A closeup photo of the Tier building at the Fort Garry campus in the winter

What's open and closed at UM during Winter Break

What's open, what's closed

General closures

All UM campuses are generally closed beginning at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 22, 2023, though some services will remain open, noted in sections below.

Exams will be taking place until 9 p.m. Dec. 22, and campus buildings will remain open to students and faculty for this purpose.

Please inform the Operations and Maintenance customer service desk at 204-474-6281 of any special access requirements relating to animal care, accessibility, research projects or equipment prior to Dec. 22, 2023.

Information Systems Technology

The IST Service Desk will close Friday, Dec. 22, at 6 p.m. and will reopen at 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 3, 2024. If you require urgent support or to report a major system outage during this period, call 204-474-8600 and press 2. Staff members will remain on call, and messages will be responded to within 30 minutes.

Dining services

Fresh Food Company will remain open from Dec. 23 to Jan. 2, from 5 p.m. to 7.pm. Staff will be on site from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. during this period, and regular hours will resume on Jan. 3.

The Tim Horton’s in the EITC will remain open until 6 p.m. throughout the entire exam schedule. It will then close at 6 p.m. Dec. 22 until Jan. 3, 2024.

All other dining operations will be closed from Dec. 23 to Jan. 2, reopening Jan. 3.

Libraries

The Dafoe and Science Libraries will be open until 6 p.m. on Dec. 22, 2023 to provide study space for exams happening on campus. After that, all Libraries will be closed during the holiday break from Dec. 23, 2023 and reopening on Jan. 3, 2024.

Student residences

Student Residences will remain open during Winter Break. This includes Arthur Mauro, Mary Speechly, University College, and Pembina Hall residences. During this time, approximately 300 students will remain in residence, but University services and staff are limited.

Residence security staff remain on duty, 24 hours a day from Dec 23rd to Jan 2nd inclusive and the AVM customer service desk will be staffed most days for limited daytime hours.  

Caretaking staff will be present 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily throughout the break ensuring general cleanliness and executing room turnover. The Fresh Food Company will also be open daily from  

5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for dinner service. Several Dining Services staff will be present to accommodate meals for residents staying over the break.

Recreation facilities

The Active Living Centre, Frank Kennedy Centre, Joyce Fromson Pool and Joe Doupe Recreation Centre Bannatyne campus) will remain open to the public during the holiday break, per the following days and hours:

  • Dec. 22: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Joe Doupe open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Dec. 23: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Dec. 24 to Dec. 25: Closed
  • Dec. 26 to Dec. 30: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Dec. 31 to Jan 1: Closed
  • Jan. 2: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Joe Doupe open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

All recreation facilities will resume regular hours on Jan. 3.

Preparing spaces for the break

With facilities closing and limited staff available on campus, students, staff and faculty should prepare themselves accordingly.

Lock up and secure your space

Ensure doors and offices are locked over the holiday closure. Door opening requests over the holidays should be sent to Security Services by December 20, 2023. These requests should be approved in advance by the Dean/Director or Unit Head.

All departments should ensure that contact information on lab doors and critical pieces of equipment is up to date. Having accurate contact information for someone who will be available during the break is vital in the event of equipment failure.

Other preparations to consider include:

  • Turning off all lights and computers
  • Closing all windows before leaving offices, labs, and classrooms 
  • Making sure all taps and faucets are in the closed or off position
  • Shutting down any unnecessary lab equipment
  • Securing and store all chemicals in a safe manner
  • Unplugging all small appliances and space heaters
  • Unplugging all extension cords

Security, safety and emergencies

University Security Services personnel are onsite 24/7 during the holiday break.  

Should a Safety, Security or Building emergency arise, please call any of the following:

  • 204-474-9341 (UM Security Services emergency line)
  • 555 from university land lines
  • #555 from Rogers and Bell MTS cell phone customers
  • or 911 for police, fire or ambulance  

The Safe Walk program will be available over the holiday break. To request a Safe Walk:  

  • Bannatyne Campus: 204-789-3330
  • Fort Garry Campus: 204-474-9312

Snow clearing

During the closure, campus snow clearing needs will be assessed by Operations and Maintenance. Fire lanes, emergency access routes, Winnipeg Transit routes, loading docks and entrances at animal holding facilities, and Smart Park will be cleared.

All other locations, including parking lots and entrances to buildings will be assessed if snowfall occurs unless arrangements have been made with Operations and Maintenance.

Campus access and transit during break

If you have special access requirements relating to animal care, accessibility, research projects/equipment, this needs to be requested prior to Dec. 22, 2023. Please inform the Customer Service Desk, Operations and Maintenance at 204-474-6281.  

The University Shuttle at Fort Garry Campus will not be operating December 23 to Jan. 3, 2024.

Operations and Maintenance service reminders

Please be advised that there will be no routine caretaking, trades, general grounds keeping or delivery/ loading dock services.  Excluding the above-mentioned facilities, all other buildings will be locked with limited access during the holiday break.

Central Energy Plant (Fort Garry campus) and Power Engineers (Bannatyne campus) will be staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during the holiday closure. Emergencies can happen during the holiday break. Therefore, please ensure your building single point of contacts are updated and available during the holiday break.  

Elevators will remain functional in operational buildings. All passenger elevators are equipped with an emergency telephone and University Security Services are onsite during the holiday break.

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