April 8, 2025

Collège Boréal has officially opened its expanded Ottawa campus. This expansion includes the addition of a student success centre, student lounge, and hands-on learning spaces such as wet labs and an animal x-ray room. At the expanded campus, Boréal will also offer five new programs: Social Entrepreneurship, Human Resources Management (Graduate Certificate), Fitness and Health Promotion, Funeral Director Class 1, and Funeral Director Class 2. “Collège Boréal continues to work with other institutions in the college and university sector to expand access to postsecondary education in French and provide Franco-Ontarian youth with employment opportunities that match their diverse skills,” said Boréal Daniel Giroux.

In Québec, postsecondary institutions are adapting their medical training to consider the growing population of aging patients and equip doctors to meet their needs. McGill University, Université Laval, Université de Montréal, and the Université de Sherbrooke all offer specialized training in geriatrics; however, several have struggled to recruit medical students for these programs. UMontréal geriatrics programme director Dr Josée Filion says this is a common problem across medical schools in Canada. The Association des médecins gériatre du Québec is calling for improved training outside of the university curriculum that will equip medical professionals to work in geriatrics.

The University of Toronto has launched the Wolf Scholars Program. Developed in partnership with the Wolf Cooper Foundation, this program will provide 16 undergraduate students with full scholarships, along with access to leadership developmental opportunities such as seminars, travel, and internships. “The Wolf Scholars Program is designed to provide a small, extraordinary cohort with a nuanced understanding of the world, a framework to tackle opportunities, and the tools to become future innovators, builders, and leaders,” said Wolf Cooper Foundation Chairman Andrew Sheiner. U of T will begin accepting applications for the program this Fall.

The Government of Saskatchewan will discontinue its Grade 12 provincial examination program by the end of August 2025 as part of its transition to a province-wide student assessment program. West Central Online reports that the new assessment program is intended to be more equitable, improve overall student achievement, and ensure a consistent understanding of what it means to be at grade level. SK states that adult learners and home-schooled students will be able to enrol in and earn credits for Grade 12 courses through the Saskatchewan Distance Learning Centre or qualifying postsecondary institutions.

Collège Ahuntsic has suspended all study- and athletics-related trips to the US for the 2025-26 academic year. In a message to its community, the college said the decision was made in light of recent actions taken by the US administration that have raised concerns about the predictability and safety of travel. The suspension will remain in effect until the college is assured that all trips can safely and reliably resume. Ahuntsic’s Direction des études et le Bureau des activités internationals will support any affected departments in finding suitable alternatives to US travel.

George Brown College is partnering with the Royal Canadian Navy to foster experiential learning opportunities and establish new pathways to culinary education. Through this collaboration, George Brown will offer paid work-integrated learning (WIL) experiences with the Navy for current culinary students and establish structured pathways for veterans to transition into the college’s culinary programs. Additionally, eligible serving members who have been employed as a cook in the Navy will be granted credit toward a culinary diploma or degree. “This collaboration not only provides our students with invaluable hands-on experience but also highlights the leadership, discipline, and adaptability that military members bring to the culinary industry,” said George Brown President Dr Gervan Fearon.

Memorial University has shared its draft Indigenous verification policy and procedures. The university has invited its community members to review and provide feedback on its Indigenous verification policy and procedures. The policy outlines a verification process for applicants, including details on document verification. “This draft policy is an important tool that, once implemented, will help ensure that Indigenous-specific opportunities at Memorial go to people who are Indigenous,” said Memorial VP (Indigenous) Catharyn Andersen. “It is also an essential step in our reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.”

Saskatoon Police Service’s (SPC) hate crimes unit is investigating an incident at the University of Saskatchewan. CBC reports that last week, an unknown user or users joined a recent online presentation of USask’s general academic assembly, and—according to Saskatoon police—posted “inappropriate images and video while voicing hateful rhetoric.” SPC and the USask’s Protective Services department are collaborating to investigate the incident as Wilful Promotion of Hatred. USask confirmed that there is no threat to its IT systems and that it is working with police to identify suspects.

The University of Waterloo’s Laboratory on Innovative Technology in Medical Ultrasound (LITMUS) and ContextVision have signed a research agreement focused on advancing ultrasound diagnostics. Specifically, the partners aim to develop technical and clinical expertise to further the field of liver imaging. “This partnership is an excellent example of academia and industry working together to bring potentially life-changing solutions to clinical practice,” said UWaterloo Professor Dr Alfred Yu. “We are looking forward to applying our next-generation quantitative ultrasound techniques as part of this collaboration to enhance [metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease] diagnostics.”

Statistics Canada recently published a study on the use of official languages at home and the academic path of graduates in Canada. It found that in 2021, most postsecondary graduates whose mother tongue was a minority official language (e.g., English in Québec or French outside Québec) attended minority official language or bilingual schools at every stage of their education. However, graduates outside Québec whose first language was French were less likely to attend French-language postsecondary institutions than French-language elementary or secondary schools. Stat Can suggests that this finding may stem from the varying proximity of French-language postsecondary institutions outside Québec. The results of this study are meant to inform the Government of Canada’s Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028.