June 12, 2026

The University of Calgary has launched its new Canine Performance Lab with a $1.135M investment from Champion Petfoods. The lab is focused on helping dogs stay fit as they age. It will focus in particular on improving the detection and management of health issues such as pain, mobility challenges, and musculoskeletal disease. The lab includes a behaviour and monitoring system, a dedicated rehabilitation space, and a transdisciplinary team that will support patients. “Because dogs have limited ability to verbalize what they feel, objective measures of movement and behaviour are critical for recognizing problems early and tracking whether interventions are working,” said UCVM Dean Dr Renate Weller.

Statistics Canada has released a new dataset on students from Canadian colleges and universities by Indigenous identity and racialized group. The dataset is derived from StatCan’s Postsecondary Student Information System and the Census of Population, and includes students from the 2014 to 2023 cohorts. Users can explore these tables to view data related to Canadian postsecondary enrolments, graduations, and new entrants by Indigenous identity or racialized group. The data can be examined by factors such as educational qualification, field of study, region, gender, and age.

Algoma University has launched a Master of Social Work program that will begin in Fall 2026. The program will build on the university’s Bachelor of Social Work, offering students a community-informed, practice-based program designed to reflect needs within the region. The curriculum for the master’s program emphasizes anti-oppressive, anti-racist, and decolonial approaches. Students have the option of completing either a three-semester practicum stream or a six-semester thesis stream. “The expansion of the Social Work program supports growing demand for trained professionals in areas such as mental health, child and family services, community development, and Indigenous services, sectors that continue to face workforce shortages, particularly in Northern Ontario,” said AlgomaU Director of the School of Social Work Dr Deb Woodman.

Concordia University will be launching seven new microprograms that are designed for learners who are interested in expanding their skills without enrolling in a degree program. Six of the programs are undergraduate microprograms in Economic Policy; Computational Physics; Religious, Cultural, and Ethnic Literacy; Jewish Studies; Production Accounting for Film and Television; and Songwriting and Music Production. The seventh is a graduate microprogram in Global Health Entrepreneurship. “This flexibility opens doors for students who demonstrate capacity to succeed in the program, but who may not have followed a traditional academic pathway,” said Concordia Provost and Vice-President, Academic Effrosyni (Faye) Diamantoudi.

Humber Polytechnic has partnered with Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto on a federally funded initiative called buildHER Future. This initiative will help internationally trained newcomer women start careers in construction in Ontario by offering them training, mentorship, and employment pathways. Humber will be providing participants with micro-credentials in Health and Safety, Passive House Consulting, and Construction Project Coordination. “[T]here are highly skilled newcomer women who arrive here ready to contribute, but too often face barriers to entering the workforce in their field,” explained Humber VP, People(s) & Culture Jennifer O’Brien, adding that buildHER Future will address labour shortages in Canada.

The College of New Caledonia has launched a new Health Sciences Discovery Pathway for learners interested in health care careers. The program is a tuition-free preparatory program that will help learners build their confidence, academic readiness, and awareness of career options before they enter into a competitive health science program. When it launches in Fall 2026, the one-year program will offer practical learning experiences and career exploration opportunities. The program is designed to reduce barriers to health care education through reduced costs and the inclusion of components such as CPR training and violence prevention training.

The NAIT Nugget, an independent student newspaper out of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, recently shared an update on the 18 programs that NAIT paused. The Nugget explains that the institution’s Academic Council has been working through the list of programs to determine their future. It reports that two programs—Personal Fitness Trainer and Surveying and Geospatial Engineering Technology—have been reinstated. Of the remainder, 14 were recommended for suspension with the intent to terminate, and those proposals will be provided to NAIT’s Board of Governors for review. The recommendation to suspend one program—Captioning and Court Reporting—was defeated; and the decision for one program remains outstanding.

Seneca Polytechnic and the American College of Higher Education (ACHE) in Sri Lanka have established a partnership that will create pathways for more students to pursue postsecondary education in Canada. Under the agreement, students at the Sri Lankan school will be able to transfer into Seneca’s Bachelor of Business Administration or Bachelor of Computer Science programs after completing their first year at ACHE. Students will graduate with both an ACHE certificate of completion and a Seneca bachelor’s degree. “Through this partnership with ACHE, we’re expanding opportunities for students in Sri Lanka and beyond to build the skills, experience and global perspectives needed to succeed in an international workforce,” said Seneca President David Agnew.

The University of Winnipeg has released a new app for their alumni. The UWIN Alumni Perks app is a digital platform and mobile app that is available to all alumni of the university and the university collegiate. It includes a digital alumni card that offers registered users instant access to their alumni status, as well as exclusive discounts and opportunities, news from the university, and information about upcoming events. “It combines practical benefits with new ways for alumni to stay engaged with each other and their university,” said UWinnipeg VP University Advancement Danielle Dunbar. “There has been a lot of positive momentum in our alumni community lately, and this is another way to help facilitate that.”

Trillium College has launched two programs that focus on AI in business and marketing. Students in the Applied AI for Business Management Program will learn about how they can apply AI within a business context to support with decision-making, operations, data analysis, and strategic planning. The Applied AI for Digital Marketing Program will offer students experience using AI tools in digital marketing settings to support content creation, social media strategy, campaign optimization, and more. “These programs reflect the growing need for AI skills in both business and marketing careers,” said Trillium Compliance & Academic Quality Director Robin Graham.