Director of UBC public health department resigns after Hawaii trip

The head of UBC‘s School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) has resigned after travelling for a vacation during the school's winter break.

Dr. Peter Berman announced his resignation as director Friday, just over a week after admitting to holiday travel.

Several SPPH faculty members and the public had already reprimanded Berman for making the trip as the COVID-19 cases surged in BC.

"I took this difficult decision based on my assessment that the conditions of distress and division currently prevailing at SPPH make it impossible for me to continue to provide effective leadership to grow and develop our school, our community and our profession in my role as SPPH director," Berman said in a statement.

Many @ubcspph faculty have signed this letter in response to the news released by @jarmstrongbc and @GlobalBC about holiday travel to #Hawaii by our director, Prof Peter Berman.

It has been sent to @ubcprez and @UBCmedicine.

Some of my thoughts & feelings are below.

1/n pic.twitter.com/bgAe2KYaaR

— Mina Park (@meenrz) January 8, 2021

Both provincial and federal authorities in Canada have repeatedly advised against unnecessary travel, especially international travel, since new Provincial Health Orders were implemented last November.

However, many officials and politicians have been forced to resign after being caught taking trips over the holidays.

BC reported 536 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, as well as confirming the province's first known case of the virus' South African variant.

Officials have yet to figure out how the variant arrived in BC, with the infected person having neither traveled or knowingly come in contact with a traveler.