August 31, 2026

The Government of Canada announced the first intake of its Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada and Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders programs. A total of $504M will support 64 Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs over the next eight years as they study areas deemed to be strategically important to Canada. Over $37M was also provided to recruit 63 Emerging Leaders over the next year as a part of the Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders program. Canada Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Gregor Robertson explained that the globally competitive funding for these programs will attract researchers from across the world to Canada, strengthening the nation’s research capacity.

Collège Boréal and the Cochrane District Services Board (CDSB) have announced the opening of a new student residence in the former Tisdale Township town hall. Owned by the Cochrane District Local Housing Corporation, the residence will house at least 25 students pursuing French-language education in the region. “Quality accommodations are an essential part of college life, and this project will contribute to a more enriching and rewarding experience for our students,” explained Boréal Timmins Campus Director Mélanie Dufresne.

Roger Pizarro Milian, David Zarifa, David Walters, and Fatemeh Ameli recently published a study with the CD Howe Institute examining bachelor’s degree outcomes across institutional types. The researchers explored labour market outcomes for bachelor’s degree graduates from comprehensive universities, medical doctoral universities, primarily undergraduate universities, and colleges. Among their findings, the researchers noted differences in graduate and second-entry program participation rates across the four institution types, with medical doctoral university graduates showing the highest participation rates and college graduates showing the lowest. Differences in earnings between graduates of different institution types were less substantial, with graduates of medical doctoral universities outperforming their peers by a modest gap. The authors conclude by calling for further research into the factors influencing these disparities and by highlighting key considerations for policy makers.

Cégep de Baie-Comeau and Secteur Éducation Pessamit have partnered to bring the cégep’s special education attestation d’études collégiales (AEC) program to Pessamit’s school community. The program will help school staff to develop the skills they need to better support students with special needs. It consists of remote delivery of theoretical courses one evening each week with an intensive three-week study period during the Summer 2027 semester. Pessamit education director Marie-Josée Simard explained that the collaboration will enable the school community to strengthen the services offered to students in the community.

Mount Royal University has celebrated the completion of the $2M overhaul of its Cougars Stadium Field. The renovations included a new artificial turf, team benches, a digital scoreboard and video board, a sound system, and Cougars-branded fencing around the field’s perimeter. The Calgary Herald reports that the artificial turf will allow MRU’s soccer teams the opportunity to use the field nearly year-round, while opening up the opportunity for community soccer teams and leagues to use the space. The field will be officially unveiled at the men’s soccer team’s home opener in September.

Taking the time to answer the “question behind the question” that students ask can help to ensure better communication, deeper learning, and stronger course design, writes Stephen Baule (Winona State University). The author explains how student questions—which are often framed in “compliance language” related to what is required or what ‘counts’ toward a grade—present an opportunity for instructors to redirect a learner’s attention to deeper learning. “In the process, a routine student question becomes an opportunity for better communication, stronger course design, and deeper learning,” he explains.

As students begin to move-in to their residences and homes near campus in advance of the school year, postsecondary institutions are encouraging them to be good neighbours. Queen’s University, the City of Kingston, and Kingston Police are running the University District Safety Initiative until September 13. The initiative allows for increased consequences for existing bylaw and provincial offences during periods of high student activity. St Francis Xavier University VP Students Elizabeth Yeo told 98.9 XFM that the university is running a good neighbours house calls program, where teams of university and community representatives visit student neighbourhoods.

The Yukon School of Visual Arts is using the historic Dawson Daily News building to teach students letterpressing. The space—which is a recognized federal heritage building in Dawson, Yukon—was updated by Parks Canada to ensure the building was able to host the program. “We don’t need to use letterpress technology, but I think that that’s something we’re working through in the course is, why does it matter to use this old form?” said YSOVA instructor Reed H Reed. “Why does it matter to make things really slowly and to spend a lot of time thinking about composition, thinking about colour, thinking about paper?” Parks Canada Klondike National Historic Sites manager Janice Cliff explained that having the building used by the program is a form of responsible stewardship that gives the public a truer appreciation of the spaces.

Concordia University of Edmonton has joined the Association of Registrars of the Universities and Colleges of Canada’s (ARUCC) MyCreds national network. Students and alumni with an active term record from Winter 2026 onward will be able to access and share their digital transcripts through MyCreds. Concordia Edmonton says that as a MyCreds receiving institution, it will continue to receive transcripts from other MyCreds partner institutions, reducing courier costs and providing real-time tracking for applicants.

Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick and Western Community College have each launched initiatives supporting wellness in their communities. CCNB, the City of Dieppe and Place aux compétences collaborated on the creation and installation of five posters along a local nature trail. The posters invite walkers to slow down and immerse themselves in nature, through a practice inspired by the Japanese practice of forest bathing. Meanwhile, health care workers at Surrey Memorial Hospital can now take advantage of free massages provided by WCC RMT students. WCC Director of Strategic Partnerships Raj Hundal noted that the initiative will help RMT students gain the hands-on practice hours necessary for their RMT qualification.