VICTORIA - At an annual general meeting in Victoria, Canada West members have voted not to accept the University of Northern British Columbia's Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA) membership application.
The Northern Timberwolves were attempting to become the conference's 16th member institution, joining recently approved Mount Royal University.
Making its second Canada West membership bid in two years, UNBC did not receive the required 75 per cent support from existing members. As a result, it will remain a member of the British Columbia Colleges Athletic Association (BCCAA).
Canada West is consistently the most decorated of the four conferences in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), winning at least 10 CIS national titles every year, 1997 to 2010.
Comprised of 14 schools (15 on Sept. 1, 2011), from the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada West produces numerous major award winners and Academic All-Canadian student-athletes each year, with many going on to athletic success around the globe in pro leagues or events such as the Olympics, Paralympics or Universiade Games.
