The RCMP detachment serving UBC and its residential neighbourhoods has seen a near-doubling of its calls in the first half of 2024.
Staff Sgt. Chuck Lan, the detachment commander, told the UNA board at its July meeting that he attributes the change largely to the population growth that the university neighbourhoods have recently experienced.
He noted in his quarterly report to the board that the detachment handled 3,300 calls in the first half of 2024 compared to 1,900 calls in the same period in 2023, a near-74 per cent increase.
UNA director Murray McCutcheon asked whether there are plans to increase funding to the detachment given the growing population.
In response, Lan said there are no current plans for additional funding and expressed concern about the RCMP’s future effectiveness given the forecasts of significant population growth in the university’s Campus Vision 2050 land use plan. The plan is now in the hands of the provincial government for decision.
UNA Election and Annual Meeting Plans
The board moved to approve dates for this year’s election of UNA board directors. Nominations must be received by October 4. Online voting will be conducted from November 4 to November 26. The board has previously adopted a plan to have elections conducted online.
The board also set the date and location of the UNA’s annual general meeting. The meeting will be held October 2 at the Wesbrook Community Centre. During the meeting, a special resolution will be presented to implement a new byelection and appointment process.
Website Server Update
As a result of repeated incidents of crashes and increasing site loads, the board approved a plan to upgrade its web server in Vancouver and its backup server in Toronto. The plan will cost $29,220 a year, up from $5,375 a year. Two other options were more expensive. The change will cut down-time and reduce the time needed for users load information.
DANIEL LI IS A GRADE 11 STUDENT PASSIONATE ABOUT POLITICS AND JOURNALISM.