As we see more and more positive signs that the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic may soon be behind us, I am reflecting on the impressive effort that the entire university community put into ensuring that our students continued to receive an exceptional educational experience, and to ensuring that the university’s operations continued uninterrupted despite the many obstacles that we were presented with.

I am extremely impressed with the way that our staff and faculty adapted to the constantly changing circumstances of the past 16 months. At the same time, I recognize that we can all benefit from some additional time away from work to support our health and wellness. I am very pleased to tell you that the university has agreed to provide all employees with additional holidays this year by extending the Canada Day long weekend (July 2) and the Heritage Day long weekend (July 30). We will also start this year’s holiday break on December 24.

While campus will be closed to the public on those days, some employees whose roles are essential to operations will be required to be on campus: managers will work with those individuals to schedule a different day off or to schedule casual workers where appropriate.

I am looking forward to the Fall term when we anticipate that our campus will once again be alive with the vibrant energy of our students. I also look forward to meeting many of you in person for the first time. Watch for announcements on our plans for a safe return to campus in the coming weeks.

Dr. Annette Trimbee
President and Vice-Chancellor

Originally sent via GlobalMail on June 10