University of Victoria (UVic)
| The Golden Rule is that whoever holds the wealth or financial power dictates how things are done. So follow the money to find out who is deciding the agenda. There are two primary factors involved, who are they getting funding from and who they are funding. |
Who is funding environmental activism connected to the University of Victoria (UVic)? The same reckless environmental organizations that are behind most of the radical elements in British Columbia.
| Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation | The American Tides Foundation | Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia |
| Sitka Foundation | Vancouver Foundation |
The University of Victoria (UVic) and its Centre for Global Studies (CFGS) have documented connections with a number of environmental organizations, particularly those working on water conservation, watershed governance, climate policy, Indigenous stewardship and ecological protection.
The dog sanctuary near Hazelton, B.C.
Wilp Aasosxw — the Land Defence + Dog Sanctuary
It is associated with Teresa Brown and is located near Hazelton, on the proposed route of the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline, which is intended to supply the Ksi Lisims LNG project. The sanctuary combines dog rescue with opposition to pipeline construction. Kai Nagata working for Dogwood BC was bragging on social media how this tiny house was built for them by the University of Victoria and delivered to the pipeline path for Teresa Brown and her new dog collection they created a phony dog sanctuary.
The University of Victoria (UVic) built one tiny house in October 2018 as part of the Tiny House Warriors project. It was the fifth house in a planned series of 10 homes intended to provide shelter for Secwépemc families, particularly women, girls and Elders, while supporting their opposition to the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion.
The University of Victoria (UVic) was involved in the Coastal GasLink pipeline controversy primarily through student-led protests, student-government support for Wet’suwet’en land defenders, and academic research and commentary on Indigenous law and environmental impacts.
The important distinction is that UVic’s involvement was not the same as the university itself formally opposing the pipeline. The clearest documented opposition came from the University of Victoria Students’ Society (UVSS), individual students and faculty members.
1. Documented involvement
June 2019 — Student-government resolution
The UVSS Board of Directors voted unanimously on June 17, 2019, to publicly support the Unist’ot’en. Its June 21 statement criticized Coastal GasLink on reconciliation and decolonization grounds and encouraged students to engage with the issue. This was an official position of the student society, not necessarily of UVic’s administration.
January–March 2020 — Protests and student walkouts
UVic students joined demonstrations at the BC Legislature opposing the pipeline and supporting Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs. On February 6, the student newspaper Martlet reported that more than 100 UVic students joined a larger solidarity demonstration. Another student walkout took place on March 4.
2020 — Faculty expertise and public commentary
UVic publicized experts who could explain the dispute, including law professor John Borrows on Indigenous law and jurisdiction; Jeff Corntassel on Indigenous self-determination and consent; and other researchers on environmental assessment, colonial policy and Indigenous governance. Making experts available to the media does not, by itself, establish that the university adopted their individual views as institutional policy.
December 2023 — Environmental impacts
UVic’s scholarly communications office highlighted reporting that quoted Deborah Curran, associated with UVic’s Faculty of Law, School of Environmental Studies and Environmental Law Centre, on sediment runoff and environmental damage linked to pipeline construction. Her comments concerned regulatory oversight and environmental impacts.
The following is a list of organization directly connected to the University of Victoria.
| POLIS Water Sustainability Project | Environmental Law Centre | Watershed Watch Salmon Society |
| WWF-Canada – the Climate Imperative | Living Lakes Canada – the Climate Imperative | Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources – the Climate Imperative |
| The American Tides Foundation | B.C. Wildlife Federation (BCWF) | Fraser Basin Council – the Climate Imperative |
| ECO Canada |
There is a difference between educating our youth and or indoctrinating our youth. The following in our assessment are professors engaged in indoctrination, to create a new mindset in our children. These are all Eco-radical professors at the University of Victoria
| Deborah Curran | Natalie Ban | Eric Higgs |
| Ian Mauro | Loren McClenachan | James K. Rowe |
| Chris Tollefson | Kara Shaw | Thomas Heyd |
| Oliver Brandes | Kelly Bannister | Andrew Weaver |
| Adam Monahan | Colin Goldblatt | Adrian Marchetti |
| Felix Pretis | Daniel Rondeau | Christina Hoicka |
Major documented movements
1. Fossil-fuel divestment and climate activism
2013–2020s
The student-led Divest UVic campaign called on the university to remove investments in fossil fuels. In September 2019, the University of Victoria Students’ Society (UVSS) endorsed a student walkout for the Global Climate Strike. The campaign included demonstrations at Board of Governors meetings, climate events and public marches.
