The Executive Committee of CUPE Local 3903 strongly condemns the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on Mauna Kea and further condemns York University’s involvement in this project. The TMT has no free, prior, and informed consent from the Kanaka Maoli Peoples which is in direct violation of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. We stand in solidarity with the Kanaka Maoli and the people of Hawaii who are protecting the sacred site of Mauna Kea from destruction and intrusion of TMT.
The Executive Committee joined many within the international academic community calling for a halt of TMT construction on Mauna Kea. In a letter to President Lenton we called on York University to withdraw its support for construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea. Further we asked that York live up to its social justice mission and use its institutional power and membership in the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy (ACURA) to demand the Hawaiian government remove military/police presence on Mauna Kea, and stop the criminalization of Mauna Kea protectors.
For more information and updates follow these pages on social media:
Follow hashtags like #ProtectMaunaKea #WeAreMaunaKea #NoTMT #TMTshutdown #HoilKapiko #KapuAloha and amplify those who are sharing updates from the front lines.
Petition:The Immediate Halt to the Construction of the TMT telescope on Mauna Kea
For more information visit these websites:
Edit (August 1, 2019): While not acknowledging our letter, York has addressed their investment in the TMT project on YFile. York hopes people will ignore the fact that its membership in the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy (ACURA) makes it an active participant in the construction of the TMT. ACURA was one of the founding partners of the the TMT Observatory Corporation. York is the second largest university within ACURA and withdrawing its support for the TMT construction on Mauna Kea would make a large impact. This is an impact York refuses to have.