercultural competency, academic units need to include global perspectives within existing and new course content. The objective in this section is to

•“Assist faculty, staff and students to be effective in culturally diverse settings and experiences by strengthening, developing and making available curricular resources, tools and content” (see page 17). A key strategy associated with this objective is:
o Develop an interdisciplinary “Global Citizenship” minor or related courses with content that includes Indigenous, intercultural, and sustainability topics that undergraduates can access at an early stage in their studies.

In terms of research, the UVic Strategic Research Plan 2016-2021 outlines five “Strategic Priorities” that are meant to renew and extend capacity for vital impact through research excellence and knowledge mobilization. Within these Priorities are objectives related to sustainability that are as follows:

•Objective: “Recognize and reward high-quality fundamental and problem-focused research, nationally and internationally” (see page 28)

Topics of research that are focused on environmental sustainability, climate, and social justice are largely fundamental and problem-focused. UVic has a longstanding reputation of excellence in research within these areas and is committed to continuing that trend.

The current UVic “Sustainability Action Plan: Campus Operations 2020-2021” provides an engagement section in which the goal is to:

•“Continue to develop and implement programs and activities that assist the campus community in contributing to the achievement of sustainability goals” (see page 6).

This builds on the 2014-2019 Sustainability Action Plan in which goals associated with engagement (see page 8) were to:

•“Develop and implement programs and activities that assist the campus community in contributing to the achievement of sustainability goals.”
•“Work with campus partners to increase the awareness of local and global sustainability issues within the campus population and the surrounding community.”
•“Create new programming for the Sustainability Action Team program with offices, labs, and residences.”
•“Engage the local community in the university’s sustainability initiatives and develop programs to work collaboratively on issues of mutual interest and benefit”

A list of associated actions with each of these goals can be found on the same page as the goals in their respective documents. The measured success of each goal from the 2014-2019 Sustainability Action Plan can be found in the “2019 Final Report Sustainability Action Plan: Campus Operations 2014-2019” pages 5-7.

Additionally, one of the five priorities outlined in the UVic Strategic Research Plan 2016-2021 sets a focus on increased engagement and spread of knowledge beyond the UVic borders and is as follows:

•“Expand UVic’s focus on partnerships as mechanisms to enhance innovation; generate new research opportunities; engage with community partners; mobilize knowledge in society, policy and professional practice; and support entrepreneurship on campus.” (see page 32)

The UVic Sustainability Action Plan: Campus Operations 2020-2021 provides a section on Operations, Facilities and Services that includes sustainability goals associated with buildings, energy, computing, dining services, grounds, purchasing, transportation, waste, and water. Examples of measurable goals in each of these categories include:

•Buildings – “All new buildings will achieve the standard of LEED V4 Gold certification or equivalent certification. Major additions to existing buildings will also strive to achieve LEED V4 Gold or equivalent certification.”
•Energy – “Achieve a total institutional greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 30% by Dec. 31, 2021, relative to 2010 as the baseline year”
•Computing – “Ensure that green manufacturing standards and energy-saving criteria are applied to all computing services purchasing decisions.”
•Dining Services – “Prioritize waste reduction practices, while enhancing diversion in campus food outlets”
•Grounds – “Protect and manage the ecological diversity of the natural areas on campus and enhance the use of native species in campus landscape management”
•Purchasing – “Harmonize fleet purchasing with the Clean BC goal of 40% reduction in fleet emissions by 2030”
•Transportation – “Continue to increase the use of transit, cycling, walking and carpooling to 70% of the transportation modal split”
•Waste – “Increase the waste diversion rate to 82% by Dec. 31, 2021”
•Water – “Determine the causes of increased water usage in 2018 and 2019”

For a more comprehensive list of goals and associated actions, see pages 8-14 of the 2020-2021 Sustainability Action Plan.

The measured success of each goal from the 2014-2019 Sustainability Action Plan can be found in the “2019 Final Report Sustainability Action Plan: Campus Operations 2014-2019”.

The UVic Employment Equity Plan 2015-2020 affirms that equity underlies and is a pre-condition for excellence and that excellence is furthered by a diversity of people, perspectives and experiences. It is designed to meet three broad equity goals that are (see page 4):

•“To promote and implement employment practices which advance equity and access for all.”

