VANCOUVER — Faculty members at the University of British Columbia are voting on a proposal to stop using the school's endowment fund to invest in the fossil-fuel industry.
The resolution calls on the university to stop fossil-fuel investments and divest from its existing holdings within five years.
The referendum isn't binding on the school, but a Yes vote would force the school's board of governors to consider the issue.
Forestry Prof. George Hoberg, who is campaigning for divestment, says getting the school's investments out of the fossil-fuel industry would send a powerful message about climate change.
The school is the latest in Canada to consider joining the divestment movement, with Concordia University becoming the first in Canada to adopt a partial divestment policy in December.
Other universities, including Dalhousie and McGill, have rejected such proposals, which are modelled after divestment policies aimed at South Africa during apartheid.
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