British Columbia

Lights fixed along dark UBC residence area after complaints

Exterior lights near UBC residences are now back working but the fix comes after residents complained that they were being left in the dark on a campus with security issues.

Exterior lights out for 5 days near Michael Smith Park, according to residents

An exterior light not working near Michael Smith Park at UBC. Residents complained that the school was not moving fast enough to fix it and others. (GP Mendoza/CBC)

The University Neighbourhoods Association at UBC says it has now fixed exterior lights that were out near residences at Michael Smith Park, which had residents complaining that the school was not moving fast enough.

"Considering the issues that UBC has had with security, I would think they would want to take care of it right away," said Andrew Cawood, a UBC resident who complained to the school about the problem.

"Across the street here there was a break-in and a sexual assault," he added. "There's been a number of issues on campus and I'd want to think that the university would take that seriously."

The green space is surrounded by condos and townhouses and Cawood says the area had been dark since Tuesday, while the UNA says it only noticed the problem on Friday.

Resident and father Murray McCutcheon was also concerned about lights being out.

Residents living along this pathway say the exterior lighting had been out for five days before it was fixed, while the UNA says it takes safety seriously and corrected the problem within two days of learning about it (GP Mendoza/CBC)

"We don't usually take our kids there at night but it would be good to know the space was ... made a safe environment for everybody," he said.

In a statement the University Neighbourhoods Association, which is responsible for the repairs, said it, "treats the safety and security of all of our residents very seriously."

with files from Meera Bains.