April 14, 2025

Eleven colleges in Ontario have come together to form the Ontario Regional Economic Workforce and Innovation Network (OREWIN), a college network devoted to protecting Ontario’s economic future. OREWIN will be chaired by Canadore College President George Burton and will include Cambrian College, Canadore, Collège Boréal, Collège La Cité, Confederation College, Fleming College, Lambton College, Loyalist College, Northern College, Sault College, and St Lawrence College. “A lot of us wanted to make sure that the unique voice and the unique offerings that we give to our regions are heard,” said Loyalist President Mark Kirkpatrick. “Sometimes the voice of the larger colleges in the big metropolitan areas can outpower a voice in some place like Belleville.”

Aurora College has announced a variety of new programming that it will be offering, starting this year. Aurora has expanded its Personal Support Worker Certificate program to include in-person training at Fort Smith, Inuvik, Behchokǫ̀, and Yellowknife through an expected $3.2M federal investment, as well as introducing a blended distance option. Beginning in the fall, Aurora will offer Bachelor of Social Work and Bachelor of Education programs, which students can transfer into after completing two years in the General Studies Diploma. The institution is also using $625K from the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy program to develop seven new trades and apprenticeship programs, two of which—automotive and pipe trades training—will be available this Fall. Other programs will be developed in the following year.

Sophie Lanthier, Alana Button, and Amy Kaufman have published a new report for the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario on the topic of domestic postsecondary enrolment trends. Drawing on 2015-2022 enrolment data from the Government of Ontario and Statistics Canada, the authors project that domestic enrolment will grow by 45% over the next 24 years as the 18-to-24-year-old age group begins to grow again. They project that this increase would not be evenly distributed across credentials, programs, or institution type. The authors note that, without adequate planning and funding to create the 225,000 new seats required by 2046, students could face high competition for existing seats.

HEC Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal, and Université de Montréal have partnered to create the Trottier Chair in Energy Transition, Governance and Participation, funded by $1.5M over five years from the Trottier Family Foundation. This philanthropic chair aims to support a smoother transition to carbon neutrality by identifying, understanding, and anticipating potential “sticking points.” The chair—which is structured around three research axes—is jointly held by three individuals who will each lead an axis. UMontréal Professor Laurence Bherer will focus on developing proactive governance approaches, Polytech MTL Professor Michaël Kummert will focus on energy modelling, and HEC Professor Emmanuel Raufflet will focus on inclusive transition management.

Memorial University has lifted the ban on the singing of the “Ode to Newfoundland” at its convocation ceremonies and has announced that it plans to include the ode at convocation in May. NTV reports that the reinstatement of the ode was approved at a recent senate committee vote. CP24 explains that the ban, originally imposed in 2022, was reportedly implemented out of concerns that the anthem was not inclusive and omitted Labrador. “We acknowledge fully that the university has a lot of work to rebuild relationships with people who were negatively impacted by the initial decision and as well as, you know, anyone who might be disappointed or upset by the decision at Senate,” said Memorial President Pro Tempore Jennifer Lokash.

In Waterloo, a group of university students have gone viral on TikTok after they and other residents and guests to the street were terrorized by a nesting pair of geese. Wilfrid Laurier University student Jory Harris recently shared a video of a pair of geese attacking people outside of her house. She told CBC that she noticed two geese on her lawn while coming home from class one day and had assumed they would leave. Instead, the geese built a nest and began attacking people walking by. “We can’t even leave our house,” said Harris. “He’s so angry.” CTV News reports that the students have had to change their route home to avoid the birds.

In a recent episode of the Illumination podcast, Sheila LeBlanc (University of Calgary) discusses how continuing education departments can help the broader institution meet the growing demand for lifelong learning. LeBlanc explains that lifelong learners and their needs have become more important to other academic faculties and departments. Continuing education is well suited to support the institution in a broader strategic transformation aimed at meeting the needs of learners throughout their lives. However, the cross-institutional nature of this process brings with it several challenges, such as competing priorities and different technical systems, explains LeBlanc. At UCalgary, LeBlanc says that this work is being driven in a “slow and steady” manner by working groups and a steering group.

Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal has issued an apology after reportedly using a racial slur during a guest lecture at Trent University. Leal was invited to speak to a business administration class in mid-March, where he uttered a racial slur which he attributed to a remark from US President Lyndon B Johnson. In his apology, Leal stated that “regardless of the context or intent, using that word was wrong.” Trent has issued a statement apologizing for the event and committing to sharing EDI and anti-Black racism training to all invited speakers. Kawartha Now reports that the Trent Central Student Association (TCSA) has filed a complaint to the Peterborough Integrity Commissioner and called on Trent to take actions such as ensuring the mayor is not invited back to campus.

The Université du Québec à Montréal has launched a new graduate microprogram focused on major neurocognitive disorders in adults. The program—which will start in Fall 2025—is geared towards those who already have a degree in a related area, such as nursing, psychology, occupational therapy, or social work. Students will complete two courses focused on assessment and intervention as well as a work placement with supervision. UQAM says this is the first training of its kind in Quebec, and that it will help address the shortage of front-line staff with training in this field.

Dalhousie University is generating excitement with a newly announced kinesiology course that draws on the popular television show Ted Lasso. Students in “Coaching and Life: Lessons from Ted Lasso” will watch episodes of the show, analyzing and interpreting themes around sport psychology, sociology, leadership, and more. Dal Associate Professor Lori Dithurbide said she was inspired to create the course after a colleague jokingly suggested it. Dithurbide said that the show lends itself to a course because of the variety of topics that it touches on, including coaching philosophies and leadership styles.