Board of Governors | Office of the University Secretary

Michael Williams Building A138 PO Box 1700 STN CSC Victoria BC V8W 2Y2 Canada
T 250-721-8100 | univsecretary@uvic.ca

June 20, 2024

The Honourable Lisa Beare, MLA via email: PSFS.Minister@gov.bc.ca

Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills
Parliament Buildings
Victoria BC V8V 1X4

Dear Minister Beare,

Thank you for your letter of June 13, 2024, regarding your recent meeting with the McIntyre-Starko
family.
On behalf of the entire Board of Governors, and the wider University of Victoria community, I want to
stress how devastated we are at the loss of Sidney McIntyre-Starko. Her death is a tragedy, and we have
learned difficult but important lessons from the events surrounding Sidney’s death and are committed
to ensuring this tragedy leads to meaningful and lasting change. The actions we’ve taken, and are
committed to take, include:
• At President Hall’s direction, UVic will conduct an external independent review to ensure that
Sidney’s tragic death catalyzes real change that will make campus safer for students, staff, and
faculty at University of Victoria and across our province.
• The university is installing 89 opioid overdose emergency kits which include nasal spray
naloxone in all residence common areas by mid-August. These emergency kits will be easily
accessible in visible public areas, and on every floor or lounge depending on building layouts.
Residence students will receive information on the closest emergency kit in their community as
part of their orientation and move-in day information.
• The university will provide education and awareness materials on the emergency response
boxes for all 3,000 students arriving in residence this September and providing training for all
student residence life staff on the use of overdose emergency kits.
• The university has implemented a new standard-operating procedure for contacting 911.
• The university is supplementing training with appropriate in-house programming to ensure best
practice in responding to drug overdoses on campus.
• The university will ensure all communications with incoming residence students (online, pre-
arrival, and in-person orientation) and the Community Living Handbook are updated to include a
new section on harm-reduction and safety supports.
• The university is reviewing our protocols for emergency-contact notifications.

We acknowledge and respect the Lək4ʷəŋən (Songhees and Esquimalt) Peoples on whose territory the university stands,
and the Lək4ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.
In your letter, you raise four additional items brought forward by Dr. McIntyre and Mr. Starko. I would
like to address them specifically:
• The university is working with emergency service providers and our municipal partners to
develop a plan to to assist emergency services in locating individuals in distress. This may
include the use of a unique address for each building.
• Regarding the communication provided by the university to the community leaders (CL), I would
like to thank Dr. McIntyre and Mr. Starko for their willingness to share Sidney’s story with other
students to help prevent harm and affirm the university’s intent to do so going forward.
• With respect to how our security team is described, the university is actively ensuring that all
language on our website and other sources, address the concerns raised by the family.
• President Hall has tasked the Provost with mobilizing a Steering Committee and appointing a
Special Advisor to convene a panel of experts to provide evidence-based recommendations that
will improve institutional systems, processes, communications, training and education with
respect to overdose prevention and response. The full report of the Special Advisor will also
include the report and recommendations of the independent reviewer and will be provided to
the university in writing. As part of the work of the Steering Committee, Dr. Elizabeth Croft, will
meet with Dr. McIntyre and Mr. Starko for the express purpose of listening to the 911 tape, and
to receive all additional relevant information that has yet to be shared.
These actions, along with the work of the provincial Task Force, the forthcoming independent review,
and the work of the Special Advisor, constitute, in my opinion, a comprehensive and significant response
to this tragedy. On behalf of the University of Victoria Board of Governors, I am committed to keeping
you apprised of our work in this regard.
These actions have also been shared via a letter sent directly to the McIntyre-Starko family earlier today.
I have full confidence in President Hall and his leadership team to ensure their swift implementation.
Thank you for leadership in this important work.
Sincerely,

Paul Ramsey
Chair, Board of Governors