•“To ensure the principles of fairness and equity are incorporated into all aspects of employment, including recruitment and hiring, training and promotion, and retention and accommodation in the workforce.”

•“To improve the participation of members of designated groups in all jobs and at all levels where they are under-represented, and achieve and retain a workforce representative of the appropriate community”

Within the Employment Equity Plan there are more in-depth numerical goals associated with staffing and hiring of people in underrepresented groups calculated in accordance with the Federal Contractors Program. Further actions associated with these goals can be found in the Employment Equity Plan.

The UVic International Plan also provides an objective and associated strategies in the Intercultural Curricula section to:

•“Assist faculty, staff and students to be effective in culturally diverse settings and experiences by strengthening, developing and making available curricular resources, tools and content” (see page 17). Key strategies to meet this objective include:
o “Promote the development of intercultural competence among faculty and staff by facilitating and encouraging participation in workshops, certification and other experiences that build intercultural skills and awareness”

The UVic Indigenous Plan has several goals and associated actions aimed at helping to foster an environment that supports diversity, equity and inclusion. They are:

•“Create a warm, welcoming and respectful learning environment and sense of place” (see page 14)
o a. Support development of a community that is accepting of diversity, and inclusive of Indigenous ways of knowing and being
o b. Provide opportunities for students to learn about the history of Indigenous peoples and the enduring impacts of colonization on individuals, families, and communities
o c. Further develop and enhance processes to deal with racism and discrimination at the university to support Indigenous students to safely address such concerns

•“Increase recruitment, retention and success of Indigenous students across academic programs of study and programming that supports transition and pathways to university” (see page 14 for associated actions)

•“Increase recruitment, retention and success of Indigenous staff” (see page 17 for associated actions)

•“Provide professional development opportunities and recognition to non-Indigenous staff to foster understanding of indigenous history and culture” (see page 17-18 for associated actions)

•“Increase the recruitment, retention and success of Indigenous faculty across the university.” (see page 18 for associated actions)

The University of Victoria Sustainability Policy (GV0800) provides an overarching framework for existing and future initiatives that serve to assist the University Community in incorporating Sustainability into decision making, and to provide a common understanding of what Sustainability means at the University of Victoria. Within this document, it is stated that

“The University of Victoria has a responsibility and desire to educate members of the University Community to engage effectively as global citizens, steward our natural resources in a responsible manner, foster a university culture that supports and promotes the values and principles of sustainability, and work towards a sustainable and just future in cooperation with organizations at the local, provincial, national and global level.” (see page 1, section 1).

Within the UVic Sustainability Policy (GV0800) the definition of sustainability is provided on page 1 section 2 and is as follows:

“Sustainability is the state of achieving the ecological balance that allows social development and economic prosperity to be achieved across generations.”

UVic is one of the creators and original signatories of the University and college Presidents' Climate Change Statement of Action for Canada.

University Plans web page: https://www.uvic.ca/strategicframework/about/plans/index.php

2019 Final Report Sustainability Action Plan: Campus Operations 2014-2019: https://www.uvic.ca/sustainability/assets/docs/reports/2019.11.29_sap-close-out-report-final.pdf

Sustainability Action Plan: Campus Operations 2014-2019 https://www.uvic.ca/sustainability/assets/docs/policy/action-plan-2014.pdf

Sustainability Action Plan: Campus Operations 2020-2021 https://www.uvic.ca/sustainability/assets/docs/uvic-sustainability-action-plan-2020-2021.pdf

UVic International Plan 2017- 2022 https://cms.uvic.ca/renderfile/9f981ba18e68c448773ba8d6ca9ddad5/assets2012/docs/international-plan.pdf

UVic Strategic Research Plan 2016-2021 https://www.uvic.ca/research/assets/docs/researchplan/VPRE05233StrategicResearchPlanwebOUT.pdf

UVic Employment Equity Plan 2015-2020 https://www.uvic.ca/equity/assets/docs/eep2015.pdf

UVic Indigenous Plan https://www.uvic.ca/assets2012/docs/indigenous-plan.pdf

CSSI Strategy 2016-2018 https://www.uvic.ca/gustavson/cssi/assets/docs/strategy/cssi-strategic-plan-2016-for-web.pdf