TAC Summer Events
Teachers' Conference Weekend    21 - 23 July 2017

Summer School Week    23 - 30 July 2017

University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Residence address: 2525 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1W9, Canada  Telephone: 1-608-822-3304

See below for Location, Canadian entry documents, Venues, Accommodation and Parking, Campus & Local Attractions, What to Bring, Local Weather

Vancouver area

Location

TAC Summer Events 2017 are being held at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, the largest city in the province of British Columbia in Canada. Vancouver is a cosmopolitan city with a vibrant and multicultural population of two million, located on Canada’s spectacular West Coast in view of both ocean and mountains.

International visitors please note that all persons entering Canada by any form of transport require a valid passport.  In addition, except for US citizens, other foreign nationals entering Canada require either an electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) or visa which must be obtained in advance.  Please note that document requirements have changed since 2016. To determine which documents you now need to enter Canada, go to Visiting Canada.

The University of British Columbia, commonly referred to as UBC, is one of the largest and best known public research universities in Canada.  About 43,000 undergraduate students and 10,000 graduate students are educated by 5000 faculty on the 400-hectare (990-acre) campus.  The main campus is located on Point Grey, a headland that also encompasses Pacific Spirit Regional Park to the east and is edged by beaches to the north and west.

Downtown Vancouver to the north east and Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on Sea Island to the southeast are both within 30-minute drives of campus.  For information on getting from the Vancouver International Airport to the university go to UBC's Airport to Campus Transportation page or go to the Summer School Transportation 2017 page.  Download Taxi Fares YVR to UBC.


Getting to UBC

Go to the Summer School Transportation 2017 page for details on getting to UBC campus by vehicle, taxi, or public transit and for information on making contact with other registrants to share a ride.

Campus Venues

The campus is largely laid out in a grid of malls, some of which are pedestrian only.  Download  TAC Venues Map for locations of buildings described below; relevant locations are labelled and highlighted in purple and teal.  To view campus maps prepared by UBC for wayfinding go to UBC Campus Maps to search for a location and to download PDFs of maps.

Accommodation and Parking

TAC Summer Event residents will be housed in the Totem Park residential area of campus in həm'ləsəm' House, corner of Thunderbird Boulevard and West Mall (2525 West Mall, Vancouver, V6T 1W9).  The Dining Room/Cafeteria for breakfast and dinner in Coquihalla Commonsblock is located opposite the residence. See the Totem Park section of the TAC Venues Map.

Download the 2-page UBC Residence Information document for information on the residence and directions on how to reach the residence from Vancouver Airport, the south (Seattle), and the north (Downtown Vancouver).

HH Timothy Cheng

həm'ləsəm' House is a 6-storey L-shaped residence which opened in September 2011.  Floors can be accessed by elevator.


həm'ləsəm' is an indigenous word referencing a Musqeum Nation transformer story about undergoing change and sharing resources.

Bedroom suite The pronunciation is best approximated by the boldface syllables in “hummingbird”, “legitimate”, “some” with stress on the first syllable and glottalization of the two m consonants; in English, həm'ləsəm' is rendered as Hemlesem or Humlesum.

All accommodation is in 3-room "suites" consisting of two single-occupancy bedrooms and one bathroom shared by the two people in the two single bedrooms (referred to as Connected Single Rooms in UBC parlance).  Each guest bedroom has high-speed internet access via Ethernet, activated for a one-time fee of $10 plus taxes.  Bring your own Ethernet cable or purchase a cable for $10 plus taxes.
WiFi is available in all public spaces in the residence and elsewhere on campus.

Laundry facilities in the residence are operated by laundry cards ($5 deposit for card and self-loaded in $5 increments; $1.25 each for washer or dryer).
Floor lounges located on every floor are equipped with fridge, microwave, sink, and TV but no other kitchen appliances or facilities.
Parking permits can be purchased online in advance by going to UBC Parking, selecting Manage/Purchase Permits, and following the steps to Guest Login for UBC Parking.  The nearest parkade to Totem Park is Thunderbird Parkade.  For detailed instructions on creating an account and purchasing permits, download UBC Parking Permits.

Meals: breakfast and dinner will be served in the Dining Room/Cafeteria in Coquihalla Commonsblock, centrally located in the Totem Park residential area.  Lunch will be served in The Nest (see below).

All rooms on campus are designated non-smoking.

Venues for Dance Classes, Evening Social Dances, and Banquet & Ball

The Nest, corner of East Mall and University Boulevard (6133 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1)

All dance events and the TACSound and TACBooks shops will be located on the upper level of the The AMS Student Nest (usually simplified to The Nest or AMS Nest), the new student union building that opened in 2015 and is operated by the Alma Mater Society (AMS).  The Great Hall (which can be divided into South Hall and North Hall by a sound-proof wall) and two adjacent dance spaces all have sprung hardwood floors.  The nearest parkade to The Nest is North Parkade.

Lunch will be served in The Nest, either in the Great Hall foyer or, in good weather, on the outer patio.

Other Venues
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) for SCD teachers who are TAC Members will be held in MacMillan Building on Saturday 22 July.

TACSound and TACBooks

The two TAC Stores, TACSound and TACBooks, will have a large stock of items at UBC, but it is not feasible to bring the entire inventory. If you know of items you particularly wish to purchase, place an order ahead of time through sound.tac-rscds.org/ or books.tac-rscds.org/

Campus Attractions

The University features the Museum of Anthropology, Beaty Biodiversity Museum, Botanical Gardens, Nitobe Memorial Garden, and other educational and cultural attractions. UBC also offers an Aquatic Centre with Olympic-sized indoor and outdoor pools, the University Golf Club and other athletic facilities available to the public. Vancouver’s best hiking trails and beaches are located immediately adjacent to campus, throughout the Pacific Spirit Regional Park.

Look up UBC Attractions for more information.

Local Attractions

Look up Vancouver Tourism for things to do and see in and around Vancouver.

What to Bring

  • dance descriptions for evening social dances (download them from the Programme 2017 page)
  • dance shoes! extra dance shoes; extra insoles
  • skirts/dresses/kilts for SCD classes and evening social dances
  • some combination of red and white and/or maple leaf for Tuesday night's social dance
  • elegant attire (such as ball gown, dress kilt) for ball
  • casual clothes for ceilidh and after-dance hospitality mixers
  • swim wear for campus swimming pools
  • musical instrument if you plan to attend the optional afternoon Musicians Class or contribute a ceilidh item
  • electronic device if you plan to attend optional discussion sessions on web resources for SCD
  • water bottle for classes and evening socials – limited water cups available as the campus encourages recycling
  • Ethernet cable to connect to internet in the bedroom; not required to access WiFi in public spaces
  • reading light
  • clothes hangers
  • an extension cord if you wish to plug in several items in your room
  • kettle, coffee maker (none available in kitchen/lounge on each floor)
  • personal items and toiletries such as shampoo, toothpaste, hair dryer, etc
  • hat, sunscreen, umbrella, light jacket, something warmer for the occasional cool night walking back to residence
  • camera

Local Weather

See the Vancouver weather forecast.

Vancvr Climate Chart

July is the warmest and driest month in Vancouver, so plan on spending time exploring the campus with its adjacent beaches and Pacific Spirit Regional Park or going further afield to downtown Vancouver, Stanley Park, or any of many other local attractions.

Typical daily maximum temperature in late July is 21 -  24 °C  (70 - 75 °F)

Typical daily minumum temperature in late July is 12 - 16 °C  (54 - 61 °F)