The Advisory Committee on Divestment of Fossil Fuels is holding a series of consultation meetings over the coming weeks to hear directly from interested individuals and groups.

“The committee has already received many emails and written submissions from members of the Queen’s community, demonstrating the high level of interest in the question of divestment,” says David Allgood, a Queen’s alumnus and the committee’s chair. “These upcoming consultation meetings will be an important opportunity for the committee to have a dialogue directly with stakeholders and I would encourage anyone who wishes to participate to contact the committee.”

Four consultation meetings are currently planned for July, August and September. While they will be held on the Queen’s campus, it may be possible for individuals who are unable to be in Kingston to make arrangements to participate remotely.

The advisory committee was struck by Principal Daniel Woolf, as required by the university’s Statement on Responsible Investing (SRI), after an expression of concern was received from the student group Queen’s Backing Action on Climate Change.

The committee is seeking input from the Queen’s community on whether the university should divest its Pooled Endowment Fund and Pooled Investment Fund from public companies that engage in fossil fuel extraction and distribution.

Divestment is not currently being considered for the Queen’s Pension Plan.

Anyone who wishes to present to the committee should make a request by email as soon as possible. Written submissions are also welcomed by email no later than Sept. 17.

The advisory committee is expected to conclude its work at the end of September, and will make its recommendation to the principal on what action, if any, should be taken. The principal will then bring that recommendation to the investment committee of the Board of Trustees for a final decision.

For more information about the advisory committee, visit its webpage.