April 9, 2025

The University of British Columbia has officially opened the Gordon B Shrum Building, which will house the School of Biomedical Engineering. The building—reportedly Canada’s first purpose-built facility for biomedical engineering—includes specialized labs, collaborative research spaces, and teaching facilities. Researchers, students, and members of industry will come together in the lab to engage in research and innovation related to biomedical engineering and the life sciences sector. The $139.4M building project was supported by funds from the Government of British Columbia and other donors; it is named in honour of the late philanthropist Gordon B Shrum.

The City of Montréal, the Government of Québec, and UTILE are partnering to construct “UTILE Griffintown,” a new student accommodation building in Montréal’s Griffintown borough. It will host 285 affordable student housing units, which include a mix of studio and one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. The site will open in 2027 and represents an $87.7M shared investment from the partners. In a statement, QC Minister of Housing France-Élaine Duranceau explained that the housing crisis particularly affects students who leave their hometowns to pursue education. She added that UTILE Griffintown will expand the amount of affordable housing available for Montréal’s student population.

Calgary Police Service has arrested and charged two men from Ontario in connection with a scam targeting students at the University of Calgary. The two suspects reportedly posed as UCalgary employees and approached students on campus, telling them that they had excess inventory of projectors that they were willing to sell at a discounted price. According to police, one student agreed to purchase a projector and accepted a ride from the suspects to the bank; the suspects then took the student’s money and left without giving them a projector. The student then reported the incident to campus security. Calgary police believe that the suspects have visited multiple campuses across Canada with this scam.

McGill University has moved to end its contractual relationship with the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) following a three-day pro-Palestinian protest last week that involved incidents of vandalism. In an email to students, McGill Interim Deputy Provost Angela Campbell said that SSMU has not been “unanimous nor explicit in dissociating itself from or rejecting groups […] that endorse or engage in acts of vandalism, intimidation and obstruction as forms of activism.” SSMU President Dymetri Taylor responded that the society did not promote acts of vandalism and urged striking students to follow the code of conduct. McGill and SSMU will enter a two-week mediation before a final decision is announced in June.

As the US experiences what CTV News calls an “emerging exodus of researchers,” several governments and organizations in Canada are working to recruit this talent. CBC reports that the Government of British Columbia and Government of Manitoba have taken steps to actively recruit American health professionals and support researchers, while the University Health Network has also announced a $30M campaign focused on attracting 100 early career scientists to Canada “from the US and beyond.” UHN will be providing these scientists with mentorship, training, and research funding support. “What [UHN] is doing is interesting and refreshingly different. I don’t think many Canadian universities have gotten their act together,” said McGill University Canada Research Chair in Epidemiology and Global Health Dr Madhukar Pai.

Several postsecondary institutions across Canada are marking Earth Month with eco-friendly initiatives and events. Centennial College is hosting cross-campus pop-up engagement tables and a “Recharge the Planet” Eco Fair. Royal Roads University is holding a seed-bomb-making workshop, film screenings, webinars, discussions, and a litter clean-up initiative. York University is encouraging its campus community to participate in tree planting opportunities, a micro lecture series on sustainable living, and a campus cleanup event.

The University of Prince Edward Island’s Atlantic Veterinary College has received full accreditation from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education. The accreditation status has been granted for seven years, which UPEI says is the maximum length granted by the association. The accreditation process reportedly involves a detailed self-study report and a visit from AVMA representatives including interviews, program evaluations, and an inspection of facilities. “This recognition reaffirms our role as a leader in veterinary medicine in our region and beyond,” said UPEI AVC Dean Dr Dominique Griffon.

A team led by Université du Québec à Montréal Professor Stéphane De Souza has been awarded $1M to research the extraction of critical and strategic minerals. De Souza will work with UQAM graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi professors, and industry partners. The team also has future collaboration plans with the Cégep de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Cégep de Sept-Îles, Cégep de St-Félicien, and the Centre d’études collégiales de Chibougamau. Together, the team will conduct research at mining sites in James Bay, Nunavik, Gaspésie, and Abitibi-Témiscamingue, where they will investigate new techniques for exploring minerals such as lithium, copper, nickel, and platinum. The funding comes from the Consortium de recherche et d’innovation en transformation métallique and industry partners.

Dalhousie University’s new College of Digital Transformation—a collaboration between the Faculties of Management and Computer Science—has received $1M from Scotiabank to diversify the field of digital transformation. Using this gift, the new college will work with equity-deserving groups to enhance their representation in sectors related to rapid technological change. The college will also provide students with wraparound supports such as counselling, mentorship, and career development. “Technology is not neutral—its systems and algorithms reflect the values of its makers and those who implement them,” said Dal President Dr Kim Brooks. “With Scotiabank’s generous support, we are advancing inclusive innovation that drives economic growth and strengthens communities—and we’re deeply grateful for their partnership.”

A team of art education researchers led by Concordia University faculty member jessie beier are exploring the intersection between art education, accessibility, and AI. The project—titled Learning Machines—explores how AI and other new technologies are used in education and how they transform perceptions of learning experiences, creativity, and pedagogy. “We are really thinking about how these technologies might shift us to ask questions about what education, intelligence, artificiality and even creativity are,” said beier. With this project, the researchers hope to spark new discussions around the role of AI in education—especially art education—and the accessibility of new AI technologies.