Classes are cancelled today at UBC after students struggled to get home last night due to snowy conditions.
UBC initially announced the cancellation of all in-person, on-campus classes until 1 p.m. in an advisory posted at 6 a.m. on Wednesday morning. In an advisory posted at 10:50 a.m., the university said classes would be cancelled for the rest of the day.
SFU also cancelled morning classes until at least 10:30 a.m. Operations at UBC Robson Square are not affected by the announcement.
Although classes are cancelled, essential services on campus will remain open, UBC said.
“Essential staff are expected to come to work. Non-essential staff are expected to come to work unless they’ve spoken with, or received direction from, their manager and made alternative arrangements, such as working remotely where appropriate,” the advisory read.
This is the first time UBC classes have been cancelled due to snow since January 2020, before the COVID-19 campus closure.
The announcement comes after students, faculty and staff struggled to get off campus last night as buses were stuck or struggling to move in the snow. While many stood waiting in the snow at the bus loops or in stalled buses, others opted to walk home or call a taxi or Uber.
As community members shared their struggles on social media, the AMS made an emergency decision to keep the Nest open overnight for those who could not get home at 11:15 p.m.
A fourth-year Sauder student who was planning to sleep in the Nest overnight told The Ubyssey that he was lining up at the R4 stop at the bus loop on his way home when someone from the AMS told everyone they could come inside.
"I hope anybody else that is staying here tonight is also going to be okay," he said, adding that he planned to use his bags as pillows and jacket as a blanket. "This is my first time staying on campus like this."
Translink continues to expect delays, but wrote in an alert at 5:30 a.m. that bus loops and SkyTrain stations are being salted and sanded. In an alert at 9:47 a.m., Translink encouraged people to stay home if possible, or check alerts if travelling is needed.
As of 6:46 a.m. on Wednesday, Environment Canada did not have any weather alerts for Metro Vancouver after issuing a warning for “significant” snowfall on Tuesday.
— With files from Matthew Asuncion
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
This article was updated at 9:58 a.m. on November 30 to include a comment from a student who slept over night in the Nest. This article was updated further at 11:11 a.m. to include updated comments from UBC and Translink on class cancellations and travel advisories. The original headline was also updated to reflect these changes.