Tuesday, July 7, 2026
ADVT 
National

Pro-Palestinian protesters dismantle UBC camp

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 08 Jul, 2024 05:10 PM
  • Pro-Palestinian protesters dismantle UBC camp

A pro-Palestinian protest camp that had occupied a sports field at the University of British Columbia's Vancouver campus for more than two months has been dismantled by the demonstrators.

Dozens of tents had been removed by Monday, although barricades and fencing around the site remain in place.

A statement from UBC says "protesters decamped from MacInnes Field" adjacent to the school's transit loop and student union building on Sunday, but did not elaborate. 

A spokeswoman for the protest camp confirmed in a text message that it had closed.

A UBC security guard at MacInnes Field who declined to be named said the protesters vacated the site without giving any notice on Sunday evening.

Guards were patrolling the area Monday to prevent unauthorized people from entering the field while they waited for cleanup crews to arrive.

On Friday, more than 35 tents and a small handful of people were visible at the site that had been occupied since late April by protesters demanding that UBC end any financial or academic ties with Israeli companies or institutions.

A spokeswoman for Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, B.C., said it had no update on a protest camp there. The University of Victoria did not respond to requests for updates on an encampment at its campus.

The low-key closure of the UBC camp came after another protest site at the University of Toronto was vacated last week. That came after a judge ruled in favour of an injunction sought by the school to clear the camp.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Markus Koehnen ruled the encampment took away the school’s ability to control what happened on its properties. The result, Koehnen said, amounted to irreparable harm.

"In our society, we have decided that the owner of property generally gets to decide what happens on the property," Koehnen’s decision said.

University of Ottawa professor Michael Geist had said the Ontario decision could act as a road map for other schools looking to remove protest camps. He said its reliance on property law meant schools could issue trespass notices to protesters before starting the legal process of clearing them out.

Protesters at several Canadian schools including UBC issued a joint statement on social media last week calling the Ontario decision "shameful" for prioritizing property ownership over students' rights.

The statement said protesters would "continue to act on our campuses and apply pressure to our universities through every possible avenue."

The UBC camp once included about 75 tents and was bustling with music and activity, but at one point on Friday only three people could be seen inside the fenced zone.

Vancouver Island University had said in a statement last week after the Ontario court decision that it was "exploring similar legal avenues taken by other institutions."

The school said about 25 protesters occupied a school building in late June and disrupted an exam, while another building was vandalized over the Canada Day long weekend.

Vancouver Island University said its settlement proposal to the protesters had been rejected, and the escalation of disruptions on campus shows "encampment participants are unwilling to engage in good-faith dialogue."

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. government announces new programs, police standards for sexual assault

B.C. government announces new programs, police standards for sexual assault
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says survivors deserve to be treated fairly after going through trauma and shielded from further harm, and the new standards and programs will "empower" those people.  The province says the funding for the new programs kicks in this month, while new policing standards coupling investigators with victims services workers will begin next year, applying to all B.C. police officers. 

B.C. government announces new programs, police standards for sexual assault

RCMP say body found of one of four people missing in Nova Scotia floods

RCMP say body found of one of four people missing in Nova Scotia floods
RCMP in Nova Scotia say they have found the body of one of the people who went missing over the weekend during massive flooding across the province. Police say they recovered the body of a 52-year-old man.

RCMP say body found of one of four people missing in Nova Scotia floods

Canada hailed for focusing foreign aid on women's rights amid global backslide

Canada hailed for focusing foreign aid on women's rights amid global backslide
Ottawa announced projects to support people working in the caring economy at a major foreign-aid conference focused on women's advancement. International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan also offered details at the Women Deliver conference in Rwanda about how $200 million in previously announced funding would be allocated.

Canada hailed for focusing foreign aid on women's rights amid global backslide

Showers for much of B.C., but evacuation orders, alerts grow in drought-ridden south

Showers for much of B.C., but evacuation orders, alerts grow in drought-ridden south
For the first time in more than a month, showers and cooler weather are reaching parched sections of British Columbia, potentially bringing some respite for crews battling hundreds of wildfires. Environment Canada says about 20 millimetres of rain should dampen Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver.

Showers for much of B.C., but evacuation orders, alerts grow in drought-ridden south

Mayhem in the City:The Plight of Public Safety Amidst the Aftermath of the Hardeep Singh Nijjar Shooting

Mayhem in the City:The Plight of Public Safety Amidst the Aftermath of the Hardeep Singh Nijjar Shooting
Recent incidents, including the tragic shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar that unfolded in our city, have brought this issue to the forefront, sparking discussions and calls for action. As we grapple with the aftermath of such events, it is essential to delve deeper into the multifaceted nature of public safety. 

Mayhem in the City:The Plight of Public Safety Amidst the Aftermath of the Hardeep Singh Nijjar Shooting

Boy nearly drowns in Port Moody lake

Boy nearly drowns in Port Moody lake
Police in Port Moody say a 14-year-old boy is in hospital in critical condition after he nearly drowned in a Metro Vancouver lake. They say that around 4 p-m on Saturday, first responders were called to Sasamat Lake for a report of a possible drowning.

Boy nearly drowns in Port Moody lake