April 4, 2025

The University of Regina has terminated its fee collection agreement with the University of Regina Students’ Union (URSU), following a review of URSU’s 2024 financial statements. URegina says that URSU has not undertaken any recommended steps to improve or address its circumstances and as such has lost the university’s confidence in its ability to serve and represent students. The collection of student fees and core student services will continue in Fall 2025. CBC reports that URSU has had a “tumultuous few months” that included controversial motions related to several organizations on campus, accusations that the student union was involved in the disrupted Women’s Centre meeting, and criticisms about fee collection from students from First Nations University of Canada.

Royal Roads University has announced changes to its academic structure to foster greater interdisciplinary collaboration and better support its students, faculty, and researchers. Royal Roads President Philip Steinkamp explained that the changes “reimagine the academy and create new opportunities across disciplines and levels of study.” The university has established three new faculties: the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, and the Faculty of Professional and Continuing Studies. The interdisciplinary studies faculty will house three schools: the School of Climate and Environment, the School of Culture and Society, and the School of Leadership and Management.

The Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) and RBC have released a report on how postsecondary education can be better leveraged to address Canada’s productivity crisis. The authors note that the country’s productivity does not reflect how highly educated Canada’s population is. The report identifies several challenges to improvement on this front, including a disconnect between higher education outcomes and labour market needs, institutional financial difficulties, and a lack of comparable data for assessing the postsecondary system. Looking to the future, the authors identify several areas where government, postsecondary institutions, and employers can improve, including removing barriers to innovation, ensuring work-integrated learning is where it’s needed most, and driving institutional differentiation.

Fanshawe College has suspended future intakes for 40 programs at its main campus, as well as local intakes for five programs at regional campuses. The programs were selected following a comprehensive review of enrolment trends, financial viability, labour market demand, and post-graduate work permit eligibility. CBC reports that Fanshawe, which previously had one of the largest international student populations in Ontario, is anticipating 64% fewer international students next year. Students who have started their program will be able to complete their studies through a teach-out plan. “These are tough decisions and they were not made lightly,” said Fanshawe President Peter Devlin.

Dalhousie University and the Université du Québec à Montréal have each announced new and renewed certificate programs. Dal launched the Certificate in Student Affairs Program Assessment, which it says is the first of its kind in Canada. The program covers the knowledge and skills necessary to accurately evaluate the success of student affairs programs in the college or university context. UQAM has launched a revised entrepreneurship certificate program that focuses on entrepreneurship among Indigenous people, immigrants, and women, as well as among artists.

In a recent University Affairs article, Saroo Sharda (McMaster University) and Clare Warner (McMaster) discuss strategies for reclaiming equity and inclusion in Canadian higher education. Sharda and Warner write that as the sector watches the situation in the United States unfold, those leading equity portfolios must prepare to respond strategically. The authors encourage leaders to reclaim the EDI narrative, recognizing EDI as a framework that recognizes humanity and the inherent rights of all people. Examining the impact of EDI efforts can also help leaders maximize their impact through expanding or reimagining approaches and advocating for greater diversity. “While the current moment threatens to immobilize us, it can equally inspire collective action focused on protecting and honouring each other’s rights and humanity,” conclude the authors.

Students at McGill University and the University of British Columbia have announced strikes as they demand divestment for Palestine from their respective universities. At McGill, students are holding a three-day strike asking that the university divest from weapons manufacturers used by Israel’s government. While the Students’ Society of McGill University urged the university to cancel classes, a university spokesperson confirmed that “[a]ll classes, exams, labs and academic activities will proceed as scheduled.” AMS—which represents UBC’s student body—recently passed a referendum endorsing a strike in late March, during which students called for divestment by not attending classes. A small group of students from UBC Okanagan also joined a preexisting hunger strike to call for UBC to divest.

Algoma University and Brandon University have both witnessed a significant drop in international enrolments for 2025-26. In a report to AlgomaU’s Board of Governors, Interim President Donna Rogers stated that the institution is anticipating a 50% reduction in new, full-time international enrolments for 2025-26. Rogers’ report indicates that AlgomaU is taking several actions to safeguard its future, including implementing streamlined department budgets for all departments to save a forecasted $15M, introducing a temporarily Voluntary Exit Incentive Program, and expanding its graduate level programming. Meanwhile, BrandonU President David Docherty told CBC that international applications to the university plummeted by 56%. BrandonU is currently working with Universities Canada to push the federal government to allow more international students into the country.

At Cégep de l’Outaouais, more than 1,000 people were evacuated on Tuesday following a report received by local police regarding an individual on campus. Radio-Canada reports that the individual, who was suffering from psychological distress, was taken to the hospital for treatment. Evacuees were temporarily redirected to the Collège Heritage, a local high school, or to nearby buses. Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau spokesperson Maude Laverdière shared that no one was injured or endangered during the events. TVA Gatineau reports that the cégep suspended classes for the remainder of the day.

Several institutions marked April Fool’s Day this year with special releases and stories. Collège d’Alma, MacEwan University, and Royal Roads University each issued prank releases: Alma announced the launch of a new “ATM Program” focused on the art and technology of mascots; MacEwan announced that it had hatched the new “MacEwan Magpies” brand for its athletics team; and Royal Roads warned students about a giant peacock—approximately the height of Royal Roads President Philip Steenkamp—spotted in Langford. The Canadian Mennonite University shared the various pranks that its community has pulled over the years, which ranged from announcing a new cross-campus zip-line that would “reduce all of our actual footprints,” to transforming a building’s hallway into a public park complete with sod, trees, and benches.