Dear ECU Community,

As the COVID-19 situation in BC continues to change rapidly, we are revising our own plans for the beginning of the Spring term. After careful consideration, we have decided to temporarily shift to remote learning for the first three weeks of the term. From Tuesday, January 4 until Monday, January 24, all classes, including hybrid curriculum, will be conducted online.

Other campus operations and current work arrangements for staff and faculty will continue as scheduled. Students will be able to access campus services as of January 4. If anything changes before that date, we will notify staff and faculty by email.

We wish to reassure you that post-secondary settings are very low risk for COVID-19 transmission. Our Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, recently wrote a letter to post-secondaries, indicating that transmission in educational settings on campus continues to be uncommon.

However, as many members of our community are traveling over the holidays, we have determined that a temporary return to online learning will ensure continuity of education for those who cannot return to campus by January 4.

If you have not yet filled out our COVID-19 vaccination survey, please do so now. This will help with our planning in January and beyond.

We will continue to monitor the situation and adapt as needed. I appreciate your patience as we do our best to move forward in a safe and inclusive manner. I wish you all the best during this holiday season.

Sincerely,

Gillian Siddall
President + Vice-Chancellor