Province prioritizes fuel for essential vehicles, introduces travel restrictions

On Friday, the Province announced it is taking temporary measures to ensure fuel (gas and diesel) is prioritized for essential vehicles, while keeping it available to British Columbians. Non-essential vehicles, including the general public, will still have access to fuel available through retail gas stations. This means that students, faculty and staff will be limited to 30 litres per trip to the gas station. At the same time, the government is asking people to limit their fuel consumption and vehicle travel while these measures are in effect.

To that end, the university encourages students, faculty and staff to plan ahead and consider alternative forms of transportation, including walking, cycling, transit or carpooling to campus until December 1. For information about sustainable transportation options, please feel free to visit the Campus Sustainability website.

Some units may be able to support a temporary adjustment to the remote working arrangements already in place. Staff should review any such requests with their supervisor to ensure that on-campus service levels can be adequately maintained. Unit leaders may consider the operational impact of these requests on a case-by-case basis and are welcome to consult with Human Resources or Faculty Relations as needed.

In the unlikely event that these measures delay or otherwise prevent employees from reporting to on-campus work, employees are asked to notify their supervisor. UVic's practice with respect to pay has been to take reasonable steps to minimize the possibility that staff will lose pay if they are unable to come to work on campus, or arrive late, due to these circumstances. Depending on the collective agreement, staff may apply to use vacation days, banked overtime, or, subject to scheduling and operational requirements, may be allowed to make up the time later.

Faculty unable to attend campus for in-person activities are expected to make arrangements for on-campus classroom coverage, attend commitments virtually, or reschedule classes, exams, meetings or appointments so as to support the operational needs of the department and minimize negative impacts on students and others.