August 11, 2025

Cégep de l’Outaouais and Collège Héritage have signed an agreement that will see the construction of a $36M student housing facility in the Outaouais region by 2029. This building will be located less than three kilometers from the institutions and will contain approximately 240 student housing units, with Cégep de l’Outaouais taking on more of these housing units. The units will then be offered at affordable rates to ensure that postsecondary education is more accessible in this region. Cégep de l’Outaouais directeur général Steve Brabant said that this project will be financed through a public-private partnership. The Government of Québec has contributed $265K to support the finalization of plans and start of the construction.

In a piece for The Conversation, Jacquie Gahagan (Mount Saint Vincent University), Dale Kirby (Memorial University), El Jones (MSVU), and Kristyn Anderson (Dalhousie University) argue that access to postsecondary education is critical to support success for former youth in care. The authors write that the lack of support for youth at key transition points leads to a cycle of poverty, homelessness, and criminalization. They argue that providing youth with access to postsecondary education through supports such as tuition waivers, housing supports, and mentoring would reduce costs associated with incarceration and support resilience and success for former youth in care. “A national commitment to educational equity for youth from care is a sound fiscal strategy and a transformational approach to ensure all youth in Canada can benefit from postsecondary education,” state Gahagan, Kirby, Jones, and Anderson.

Thompson Rivers University is pausing funding for its planned honours college for up to two years, reports Castanet. The honours college—originally expected to launch this Fall—would have offered additional courses, seminars, and learning opportunities to enrich students’ degrees. “This pause will help us to reflect on how to further strengthen the business model for the TRU honours college,” said TRU President Dr Airini. Castanet reports that while the program had anticipated around 100 students, only about one fifth of that had enrolled.

In a recent article for the evoLLLution, Karla Barron (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology), Partha Roy (NAIT), and Scott Biggs (NAIT) discuss the importance of market research and data when developing a new program. “We no longer have room for guesswork,” they write. “Programs must land. They must deliver value for learners and employers, and they must do so quickly and efficiently.” With this in mind, the authors explain how research and data can be used to identify needs, prioritize limited resources, and build internal confidence in a potential program. They also discuss some of the tools and principles they have used to gather and share research insights in program development.

Saskatchewan Polytechnic has laid off 14 employees and confirmed that it will not fill an additional eight vacant positions. These layoffs follow 27 job cuts made in April. In a statement to the Regina Leader-Post, Sask Polytech cited declining international enrolment—driven by federal immigration changes—as the primary cause. The Saskatchewan Polytechnic Faculty Association (SPFA) claims the institution is facing a $15M budget shortfall. SPFA President Michelle Downton called on the province to increase funding to reduce postsecondary institutions’ reliance on international tuition.

Two universities have announced the creation of new research chairs. The University of Manitoba has created the UM Research Chair in Potato Sustainability, which is focused on innovation and sustainability in Manitoba’s potato industry. The inaugural chair will be Dr Linda Schott, who will study soil productivity, irrigation, disease management, and variety development. The Université du Québec à Montréal has created a new research chair focused on adapting municipal infrastructure to climate change. The chair will be jointly held by Juste Rajaonson (UQAM) and Francis Marleau Donais (École de technologie supérieure), who will help Québec’s municipalities adapt to current and future climate challenges.

The York University Islamophobia Research Hub has published a report on the trends in Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian racism, and anti-Arab racism in Canada. The report contains a section on academic freedom and student safety, in which the authors state that there have been “extraordinary attempts and measures to silence students, faculty, and staff.” The authors point to several examples where members of the postsecondary community faced investigations, bullying, or reprimands for actions such as speaking out about the war or wearing a traditional kaffiyeh. Among its recommendations, the report calls for the creation of advisory tables focused on anti-Palestinian racism on campus and independent reviews at postsecondary institutions to examine the response to anti-Palestinian racism.

McGill University’s McGill Athletics has unveiled an updated, modernized logo for its varsity teams. The logo includes a red M, which 3DownNation says is intended to pay homage to the original logo worn by the university’s student athletes in 1898. McGill Athletics explains that the logo was drawn from archival research and stakeholder feedback. It will come into use this Fall, appearing on varsity uniforms, merchandise, and promotional materials. “This isn’t just a logo—it’s a celebration of identity, community, and tradition,” said McGill Athletics and Recreation Executive Director Geoffrey Phillips.

In a new article for Inside Higher Ed, Ray Schroeder outlines the latest generation of AI—agentic AI—and how it can be used in the postsecondary setting. Schroeder explains that agentic AI differs from the “passive research assistant” nature of generative AI by acting more like a “project manager” that is capable of planning and executing processes from simple commands. In student recruitment and admissions, these tools are capable of engaging prospective students 24/7 with tailored outreach, he writes, while in teaching and learning, they function as autonomous tutors that can adapt to each student’s learning pace and style. In his concluding notes, the author encourages readers to experiment with these tools as they become available and consider who at their institution is responsible for “leading the move to agentic AI.”

Trent University has officially opened the Lightbody Drive Shed, the first building at its new 60-acre Trent Farm Research Centre. The centre aims to address key challenges in Canadian agriculture, including climate change, carbon sequestration, and sustainability. The Lightbody Drive Shed will serve as a work and storage space for those conducting fieldwork. “This new facility builds on more than a decade of research and hands-on learning in sustainable agriculture at Trent,” said Trent President Dr Cathy Bruce.