‘All Eyes on Vic’ to divest from fossil fuels
On Monday, March 27, a group of UofT students began an occupation of Victoria College. According to the occupants, the occupation, currently held in Old Vic, is a call to action for Victoria College to divest from fossil fuels, and is being organized and led by Climate Justice UofT (@climatejusticeuoft). For a breakdown of Victoria University’s investment in fossil fuels, see The Strand’s “Vic’s sp(oil)ed reputation,” published in the Futuristic Issue. Along with occupying Old Vic, the movement also hosts “teach-ins, letter-writing sessions, [and] community meals,” among other things. To maintain the integrity of the occupation, the organizers have a ‘zero tolerance’ policy when it comes to many things, including, but not limited to: the destruction of property, hate speech, and the badgering of university staff. Additionally, all occupants attach a red piece of fabric (provided by the organizers) to their person to clearly identify everyone who is part of the occupation. So far, the occupation has received support from a multitude of UofT and Victoria College groups, including VUSAC’s Sustainability Commision (@vic.sustainability), Banking on a Better Future (@bank4betterfuture), and The PEARS Project (@thepearsproject).
On the first day of the occupation, over 50 students and UofT community members joined the sit-in at Old Vic. The PEARS Project also joined to lead a discussion about “the intersections of sexual and environmental violence.” Occupants claim that, “After a conversation with V[ic] security, [they] forced concessions and successfully occupied the space past closing.” On the second day of the occupation, tents were set up on the ground floor of Old Vic, and over 90 students and community members joined the occupation. Additionally, VUSAC’s Arts and Culture Commission (@vicartsandculture) “facilitated a zine-making workshop.” On the third day of the occupation, occupants disrupted the Vic One End of Year Dinner for 15 minutes, which–according to them–was moved from Old Vic to Burwash Dining Hall. Student occupants brought ‘Vic Divest Now’ banners and delivered speeches informing attendees of the fact that “the Vic One program is funded by an active oil well owned by Vic.” By the time of this article’s publishing, students are still occupying Old Vic, relying on donations to supply food for everyone taking part.
In solidarity, some UofT and Victoria College groups and clubs began changing the location of their events to Old Vic. This includes Dig In! (@uoft_campusag), who led a discussion about “sustainable food systems and food justice,” the Trinity College Environmental Society, who “held a meeting to discuss the future of divestment at Trinity College,” and Vic’s One Piece Cake Club (@viconepiececakeclub), who served free cake.
The occupation has three demands: 1) for Victoria College to divest “from all investments in fossil fuel companies, regardless of whether they are held directly or in pooled funds;” 2) for increased transparency from Vic, which includes “involving students and community members in the divestment process through regular town halls and consultations,” as well as providing “annual reports outlining Victoria College’s progress on achieving its divestment commitments;” and 3) for this divestment to occur “within two years.”
In an interview with The Strand, Erin Mackey, the Co-Coordinator and Divestment Organizer for Climate Justice UofT, provided the timeline of events behind the occupation: “The divestment campaign at Vic has been going on since 2018.” After Meric Gertler announced UofT’s commitment for divestment by 2030 in 2021, “the thinking was that the federated colleges would just kind of follow suit. And then they obviously didn’t.”
In the Occupation’s welcome document, the organizers outline that “In 2021, after a period of intensified pressure from students[,] and U of T’s announcement that it would divest, the Board of Regents (the highest decision-making body at Vic) asked the property committee and the investment committee to consider the question of divestment and separately produce a report advising whether Victoria College should divest by February 2023.” The Board has not released the documents to the public and so “that’s why we disrupted the board meeting back in February, to demand those reports. … [We want to] let Vic know that we’re really serious about this.”
When asked about the occupation, the President’s Office responded that, “Victoria University is proud of the strong student advocacy supporting sustainability, and we are in alignment with the need to play a vital role in addressing climate change and respecting our environment. Strong student voices globally on this critical issue will help shape our future. We support safe and peaceful protests.”
When asked for a comment on Climate Justice UofT’s calls on Victoria University for divestment, the President’s Office stated, “Victoria University recognizes the urgent global need to address sustainability and climate change and is aligned with students, faculty[,] and alumni who believe we have a role to play. President McEwen will continue to share updates regarding divestment as she has done during three open student forums this academic cycle and looks forward to continuing this dialogue.”
The Strand reached out to the Dean’s Office and VUSAC for a comment, but by the time of publication, has not received a response.
By the end of the week, over 180 students and UofT community members had joined the occupation, and it had gathered over 100 people at one time. Additionally, the Divest Vic! Petition has garnered over 700 signatures from students. While the occupants did not disclose how long they plan on occupying Old Vic, they maintained: “We aren’t leaving until Vic divests.” The next Board of Regents Meeting will take place on April 13 and will be open to the public.