2. Palestine solidarity encampment
May–July 2024
Protesters established an encampment on May 1, demanding divestment from investments they associated with Israel’s military actions, boycotts and an end to academic ties with Israeli institutions. UVic said the encampment ended after 83 days, citing disruption, safety and property concerns, alongside complaints of antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian hate. These were the university’s stated concerns; they should be distinguished from protesters’ accounts.
Sources: UVic’s account of the encampment · Encampment FAQs
3. Residential-school history and campus free speech
December 2025–2026
UVic opposed an unauthorized campus event planned by academic Frances Widdowson and OneBC leader Dallas Brodie concerning disputed claims about unmarked graves at Kamloops. The planned event drew protesters. The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms reported in June 2026 that the trespass prosecution arising from Widdowson’s December 2025 arrest had been stayed. The case raises questions about protest, access to university property and competing views of residential-school history.
Sources: UVic’s statement · Case update
4. Campus environmental organizing
Ongoing
The University of Victoria Sustainability Project is a student-run organization that facilitates campaigns, events and action groups addressing climate change, conservation, ecological restoration, pollinator health, water security and active transportation. This is evidence of organized environmental activism at UVic, although not every project is a protest.
Other forms of activism connected to UVic
|
Movement |
Documented activity and connection |
|---|---|
|
Indigenous rights and decolonization |
Indigenous student leadership, land-based initiatives, cultural resurgence and activism supporting Indigenous sovereignty. A UVic-affiliated project documents participation in wider Indigenous-led campaigns. |
|
Climate justice demonstrations |
UVic students joined Victoria climate strikes in September 2021, with Divest UVic organizing a campus walkout before participants marched downtown. |
|
Environmental direct action |
The university’s archives hold records of Vancouver Island Community Forest Action Network, an activist organization involved in ecological defence and Indigenous solidarity actions. Its archival presence does not establish that UVic itself sponsored those actions. |
|
Historical student protests |
UVic’s student newspaper, The Martlet, documents campus protest culture and student activism dating back to the university’s early years. |
3. Organizations worth investigating
These organizations provide a starting point for tracing who organized demonstrations, which groups endorsed them and what connections existed between campus activists and wider movements.
Divest UVic
Student campaign associated with fossil-fuel divestment, climate strikes and pressure on university investment decisions.
Evidence: UVSS campaign announcement
University of Victoria Students’ Society (UVSS)
Student representative body that formally endorsed the September 2019 climate walkout and issued a statement about campus assembly and expression during the 2024 Palestine solidarity encampment.
Sources: 2019 climate strike · 2024 statement
University of Victoria Sustainability Project (UVSP)
Student-run sustainability organization with campaigns, events, action groups and projects on conservation, climate, water and ecological restoration.
Source: Official website
4. What about outside organizations, political groups and funding?
If your objective is to understand the broader activist network linked to UVic, the most useful next step is to distinguish between:
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Organizers and participants: student clubs, individual students, faculty members and external campaign groups.
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Institutional support: official endorsements, university facilities, staff involvement and university-funded programs.
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External connections: environmental NGOs, labour unions, foundations, political organizations and national or international activist networks.
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Funding: grants, donations, student-society allocations, university expenditures and external sponsorships. Participation in a demonstration alone does not establish that an organization funded it.
The public records identified here establish several significant connections, but they do not establish a complete list of external funders or prove that UVic administration directed the demonstrations.