April 21, 2026

Royal Roads University and the City of Langford have opened their new Relationships • Entrepreneurship • Ventures (REV) innovation space at the John Horgan Campus. Students, faculty, and community partners will use the space to network, learn, and support venture creation. The City of Langford will provide $1.5M in funding to support initiatives at REV, with PacifiCan also providing funding as a part of its Westshore development initiative. “This hub creates new pathways for collaboration, giving students the chance to learn through real-world engagement while contributing their energy and ideas to this vibrant, growing city and beyond,” explained Royal Roads President Philip Steenkamp. REV will offer its first engagement opportunities later this spring.

The Government of Ontario will introduce legislation to prioritize medical residency applications from applicants from ON, including those that completed medical school abroad. ON originally introduced the changes last fall, but a legal challenge paused the policy. In response, the government withdrew the policy and now plans to legislate the change to give it a stronger legal basis. The proposed legislation includes broader eligibility criteria than the prior policy and would provide a dedicated first-round stream for international medical graduates with past education or that previously lived in the province. The new legislation is reportedly aligned with the systems used in several provinces. Ontario Medical Association President Dr Zainab Abdurrahman expressed concern about the impact of the policy on other qualified physicians.

The Government of New Brunswick has announced that it is extending its tuition bursary pilot program for students and graduates of six approved emergency medical technician and paramedic programs. The program has been expanded from students or graduates who started their studies prior to March 31, 2026, to include those who begin their studies after this date. As a part of the program, recipients must agree to work for Ambulance New Brunswick after graduation. Paramedic Association of New Brunswick Treasurer Courtney Croucher-Fillmore called the announcement a “call to action” to those interested in a paramedicine career, saying that “there has never been a better time to be part of the future of paramedicine.”

In a recent article for the Toronto Star, journalist Janet Hurley discusses the “record surge” of applicants to Ontario institutions and the shift in who has been applying. Drawing on data from the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre, Hurley reports that 168,000 applicants have reportedly submitted more than 800,000 applications. Though most applicants are from ON high schools, the author explains that “all other applicants”—a category that includes mature, transfer, and out-of-province applicants—has seen a 12.4% increase over last year. By comparison, the number of applicants from Ontario secondary schools increased by 2.3%.

Northern Lakes College has completed a new student residence at its High Prairie Campus. The facility includes beds for 26 students. Of these beds, 12 are regular units housing two students each, while two are single occupancy barrier-free units designed to be accessible and promote independent living. The residence also includes shared amenities such as a common kitchen, TV nook, and back deck to give students spaces to connect and collaborate. Northern Lakes says that this residence will reduce barriers to education, particularly for students from rural and remote communities.

McGill University has established the Onkwehón:we Advisory Council to support the university’s Indigenous representation and reconciliation efforts. This council is made up of Indigenous individuals including students, university leaders, and community and organization leaders. The council will offer McGill’s leadership and governance bodies advice and recommendations to support decision-making. “Indigenous governance is fundamentally relational,” said McGill Associate Provost (Indigenous Initiatives) Celeste Pedri‑Spade. “The Council creates a space where Indigenous communities are not simply consulted, but where their knowledge and leadership can meaningfully shape how the University moves forward. This is about building relationships that are accountable, sustained and grounded in mutual respect.”

Cambrian College has celebrated the official opening of a new simulation lab for its health care students. The $1.74M Interprofessional Simulation Centre will be used by students in the personal support worker, nursing, and paramedic programs to practice their skills before working with patients. The centre includes two large teaching labs with hospital-grade equipment and four simulation suites with advanced medical manikins. Students will also have access to virtual-reality headsets for immersive participation in health-care simulations. “Our students will be learning skills that will have them job-ready from the moment they graduate,” said Cambrian President Kristine Morrissey.

Universities Canada CEO Gabriel Miller says that the country is falling behind in the global race to attract the world’s most exceptional students. Miller explains that decreased international enrolment combined with underfunding has negatively affected the postsecondary education system. Postsecondary education leaders have expressed concern that the drop in approved study permits sends mixed messages to some of the most successful international student applicants. “The only way you can build (a national strategy) right now in Canada, is if you get provincial governments and the federal government around the same table,” says Miller.

Concordia University has updated its email policy to require that students use their university email for official correspondence starting this Fall. Newly-admitted students will receive a Concordia email address upon course registration, which will be used for all communication with the university. Concordia says the changes bring the university in line with approaches used by other universities and provides enhanced security and privacy. “Keeping university communications within this environment allows us to better protect sensitive information and significantly reduce risks such as phishing, unauthorized access and data loss — which are far more difficult to manage when personal email accounts are used,” explained Concordia Chief Information Security Officer Mike Popoff.

New sports leagues are being created in several postsecondary communities. At Brock University, three new Community Sport Leagues—volleyball, pickleball, and ultimate frisbee—have been launched for adults in Niagara. Brock says that the leagues will help community members stay active and build connections. Cégep de Chicoutimi has created a Division 3 women’s flag football team, which will offer participants the opportunity to compete at a more competitive level. On Prince Edward Island, Squash PEI Member Campbell Webster is working on launching an Atlantic university squash league. Webster hopes that the league will be active by the fall.