Before you go ...

When Canadians found themselves in Egypt during the unrest earlier this year, the Canadian government evacuated them to Europe. Once there, evacuees were on their own; however, Concordia was able to help a handful of students make their way home because of a travel registry.

The university’s travel registry lists Concordians who are outside of Quebec for more than 24 hours on university business. All students, faculty or staff travelling for research, conferences, or academic or university-related projects are required to register through the MyConcordia Portal under “Other Services.” In the event of an emergency or natural disaster, Concordia’s emergency management team is able to identify who might be in need of assistance and provide the appropriate support.

Darren Dumoulin, Senior Advisor on Emergency Management, explains, “The university basically provides a second avenue of support. Where an individual would normally depend on the Canadian Embassy for support in a foreign country, depending on the situation, we at Concordia can do that much more.”

A policy on travel outside of Quebec accompanies the registry. These tools were developed to ensure the safety of faculty, staff and students while travelling. Dumoulin stresses that Concordia is able to concentrate on the specific needs of community members.

“In these situations, Concordia will have only one or a few people to contact, and not the hundreds or thousands who would be calling the embassy. And it’s nice to know someone is looking out for you.”

Dumoulin monitors information from Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, such as travel warnings, and compares them to the travel registry on a regular basis.

Members of the Concordia community can call Concordia Security collect 24-7 for assistance while travelling on university business at 514-848-3717. This activates the emergency travel procedure.

Related links:
•    Concordia Emergency Management
•    Concordia’s Policy on Travel Outside of Quebec