The University of Alberta Students’ Union and the University of Alberta have heard students’ need for building and pedway access later into the day, especially as we enter the colder months of the year.
After months of thoughtful discussions led by UASU President Pedro Almeida and VP Student Life Logan West, with the support of President Bill Flanagan, and in light of the co-creation collaborative principles outlined by the Student Experience Action Plan, we are excited to co-announce the Winter 2026 ONEcard Access Pilot Project.
This blog post outlines in-depth the details of this pilot project, set to launch on January 5th, 2026. If you are looking for specific information on a particular building or if anything changes moving forward, please refer to this Facilities + Building Hours page on the University’s website.
There are five major interior access routes on North Campus:
- Route #1: Runs from the Donadeo Innovation Centre for Engineering (DICE) through the Chemical Materials Engineering Building to the Electrical & Computer Engineering Research Facility (ECERF) and Engineering Teaching & Learning Complex (ETLC). Another branch of the route runs from Mechanical Engineering building to ETLC. From ETLC it connects with the Natural Resources Engineering Facility (NREF) and through the General Services Building (GSB) to the Agriculture/Forestry Centre and to the Students’ Union Building.
- Route #2: Runs from the Biological Science Building through the North Lecture Theatres to Centre for Interdisciplinary Science (CCIS). From there it runs through the east side of the Gunning/Lemieux Chemistry Centre to the Central Academic Building (CAB) to the South Academic Building (SAB) and to University Commons.
- Route #3: Runs from the Tory Lecture Theatres through the Tory Building to the School of Business via the Tory / Business atrium. From there it connects to the Humanities Centre and HUB.
- Route #4: Runs from the south HUB entrance stairwell to the Fine Arts Building where it connects with the Timms Centre for the Arts.
- Route #5: Runs from Education Centre North/South through a pedway across 87th Ave NW to an atrium in the Heritage Medical Research Centre (HMRC) to the Katz Group Centre for Pharmacy and Health Research (KATZ), connecting to Medical Sciences and to the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Health Research Academy (Kipnes Academy).
Each access route has a set of primary entrances, which are doors that have ONEcard access for students later into the day. The primary entrances for each route are described below, and images can be found here.
- Route #1
- East entrance of ETLC
- Southeast entrance of Agriculture/Forestry Centre
- South entrance of SUB
- Route #2
- Northwest entrance of CCIS
- Northeast entrance of CCIS
- Southwest entrance of CCIS (QUAD-facing)
- Southeast entrance of CCIS (QUAD-facing)
- West entrance of CAB (QUAD-facing)
- Northwest entrance of SAB (QUAD-facing; stairs only, not accessible at ground level)
- Southwest entrance of SAB (QUAD-facing; stairs only, not accessible at ground level)
- South entrance of SAB
- Route #3
- South entrance doors of Alberta School of Business
- South entrance doors of the Humanities Centre
- Route #4
- Northeast entrance of FAB
- Route #5
- Northeast entrance of the Kipnes Academy
- Northwest entrance of the Kipnes Academy
- South entrance of Education Centre
The Winter 2026 Pilot Project involves a collaboration between the UASU and the University to provide extended access through the major interior access routes to students. This involves key changes to most major interior access routes, which are described below:
- Route #1 will have access until 9:30PM
- Route #2 will have access until 9:30PM and Safewalk patrol from 9:30PM to 10:30PM who can open doors for students who show their ONEcard
- Route #2 will also see the addition of four QUAD-facing primary entrances outlined above
- Access from CAB to UCommons will be until midnight on weekdays, and until 9:30PM on weekends
- Route #3 will have access extended to 10:15PM
- Route #4 will have access extended to 10:15PM
- Route #5 will have access until 7:00PM and Safewalk patrol from 7:00PM to 10:30PM who can open doors for students who show their ONEcard
The UASU and the University recognize the need to provide students access and since 2019, there have been targeted investments to update technology around campus to make this a reality. However, this takes time, and while we are committed to continuing these key investments in the future, we also know students need access now.
That is why your UASU’s Safewalk volunteers will facilitate access through Route #2 and Route #5 to ensure you can still get around campus, even while we are working on the necessary updates. Volunteers will patrol these two routes and open necessary doors for students who show their valid ONEcard.
You can help keep our student spaces safe when you’re here after hours! Don’t hold doors open to areas that require ONEcard access, and be aware of anyone following behind you. If you see anything suspicious on North Campus, please call UAlberta Protective Services at 780-492-5050 to report it.
Finally, we recognize that any change like this one can have a few bugs or issues as we move to a new system. If you encounter any doors that should provide access but aren’t or even if you would just like to offer us your thoughts on the pilot project and whether it should be implemented long-term, please let us know through this form.
Note from Safewalk:
Need assistance navigating North Campus outdoors after hours? Safewalk volunteers will walk with you anywhere on campus or within 20 minutes from most LRT stations in Edmonton from 7 PM to midnight, Monday to Friday! If you spend a lot of time on campus after hours, you can also book a recurring walk so that Safewalk patrollers can meet you at the same time and place. You can even request an incognito walk, where volunteers will meet you in plainclothes instead of yellow jackets.