Benoit-Antoine Bacon

Last stop in Ottawa, a visit to the beautiful Embassy of the Czech Republic for a conversation with His Excellency Martin Tlapa and his colleagues Tomas Hlavan and Ales Opatrny. @UBC has several partnerships with Czech institutions including @CharlesUniPRG, @MasarykUni, Prague University of Economics and Business and University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. We discussed how we could build on these existing relationships to enhance transnational education, student and faculty mobility, as well as research and innovation. We look forward to hosting you at UBC. Dekujeme mockrat a opatrujte se! @ubcokanagan @CBIE_BCEI

Back in Ottawa, and pleased to connect with elected representatives and senior public servants on how we can collaborate to build and enhance Canada’s sovereign capacity, including in priority areas such as life sciences, quantum and AI, critical minerals and many others. And, of course, we took the opportunity to discuss the SkyTrain extension to UBC and the project’s incredible potential to serve the whole Metro Vancouver region, improving mobility across the transportation network and unlocking new housing and economic growth. Special thanks to Honourable @LenaMetlegeDiab; Parliamentary Secretaries @kbardeesy and @Taleeb; MPs @TeamJeneroux and @braedencaley; and public servants at @PrivyCouncilCA and @CitImmCanada, as well as Meti Basiri from @ApplyBoard, Gabriel Miller, Julia Scott and @univcan for the productive conversations. I look forward to our continued work together! P.S. - Yes the Peace Tower and Center Block heritage restoration is ongoing!

Congratulations to UBC researchers Dr. Feng Jiang and Dr. Corinna Schindler on being awarded prestigious Arthur B. McDonald Fellowships from the @NSERC_CRSNG! The McDonald Fellowship recognizes exceptional early-career researchers and supports them in enhancing their research capacity and becoming leaders in their respective fields. This recognition is a testament to the remarkable research talent at @UBC and the important contributions our researchers are making to advancing knowledge and creating a positive impact on society. Congratulations to both on this well-deserved achievement! @UBCForestry @ubcscience

On behalf of @UBC, sincere congratulations to @LDoerkson and the @Conservative_BC on a decisive election victory. Congratulations as well to all candidates elected across the province, and gratitude to everyone who put their name forward for public office and contributed to our democratic process.  UBC is proud of its role as a public research university, and we look forward to continuing to work with the @BCGovNews to advance the education and training, research and innovation that will help shape a prosperous future for our province.

Purposeful partnerships begin with a shared vision for what's possible.  Today we had that privilege of bringing together great people from @RBC and @UBC to help inform, inspire and activate the power of partnership. It was my immense privilege to talk about UBC’s tremendous momentum, and highlight some of the outstanding discoveries that are advancing healthy lives, a healthy planet and healthy communities in Canada and around the world My most sincere thanks to my friend Martin Thibodeau Regional President BC for RBC and UBC FORWARD Campaign Circle Member, for inviting us to be your guests today in this very special gathering. Our VP Development and Alumni Heather McCaw shared examples of the power of philanthropy, and the magic that happens when you bring together the right people with the right resources. UBC is a registered charity with a choice of over 6,000 causes to support – all focused on driving positive global impact. RBC could not be a better partner to help advance ideas for a stronger BC and stronger Canada. We are thankful to CEO Dave McKay, Martin Thibodeau, and the whole team and RBC Foundation for your support!

Proud to celebrate the nearly 500 researchers at @UBC who have received funding through the Government of @Canada's Canada Research Training Awards Suite. This funding will support 191 doctoral students, 228 master's students and 64 postdoctoral fellows at UBC, helping them pursue new knowledge, advance discoveries and develop the expertise needed to tackle some of society's most pressing challenges. Investing in the next generation of researchers is essential to Canada's future, strengthening our capacity for innovation, discovery and long-term prosperity. My sincere congratulations to all UBC recipients, and thank you to the Government of Canada for its continued commitment to Canadian research excellence.

Celebrating @UBC faculty and staff who have reached 25, 35, 40 and 50 years of service at our annual Milestones and Memories, a joint event honouring the traditions of the Quarter Century Club for faculty and the 25-Year Club for staff.  Twenty-five years takes us back to 2001. No iphones, no social medias, no AI, and most of our students weren’t born yet! Through all that change, one thing has remained constant: the dedication of remarkable people who help make UBC the world-class institution it is today.  Thank you for your long service, and congratulations again!

Michael Hayden and I were very pleased to host a very special event, in partnership with the @GairdnerAwards, to honour 2026 Canadian Gairdner Laureates Ruedi Aebersold and Aaron Phillips. Prof. Aebersold laid the foundations of modern systems proteomics and Dr. Phillips transformed clinical care by restoring blood pressure control after spinal cord injury. Sincere congratulations to them both!  The Canada Gairdner Awards are bestowed upon outstanding biomedical scientists who have made original contributions to medicine, resulting in an increased understanding of human biology and disease. Since 1957, the Gairdner Foundation has honoured more than 440 scientists whose work improved the health and wellbeing of people around the world. Of these winners, 103 laureates have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.  Photo by Paul Joseph

Congratulations to all the successful candidates in the 2026 General Local Elections that concluded across BC last night, and a sincere thank you to all those who put themselves forward for election.  Local governments are essential partners in building strong, vibrant and resilient communities and we look forward to working with the new Mayor of Vancouver @PtFry, the reelected Mayor of Kelowna @MayorTomDyas, and elected leaders across BC on the issues that matter most to our communities. Thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to our democratic process. Photo by UBC Studios