April 27, 2026

The Université du Québec network and l’Académie de recherche et d’enseignement supérieur (ARES) in Belgium have signed a partnership to strengthen research links between the organizations. As a part of the agreement, about 50 researchers from the 10 UQuébec institutions will conduct research at ARES member institutions in Belgium, starting in late 2026. Partners will share practices and tools with the goal of internationalizing their training. UQuébec says that the agreement will also strengthen international connections between Francophonie communities.

The Ivey School of Business at Western University has opened the Donald K Johnson Centre in Toronto. The centre contains technology-enabled classrooms that are designed for flexible, high-impact learning experiences, and larger gathering spaces that will be able to host conferences, forums, and corporate training. Ivey states that the 36,000-square-foot centre was made possible by a $30M gift from alumnus Donald K Johnson, for whom the centre is named. Western President Alan Shepard commented that the centre will create “a powerful environment where leaders learn from one another, challenge perspectives, and share their diverse experiences.”

Two universities have announced increases to their tuition rates for 2026/27. The University of Prince Edward Island has announced a 6.5% increase to domestic tuition and a 7.5% increase to international tuition, according to CBC. Several students expressed their concern about the impact of the tuition increases on their finances in comments to CBC and Saltwire. The University of Saskatchewan announced that tuition for domestic students will increase on average by 2.8%, while tuition for graduate students will increase on average by 4.6%. USask Interim Provost and VP Academic Dr Patti McDougall explained that the increase will help the institution to maintain operations while enhancing the experiences it offers to students.

The École nationale d’administration publique has received more than $3.35M from the Government of Québec to support its work in Gatineau. The institution will use these funds to finance additional spaces, support the development of its presence in the region, and ensure its stability as it continues to engage in teaching, research, and knowledge transfer activities in the area of public innovation. Additionally, the funding will help to consolidate ENAP’s presence in the region and support its activities in an area where municipal, provincial, and federal governments coexist.

Toronto Metropolitan University recently launched a research hub called the Global Migration Institute. Led by TMU Professor Anna Triandafyllidou, the hub brings TMU’s existing migration programs together under one roof. “TMU’s leadership in migration research has advanced critical research, supported evidence-based policy, fostered global partnerships and helped to shape conversations on migration in Canada and around the world,” said Triandafyllidou. “The Global Migration Institute is the next chapter for TMU’s leadership in migration studies, ensuring a lasting legacy of excellence.”

In a recent article for the Chronicle of Higher Ed, Paul Schofield (Bates College) argues against outsourcing pedagogical development to teaching and learning experts who are not instructors. Schofield argues that instructors are experts on the standards for their fields but that it can become an institution’s culture to outsource pedagogical expertise to teaching and learning experts. These experts, argues Schofield, offer generic “evidence-based practices” that may be irrelevant or may not stand the test of time. The author discusses his own experiences with teaching and writing, concluding that faculty members can reclaim the roles they have outsourced to “recover the practical wisdom that comes with treating our individual departments as communities of expert educators.”

Brandon University is launching a new research podcast called Illumination. Hosted by BrandonU VP Research & Graduate Studies Dr Bernadette Ardelli, the podcast invites researchers from across disciplines to discuss different topics in an open dialogue. “Illumination is built around a simple idea: that some of the most important questions we face don’t belong to any one field. They sit at the edges, between disciplines, between communities,” said Ardelli. The first episode will explore generative AI in research and will feature three BrandonU researchers from different faculties, including music theory, computer science, and philosophy.

McGill University is launching a new air travel offsetting program to reduce its carbon footprint as part of its goal of being carbon neutral by 2040. Starting in May, a mandatory fee will be applied to airfare for trips purchased using unrestricted funds. Air travelers accessing all other fund types will be encouraged to voluntarily contribute to offset their air travel emissions. The fees will be used to purchase carbon credits through Planetair, a Quebec-based NFP providing carbon offset solutions. “Given the urgency of climate action, McGill is adopting the Oxford Offsetting Principles,” said McGill Climate & Biodiversity Officer Divya Sharma. “That means we are prioritizing offsets that support meaningful climate benefits in the near-term.”

A recent article from CBC highlights how postsecondary institutions benefit from donating bodies to science. At a celebration of the donors who gifted their bodies to science last week, UAlberta Anatomical Gift Program Coordinator Jason Papirny explained that the bodies are used in a variety of programs, including medicine, dentistry, and kinesiology. These bodies are used to show students real anatomical structures, to illustrate medical conditions, and to allow them to practice rare medical procedures. More than 10,000 people have registered to donate their bodies to the program, according to Papirny, with reasons ranging from a desire to continue teaching after death to attending university for the first time.

Williams Lake Council members recently voted to demonstrate their opposition to a potential closure of Thompson Rivers University’s Williams Lake Campus, according to the Williams Lake Tribune. Members signaled their opposition in a recently-ratified poll about the closure. Williams Lake Mayor Surinderpal Rathor said that the city plans to work with TRU on a “very aggressive” campaign and networking strategy to support the campus’ viability. Councillors Sheila Boehm and Angie Delainey also called for a plan to engage other institutions to replace TRU in the event of the closure. TRU’s Board of Governors is anticipated to make a decision on the closure at its next meeting on June 19.