Oliver’s, G & H wing washrooms completed
The dramatic transformation of Oliver's student space in the 2C clubs hallway has now been completed. The washrooms in the G and H wings are also fully operational again.
Drivers must enter parking lot from west bound de Maisonneuve
De Maisonneuve Blvd. is open and the access to Dawson’s parking lot is now only from west-bound de Maisonneuve Blvd. Drivers have become accustomed to entering the parking lot via Wood Avenue in Westmount. That is no longer possible since the boulevard is a one-way street going west. To access the parking lot, drivers must turn west on to de Maisonneuve from Atwater Avenue or other cross streets east of Atwater. The de Maisonneuve doors are also now open for pedestrians. Please note that the de Maisonneuve entrance to Alexis-Nihon Mall is currently closed.
Holiday building operating hours
Dec. 24: Regular Hours (essential services only)
Dec. 25–31: Closed to Students & Public
Jan. 1-3: Closed to Students & Public
Jan. 4: Regular Hours
Students and public:
No access to the building is permitted during the holidays.
Faculty and staff:
College access and operating hours between Dec. 25 and Jan. 3 are limited.
ONLY faculty and staff are permitted to enter the building between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. through the parking lot entrance via the Security door (E Wing) at 4011 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W.
All other doors, Metro entrance and gate access to the College will remain locked during this period.
Dawson’s Living Campus ranked #1 in the world
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) recognized Dawson College as the top performer in the category of associate colleges around the world and called out the Monarch Butterfly Nursery project as an institutional highlight in its 2021 Sustainable Campus Index, published Nov. 9, 2021.
Click Read More for more information about the Dawson community achievement and a link to the SCI.
New bird feeder installed in Peace Garden
Chickadees and nuthatches have already been spotted at Dawson’s new bird feeder, installed in the Peace Garden in early November.
“We hope to attract 15-20 species over the winter,” said Chris Adam of Dawson’s Sustainability Office. Chris made the bird feeder and installed it with help from Phys. Ed. faculty member Doug Smyth, who is also an avid birdwatcher and photographer.
The 10-foot-high untreated cedar bird feeder will be up year-round and holds a variety of seeds high in protein, restocked by student volunteers. A separate suet feeder on the nearby ash tree snag is a much-needed source of fat to non-migrating birds.
Special thanks to a group of Mechanical Engineering Technology students who made a squirrel and raccoon baffle so animals can’t climb to the feeders or jump up over it. Snow will also be cleared around the bird feeder to prevent squirrels from raiding it.
Students and employees are encouraged to observe our bird visitors. Observations and photos can be sent to sustainability@dawsoncollege.qc.ca or you can drop by the Sustainability Office in 4B.3. Maybe you will be the one to identify and document the 53rd bird species to visit Dawson!
Student sets up mask-recycling initiative at Dawson
You can now recycle your disposable procedural masks at Dawson thanks to Dawson Professional Theatre student Nathan McDonald, the Green Earth Club (Dawson Student Union), Facilities Management and the Sustainability Office.
Click Read More for the homepage news story that includes the locations of mask recycling boxes as well as information about the student who made this happen.
de Maisonneuve to re-open Nov. 8
The STM will complete its work by Nov. 8. The City of Westmount will continue working in the area to finish installing road signage. When this work is finished, De Maisonneuve Boulevard will once again be open to traffic between Atwater and Wood.
The sidewalks and bike path will open on Nov. 8.
P1 parking lot partially closed for two months
Work on waterproofing the foundation wall of the C Wing began on Sept. 29 and requires the closure of a portion of the P1 parking lot for approximately two months.
Please keep in mind that we have a very limited number of parking spaces available, and Security will only provide a few extra parking spots. Once the parking capacity is reached, you will have to find alternative parking.
The B1, C2 and E1 doors will be closed for construction purposes but will remain accessible in the event of an emergency. Facilities Management will notify employees when the construction is completed and the exits are reopened.
Time to review emergency procedures
It is the responsibility of all staff, faculty and students of Dawson College to be familiar with the College’s Emergency Procedures. These cover what to do in the event of medical issues or emergencies, evacuations, fires, lockdowns, toxic chemical or gas spills. This same information is also available in the MyDawson Portal (Omnivox), which features a red link to Emergency Procedures.
The most common emergency is medical in nature. It is important to know that College Security is responsible for medical emergencies and security agents are trained first aiders. For physical or mental health issues and emergencies, call ext. 1000 or go to the Security Desk at 2E.14. More info on medical emergencies here.
Fire safety regulations require Dawson College to run an evacuation exercise every year. The fire drill will be held in the second half of October. More information will be communicated in October.
Click Read More to go the College Emergency Procedures webpage.
Unpleasant odours issue
We are aware of the unpleasant odours in some parts of the College. The Facilities Management team has been working hard to resolve the issue, working with various consultants and experts to help us identify the source of the odour. While there are no experts in odour detection, we have enlisted mechanical engineers, plumbers, roofing consultants and environmental engineers to help us. Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions. Inspections and testing are ongoing and we are eliminating possible sources of the odours.
The experts believe the cause may be related to the fact that the building was not used very much in the 16+ months since the shutdown in March 2020. They estimate that the problem lies in the plumbing.
If there is an odour problem in an area other than the areas we are already aware of, in 2D & 2E, 4A and 4B, please alert Facilities Management by calling 1200 or emailing buildingmaintenance@dawsoncollege.qc.ca. Also, if the odour is interfering with your work, please speak to your manager. It may be possible to relocate you or find other arrangements.
The resolution of this problem is a major priority. We expect the situation to improve gradually over the next few weeks.
Last Modified: January 19, 2022
