April 5, 2024

Dalhousie University has launched its $750M Bringing Worlds Together fundraising campaign. The campaign will raise funds for initiatives such as the creation of more student scholarships, Dal’s Biomanufacturing Bridge, and a new community clinic to bring services to underserved populations. “Our ambitions for this campaign are to vault us even further ahead in the areas where our impact has the potential to grow exponentially and profoundly change the world,” said Dal President Kim Brooks. Brooks said that this is the largest fundraising initiative launched by an Atlantic Canadian university. Nearly half of the fundraising goal has already been raised.

The Government of Manitoba has released its 2024 budget, which includes several points of note for the postsecondary sector. The budget will increase funding to public postsecondary education to $845.6M and unfreeze funding for adult learning and literacy. To improve affordability, MB has increased funding for Manitoba Student Aid, the Interest Free Student Loans program, and the Manitoba Scholarship and Bursary Initiative. The province has also included several investments into postsecondary education that will support the health care sector, such as creating new health and medical training seats at multiple colleges and universities; announcing dedicated funds for health training spaces and centres; and working with postsecondary institutions to support bridging training and credential recognition for Internationally Educated Health Practitioners.

Government of Ontario Premier Doug Ford recently stated that he does not want international students taking the places of Ontario students at the province’s medical schools. According to the Canadian Press, Ford was discussing York University’s new medical school when he expressed that the ministry will be working to remove the 18% of medical students who come from other countries and stated “I want 100% of Ontario students going to these universities.” The comments have been met with criticism from other politicians and advocacy groups. “The Premier’s comments were wildly disrespectful to the thousands of students and internationally trained physicians with experience from across the world stuck waiting for a residency spot so they can finally practice in our province,” said ON NDP Leader Marit Stiles.

The Government of Alberta has shared more information on its $224.8M investment into physician training in rural areas, which is part of its recently announced Budget 2024. The investment will support collaborative efforts to set up two new Rural Medical Education Program Training Centres: The University of Alberta and Northwestern Polytechnic will establish a centre in Grande Prairie, while the University of Calgary and the University of Lethbridge will establish a centre in Lethbridge. Students will have access to training opportunities in nearby rural communities through the centres. The centres will provide after-hours care to help reduce congestion in emergency departments and will work to address the rural physician shortage by training and supporting family medicine and general practice practitioners.

Concordia University has launched the Standing Together Against Racism and Identity-based Violence (STRIVE) Task Force to address these issues on campus. The task force will use campus engagement initiatives, in-depth consultations, and open dialogue to understand community experiences around identity-based violence and use this knowledge to develop university-wide recommendations promoting a climate of respect, empathy, and compassion across Concordia campuses. “The STRIVE Task Force presents us with an opportunity–made by and for Concordians–to collectively recommit to celebrating diversity in all aspects of our learning, teaching, research and operations,” said Concordia President Graham Carr.

In a recent interview with Radio-Canada, Université de l’Ontario français Rector Pierre Ouellette discussed the changes he would have made to the university’s programming, if he had been rector at the university’s inception. He discusses the university’s first four baccalaureate degrees, which are in the areas of urban environments, human plurality, economy and social innovations, and digital cultures. While UOF was reportedly required to create unconventional programs to avoid competition with offerings at other institutions, Oullette said that there were no questions asked about competition when the baccalaureate in education was created. Looking to the future, Ouellette discussed the process of building a tradition of French-language university education in Toronto and the importance of international enrolment.

Vancouver Island University’s Board of Governors recently approved four program phase-outs in its ongoing efforts to balance budgets by the 2026-27 academic year. The discontinued programs include the Advanced Diploma in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Applications, the Integrated Engineering Technologist program, the Master in GIS Applications, and the Online Learning and Teaching Graduate Diploma. “These are difficult but necessary decisions that reflect a move towards VIU’s financial sustainability and ability to continue to offer programs that meet the demand and interests of our students and the regional workforce,” said VIU Provost Dr Michael Quinn. The VIU Board of Governors also recently approved the university’s 2024-25 budget, which has a forecasted deficit of $8.9M.

The University of Waterloo has received a $10M investment from the Caivan Group to support the launch of the Future Cities Institute (FCI). The FCI will bring together researchers and students to tackle challenges facing urban spaces, covering issues such as city planning, infrastructure, housing, and transportation. UWaterloo will alsoo offer Master of Engineering degree in Future Cities through the institute. “There’s a lot of expertise around the world in very specific areas, whether it’s wastewater management, transportation systems or urban planning policy,” said UWaterloo FCI Director Leia Minaker. “What we’re going to do is accelerate a lot of the excellent work that’s already being done by connecting researchers with partners in municipalities and industries.”

Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Human Resources Management certificate program has received accreditation from the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR) Saskatchewan. The CPHR designation will indicate to employers that program graduates are experts in their field and adhere to CPHR Saskatchewan’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct. “As we renew our accreditation for the Business diploma in Human Resources and extend it to include the Human Resources Management certificate, we affirm our dedication to preparing our students for success,” said Sask Polytech School of Business Dean, Kristen Craig. “This acknowledgment underscores our commitment to fostering robust industry partnerships while upholding the highest standards of educational excellence.”

Thompson Rivers University’s Board of Governors recently approved the creation of the Population Health and Aging Rural Research Centre. Led by TRU Assistant Professor Dr Juanita-Dawne Bacsu, the new centre will conduct population health research to enhance the quality of life for older adults living in rural locations. In addition to leading this research, the centre will host events to showcase research outcomes, create a newsletter and podcast series, offer a seminar series, organize an annual symposium, develop internship opportunities, and lead an interdisciplinary course on population health.