University of Alberta Protective Services is asking students and staff to report sightings of a man who has been trespassed from U of A campuses.
He is known to attempt entry into secure residential facilities and restricted campus areas, according to the notice.
UAPS describes him as posing a public safety risk.
The description
43 years old. 5 foot 9. 160 pounds. Medium build.
A scar under his right eye.
UAPS has released a photo, which is the identifying element. The written description on its own fits a large number of people.
How to report a sighting
Call U of A Protective Services at 780-492-5050, available 24 hours.
Quote file number 2026-3799.
The email inbox the notice went out from is not monitored. Sightings need to go to the phone line.
The specific thing to watch for
The notice is unusually direct about the method, and it's worth reading if you live in residence.
He's known to tailgate. That means following someone through a door that requires a key or card, before it closes.
UAPS is asking people to make sure doors close fully behind them, and not to let unfamiliar people follow them into locked buildings.
Report anyone tailgating, attempting to force entry, or waiting near a secure door without key access.
That last one matters. Someone standing near a residence door without a card, at a time when people are coming and going, is the pattern.
Do not confront him
UAPS is explicit about this.
"Do not attempt to physically block, confront, or engage with anyone trying to tailgate," the notice says. "Simply report the location and description to UAPS immediately."
That's the right advice and it's worth taking seriously. Reporting a location works. A confrontation in a stairwell does not.
The rest of the safety guidance
Be aware of your surroundings, and trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, report it.
Notify UAPS if you notice anyone loitering.
Walk in pairs, or use Safe Walk or Protective Services. Safe Walk provides an escort across campus after dark and is free.
Know how to reach emergency services, and call 780-492-5050 for suspicious activity on campus.
What "trespassed" means
He isn't facing a criminal charge based on what UAPS has released. He has been issued a trespass notice, which is a separate thing.
Under Alberta's Trespass to Premises Act, an occupier of a property, which includes the university on its own campuses, can direct a person not to enter. Once that notice has been given, entering the property becomes an offence, and the person can be arrested and charged for being there.
That's the mechanism. He is permitted to be in public in Edmonton. He is not permitted to be on U of A campuses, and if he is, that itself is the offence.
Tailgating is the gap in every card-access building
Card readers work. The doors they control mostly don't.
A locked building is only as secure as the last person who walked through it, and holding a door is one of the most reflexive polite gestures there is. Refusing feels rude in a way that overrides a lot of people's judgment. Exploiting that reflex requires no technical skill at all, which is why the UAPS notice is about behaviour rather than hardware.
The practical version for anyone in residence: it isn't rude to let a door close. Anyone who lives there has a card. Anyone who doesn't should be buzzed in by the person they're visiting. Those are the only two categories, and neither needs you to hold the door.
The timing
This notice went out in the first week of the fall term.
Residences are full and a large share of the people in them arrived within the last two weeks. First-year students in particular haven't yet developed the habit of watching a door close behind them, and holding a door for someone is a reflex most people arrive with.
That reflex is the vulnerability.
If something happens
For emergencies on campus, call 911 first, then UAPS at 780-492-5050.
For non-urgent concerns, UAPS operates 24 hours at the same number.
Sources
University of Alberta Protective Services notice, file 2026-3799
Trespass to Premises Act, Revised Statutes of Alberta
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