Students at UBC Okanagan want to vote on business dealings their union has with private firms.
The proposal, endorsed at the unionsa国际传媒 recent annual general meeting, is seen by activist students as one way to force an RBC branch off the university campus.聽
As at other Canadian universities, some UBCO students want the institution to sever ties with RBC and other financial institutions because of their relationship with the energy sector, in particular funding oil and gas activities.
鈥淭his annual general meeting shows that students care about justice, accountability, and climate,鈥 Erin Delfs, leader of RBC Off Campus UBCO, said in a release.
聽鈥淩BCsa国际传媒 presence on our campus continues to be one that asks us to backtrack on climate action and tries to buy our goodwill,鈥 Delfs said. 鈥淭his AGM shows that the power of students is bigger than the influence of the corporate elite.鈥
More than 250 students attended the AGM, where they voted in favour of a number of resolutions. These included re-affirming the student unionsa国际传媒 commitment to divestment from fossil fuels and requiring any new or renewed lease contracts with the student union to be voted on at a special general meeting.
Such a procedure, according to a release sent out by the activist students, would 鈥渆mpower students to cut ties with banks and other businesses that don鈥檛 align with their principles鈥.聽
In March of this year, the activist students held a three-day sit-in of the RBC branch on campus.聽
A request for comment from RBC on the UBC Okanagan's activist students' agitation to have the RBC branch removed from the campus drew this response:聽
"We believe that we can help our clients position their businesses to succeed in the long-term, including through the transition to a low-carbon economy. We are providing advice, financing and other services to clients who are committed to decarbonizing their operations and also committing more capital than ever before to help scale renewable and low carbon energy solutions.
"RBC is helping finance the climate transition by increasing lending for renewable and low-carbon energy while also providing financing to meet聽todaysa国际传媒 energy needs. We plan to triple our lending for renewable energy across RBC Capital Markets and Commercial Banking to $15 billion and grow overall low-carbon lending to $35 billion by 2030. We are also allocating $1 billion by 2030 to support the development and scaling of innovative climate solutions.
"We respect the right of individuals to make their voices heard on important issues and welcome dialogue," the statement said.聽
