April 19, 2024

Olds College of Agriculture & Technology President Dr Ben Cecil is calling on the Government of Canada to increase research funding for colleges. Cecil recently delivered a testimony to the federal government’s Standing Committee on Scientific Research, arguing that colleges play a critical role in advancing research and innovation and solving challenges. He highlighted equity, eligibility, and impact as key areas for reform and called for greater flexibility in the way programs are funded. “Colleges are essential hubs of innovation, driving economic growth and job creation through applied research,” said Cecil. “However, the current distribution of federal research funding does not adequately recognize the impactful contributions made by colleges like Olds College.”

The University of Saskatchewan recently launched the Global Water Futures Observatories (GWFO), a network of freshwater monitoring and observation stations located across the country. GWFO will provide open access water data in order to act as an early warning system and inform models and policy decisions surrounding water security and sustainability. “What’s powerful about this is that it’s a national network,” said GWFO Director John Pomeroy. “These observations stretch from the Great Lakes to the Saint Lawrence Basin to the Saskatchewan Basin to the Mackenzie to the Yukon, and to the Churchill.” Eight other Canadian postsecondary institutions will be involved in GWFO: Carleton University, McMaster University, Trent University, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, University of Windsor, Western University, and Wilfried Laurier University.

Thanks to a new pre-nursing pilot program, Cree students in and around Eeyou Istchee will be able to begin their education journey toward a career in nursing from home. The program is offered by the Cree School Board and Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay, who partnered to help address the nursing shortages in Eeyou Istchee and provide a pathway for Cree-speaking students to pursue nursing to provide better care for Cree patients. Students who participate in the program will earn the pre-requisites to continue their education through John Abbott College’s nursing program. “We wanted to make sure it reflects Cree culture, our career, way of life and that’s what is different about this program,” said Cree Health Board Director of Nursing Nancy Shecapio-Blacksmith.

Assiniboine Community College will offer an accelerated Childcare Assistant (CCA) program in St François Xavier. The program’s accelerated format will enable CCAs and licensed home-base child-care providers to fulfill their provincial training requirements within the first year of their employment. “This initiative from Assiniboine will provide new CCAs and licensed home-based childcare providers with a faster and more efficient means of obtaining their required certification” said ACC Chairperson, Early Childhood Education Ryan Cardwell. “By offering accelerated delivery, Assiniboine is enabling individuals to obtain their required certification more efficiently, empowering them to start making a positive impact on children and families sooner.”

Keyano College’s leadership and student association have issued their response to recent student protests on campus. Fort McMurray Today explains that around 50 international students—most of whom are studying early learning and childcare—protested failed grades and charges of academic misconduct. Keyano President Jay Notay said that the college is “not in a position to give them what they’re asking for because it’s compromising our academic integrity” and would not change grades because of the protests. Keyano’s students’ association president Sheresee Miller issued a statement supporting Notay’s stance: “Students will have to face the consequences if these actions are actually taking place: cheating, plagiarism and misrepresentation are all things we are not in agreement with.”

The City of Moncton has developed a new role to help international students access resources, find jobs, and integrate into community life. The inaugural International Student Integration Co-ordinator for Moncton Serge Zably attended the Université de Moncton ten years ago and has stayed in the city since graduating. Now, in his new role, Zably is helping other international students to stay and succeed in Moncton by monitoring for any obstacles to settling in the area post-graduation. “There are a lot of challenges to stay here, so in my role I will assist them navigate through this system,” said Zably. In this role, Zably will also coordinate with UMoncton’s international students association.

The study permit allocations are continuing to see a very mixed reaction from postsecondary education. In Northern Ontario, Cambrian College, Collège Boréal, and Laurentian University told Sudbury.com that they felt their allocations were fair, though Cambrian anticipated that the ending of its partnership with a private college in the GTA will result in a significant financial loss. Meanwhile, in Manitoba, two private Christian institutions told the Winnipeg Free Press that they are struggling with their allocations, which will drastically reduce incoming international students. Representatives from Providence University College and Booth University College expressed concern and disappointment about the reduction and the impact it will have on their programming. The Winnipeg Free Press notes that Canadian Mennonite University and Steinbach Bible College do not anticipate the decrease in allocations to impact them significantly, due to the small size of their international cohorts.

Aurora College is postponing the start date of its new General Studies Diploma program to Fall 2025. In a news release, Aurora said that the program’s quality assurance reviews have not yet been conducted by the Campus Alberta Quality Council and the Government of Northwest Territory’s Department of Education, Culture and Employment. The release said that the postponement ensures that there is sufficient time to establish all the appropriate approvals and agreements prior to the beginning of the program. The college has reached out to program applicants to discuss their options, which could include a deferral or redirecting their application to other Aurora programs.

Several members of the postsecondary community—including the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) and Association of Academic Staff of the University of Alberta (AASUA)—are calling for the Government of Alberta to amend or cancel the proposed Bill 18. CAUT urged AB to withdraw or amend the bill to protect scientific integrity and academic freedom, with CAUT executive director David Robinson indicating that the organization is preparing to potentially challenge the bill if it becomes law. AASUA President Gordon Swaters penned an article for the Edmonton Journal discussing how granting agencies award funding through a rigorous process, where subject-matter experts decide on the allocation of research dollars. Swaters argued that this process should be free of political interference. An article in The Conversation by University of Alberta PhD students Ping Lam Ip and Andrea DeKeseredy provides a look at SSHRC-funded research projects, arguing that “[t]here is simply no factual basis to suggest that federal agencies favour liberal or leftist research.”

Cégep Sorel-Tracy’s HUB initiative has created a new “start-up” pathway program to spark an entrepreneurial culture in information technology (IT) and mobilize the region’s business community. The pathway’s curriculum is comprised of three blocks—focused on customer discovery, customer validation, and customer creation—as well as a project-based mentorship opportunity for students in IT and members of the business community. Sorel-Tracy is implementing the program in collaboration with Ton Équiper and with funding provided by industry partners Connexion Entrepreneurs, Développement économique Pierre-De Saurel, and SADC Pierre-De Saurel.