UCalgary named Canada’s smelliest campus amid safety concerns
By Josie Simon, March 23 2025—
UCalgary faces potential health code violations after being named Canada’s smelliest university by the International Council for Campus Environmental Quality (ICEQ). The investigation, which began as a routine campus assessment, has spiralled into a full-scale health and safety inquiry, sparking serious concerns about student safety and questionable administrative decisions.
The situation first caught public attention when several ICEQ inspectors were spotted running out of the Science A building, covering their faces with their jackets. Hours later, their preliminary report described the building’s atmosphere as “hazardous” and “unlike anything encountered in previous university assessments.”
During their testing at Science A, ICEQ’s equipment detected abnormal levels of hydrogen sulphide, prompting an emergency evacuation of the building’s lower floors. “The readings were beyond anything we’ve seen at other institutions,” said lead investigator Dr. James Wright. “When we tried to measure the basement levels, our equipment shut down completely.
The university’s response has raised suspicions. “It smells perfectly fine,” claimed administration officials in a brief email statement, despite cancelling all in-person meetings in the building. Internal documents later revealed that maintenance staff had filed over 200 complaints about the odour in the past year alone.
“They keep telling us it’s normal, but I’ve seen the maintenance guys wearing respirators while vacuuming,” reported Sarah Chen, a third-year chemistry student. Multiple students have filed formal complaints about headaches and nausea, particularly during morning classes. “It’s worse on Mondays,” Chen added. “Like something’s been fermenting over the weekend.”
On Tuesday, the situation reached a crisis when Dr. Mike Thompson relocated his entire PSYC 201 class to the Education Building after three students fainted during a midterm. “The university told us it was just anxiety,” Thompson said. “But I’ve taught for 20 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this. One of my strongest students couldn’t even finish writing her name before passing out.”
A routine maintenance inspection revealed concerning details about the building’s ventilation system. Records show no major updates since 1987, and several sealed basement rooms have no documentation. When questioned, university officials insisted these were “standard storage areas” but could not explain why they required keycard access. A former maintenance worker, Chris Evans, reported that some areas of the basement weren’t even on the building’s official blueprints.
Local environmental groups have demanded an independent investigation. “The university’s lack of transparency is alarming,” said Environmental Watch spokesperson Lisa Morrison. “Students have a right to know what they’re breathing. We’ve received reports of strange odours wafting across campus at odd hours, and the university’s response has been nothing but deflection and denial.”
Despite mounting pressure, the university maintains there’s no cause for concern. “We take student safety seriously,” stated President Ed Holly, speaking via Zoom from his office in the newly renovated Administration Building. “We’re forming a committee to look into these allegations.” When asked about the timing of this committee, Holly’s video connection conveniently failed.
Meanwhile, domestic enrollment in Science A classes has dropped by 82 per cent. The only new registrations are from international students who committed to U of C without visiting campus.