Media relations

We connect our university community with local, regional, and national print and broadcast media to talk about the stories that matter—to people, places and the planet.

Our researchers also provide expert perspective and context on breaking news and current events.

We work to ensure that the university’s views on significant issues and challenges are well understood by everyone.

What we do

• Communications planning and leadership for UVic initiatives, accomplishments and announcements
• Direction, guidance and support for decentralized university communications resources
• Issues communications
• Media training for faculty, campus leaders and researchers
• Media monitoring and evaluation
• Institutional research communications strategy
• Research-related publications

Contact us

Our office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. We are located in the C wing of the Sedgewick Building.

Media Relations & Public Affairs
Email: uvicnews@uvic.ca
Phone: 250-721-7636
Fax: 250-721-8955
Twitter: @uvicnews

If a member of the media urgently needs to contact the department after hours, please call UVic Campus Security Services at 250-721-6683 and the message will be passed on to UVic media relations officials.

Latest news releases and advisories

Expert on Nanaimo-Ladysmith byelection

Daniel Westlake (Dept. of Political Science) is available to media to discuss the election of Paul Manly in Monday's Nanaimo-Ladysmith byelection, winning only the second Green Party seat in the House of Commons.

Safer intelligent transportation

Media release

Lin Cai is designing networking solutions to self-driving vehicles by creating a safe and seamless wireless network that connects vehicles, roadside infrastructure, pedestrians and the “cloud.” Cai is the recipient of a 2019 E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship, awarded today in Ottawa by NSERC.

MEC tops Gustavson Brand Trust Index

Media release

The 2019 Gustavson Brand Trust Index indicates consumers view brands positively when a crisis is responded to with honest, authentic remedies. The insight is evidenced by Mountain Equipment Co-op leading this year's ranking. MEC took several positive actions in response to criticism over the lack of diversity of people in their ads.

Drug checking to reduce overdoses

Media release

An innovative program designed by a chemist and social worker at the University of Victoria is being piloted at Victoria harm reduction sites to provide a quick, accurate chemical analysis of drugs in order to prevent overdoses while also comparing and evaluating different drug-checking technologies.

Sugar and immune cell cancer research

Media release

A strong knowledge of how the body processes sugar is crucial in designing one-of-a-kind cancer treatments. University of Victoria immunologist Julian Lum, the recipient of a $1.08 million research grant, is engineering natural immune cells to fight cancer using a kind of immunotherapy called CAR-T therapy.

Witness Blanket in Winnipeg

Media release

The Witness Blanket by Carey Newman, UVic’s sixth Audain Professor of Contemporary Art Practice of the Pacific Northwest with UVic’s Department of Visual Arts, is the centrepiece of a historic agreement which Newman signed April 12 with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. It unites Western legal principles with Indigenous ways of knowing and being. UVic Law plans to incorporate the agreement into its curriculum.

Master’s student led new wildlife study

Kate Field, a geography grad student, is lead author of a study focusing on the animal care policies used by peer-reviewed journals that commonly publish wildlife research. Here she answers questions about her new research, which she hopes will safeguard wildlife from unethical research practices.

UVic faculty expert advisory

University of Victoria faculty members are available to media to discuss Canada’s Changing Climate Report released April 2 by Environment and Climate Change Canada.

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