April 28, 2025

The Québec Superior Court has ruled partially in favour of Concordia University and McGill University in its recent case. The court struck down the French language requirements and tuition hike that the provincial government attempted to impose on out-of-province Canadian university students in Québec. Judge Éric Dufour reportedly refuted the province’s claims that out-of-province students were not integrating into Quebec society, stating “the evidence shows that the ministry has absolutely no data on this subject, or only fragile information to back it up.” Dufour has given the Government of Québec nine months to revise its fee structure for out-of-province Canadian students and has ruled that the language requirements are immediately invalidated. International student fee increases have been left unchanged.

The Government of Nova Scotia has signed new bilateral funding agreements with its 10 universities, freezing tuition for domestic undergraduate students and introducing performance-based funding tied to government priorities. University Affairs reports that institutions were not consulted before the shift from a multi-year memorandum to individual annual deals. At the same time, universities are facing financial strain from federal caps on international study permits, which have led to sharp enrolment and revenue declines. According to an internal memo obtained by CBC, Acadia University anticipates revenue losses under its agreement, which includes program review requirements and potential funding holdbacks. University Presidents and Association Leaders say the new agreements, along with increased oversight under Bill 12, mark a significant change in how postsecondary education is governed in the province.

Marc Frenette of Statistics Canada has published a study of postsecondary enrolment rates among 19-year-olds between 2001 and 2022. Overall, enrolment for 19-year-olds rose from 46.7% in 2001 to 59.5% in 2019, before declining to 58.3% in 2022. Frenette discusses the differences in these rates and rate changes between 19-year-olds from different parental income groups and from different regions of Canada. Among these differences, Frenette highlights how those in lower income quintiles saw greater enrolment rate increases between 2001 and 2019 and a sharper decline between 2019 and 2022. Frenette concludes by emphasizing the importance of monitoring these trends, as they “represent early indicators of the development of human capital for the economy as a whole, as well as for different segments of the population.”

A recent Radio-Canada article discusses how American students in Canada are planning to put down roots in Canada in response to the US political situation. Radio-Canada spoke to American students from McGill University, who expressed fears about the impact the US’s political climate could have on their chosen careers and funding for their research. Some students have dual citizenship, which they said has made moving to Canada easier, while others noted that they will be applying for permanent residence or are planning to gain Canadian citizenship.

Georgian College and Grey County have partnered to support sustainable development and infrastructure planning in Grey, Dufferin, and Wellington counties. The partnership includes a commitment to building communities that are greener and more resilient, as well as accelerating climate action within the region. Georgian’s Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship department will work with local municipalities and other contributors to assess sustainable construction solutions for these counties. Georgian students will be involved in aspects of this project such as data analysis and market research. “We’re supporting a practical roadmap for local sustainable development while providing students with experiential learning that prepares them to help lead a greener, more resilient future,” said Georgian Director, Research and Innovation Laleh Khodaparast.

Université Laval, Ville de Québec (Québec City), and Québec International have partnered to attract scientists from the US. Together, the partners intend to position Québec City as a welcoming place for American researchers. ULaval Rectrice Sophie D’Amours noted that the political situation in the US has created a unique opportunity to attract both American researchers who no longer feel welcome in their own country and other academics from around the world who had been considering moving to the US. Le Devoir reports that Mayor Bruno Marchand is inviting city residents to donate their tax refunds to the university to help support academic recruitment.

Okanagan College has responded to recent allegations from the Okanagan College Faculty Association (OCFA) about its response to the budget shortfall. According to Castanet, OCFA President Sharon Mansiere told union members that the layoff strategy proposed by the college for some union members falls outside of the collective bargaining agreement. Mansiere said the “plan change has been withheld from the union to this point.” Okanagan VP of Enrolment and College Relations Jenn Goodwin told Castanet that the allegations are false and that Okanagan “is committed to following the processes laid out in legislation, our collective agreements, and institutional policies.”

Red Deer Polytechnic and York University have received donations from banks to support the creation of new labs and research sites on campus. RDP will be using a $600K donation from the RBC Foundation to establish the Energy Test Hub. This hub will provide students with training and will advance RDP’s goal of being a Net Zero Energy campus by 2031. At YorkU, the Schulich School of Business has received $1.5M from BMO to establish the BMO Future Leaders Finance Lab. This Finance and AI lab will provide undergraduate and graduate finance students with hands-on learning opportunities using cutting-edge technology and digital finance tools.

The University of Regina’s Independent Office of Internal Audit has reportedly completed its review of the URegina Women’s Centre annual general meeting that was disrupted in March. CTV News states that the auditor determined that several attendees engaged in behaviors that could be considered disrespectful, intimidating, or disruptive. The university will now be assessing these actions to determine if they violated university policies. It will not be pursuing the allegations related to racial discrimination, physical harassment, or privacy violations; CTV News reports that these allegations either had insufficient evidence or were “out of scope.” According to Regina Leader-Post, the centre successfully held its annual general meeting this month, without incident.

Concordia University and the University of New Brunswick each recently launched new research centres on campus. Concordia’s new Collaboratoire pour les études des jeux de hasard et d’argent numériques connectés (CHANCE) research centre is a lab and knowledge-sharing space designed for those studying and sharing information about gambling behaviour. The collaboratory includes a space that simulates a natural gambling and social environment as well as a collaborative area for researchers, the public, and other stakeholders. UNB recently celebrated the official opening of its Institute of Population Health (IPH), which is focused on enhancing public health through outreach, collaboration with academics and researchers, and knowledge mobilization. IPH priorities include advocating for better health outcomes and supporting multidisciplinary research.