John Metras

Associate VP Facilities

John has over 20 years of experience in facilities development and operations including his previous roles as Managing Director, Infrastructure Development and Director of UBC Plant Operations (now Building Operations).

John has played an integral role in helping UBC evolve into a global leader in sustainability. He has worked on a wide range of initiatives including the Campus as a Living Lab program, the 20-Year Sustainability Strategy, LEED Platinum and LEED Gold certified building projects, and the development of the Brock Commons Tallwood House student residence.

John has a Bachelor of Engineering Science from the University of Western Ontario, a Master of Business Administration from the University of British Columbia, and is a registered Professional Engineer.

Contact information

Campus & Community Planning Building 1
2210 West Mall
Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4

Email: John.Metras@ubc.ca

Leadership vision

“I am an inclusive, action-oriented leader. I engage and empower my team and collaborate with stakeholders to build and maintain a safe, clean, sustainable and inspiring physical environment that has a long-term transformative impact on learning, research and campus life at UBC.”

John Metras
Associate Vice-President, Facilities

Updates related to UBC Facilities

  • Heat recovery chiller and coils successfully commissioned

    The new heat recovery chiller in Chemistry D Block would be capable of providing its forecasted 5000GJ in annual thermal energy savings, saving the university almost $50,000 per year. Chemistry E Block is on track for their predicted energy savings…

    Read more: Heat recovery chiller and coils successfully commissioned
  • New Biomass Boiler going through commissioning at the BRDF 

    The new UBC biomass boiler is going through its commissioning tests at the Bioenergy Research Demonstration Facility (BRDF). As the new boiler’s combustion is fine-tuned, you may notice some grey smoke, accompanied by a campfire scent, from the BRDF on occasion. 

    Read more: New Biomass Boiler going through commissioning at the BRDF 
  • Facilities teams supporting extreme weather events and keeping our community safe

    2021 certainly was an unprecedented year for those working on campus to support extreme weather events. A big thank you goes out to team members across Facilities who support extreme weather such that the university can continue to operate in…

    Read more: Facilities teams supporting extreme weather events and keeping our community safe