August 5, 2025

The Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace, and Security at Dalhousie University has received a $1M gift from The Slaight Family Foundation that will be used to bolster emergency prevention efforts in Latin America. This gift will support the Dallaire Institute in scaling up its security sector training and community engagement to train at least 250 additional security personnel. The training, which is already being delivered in Colombia and Ecuador, will be expanded across Latin America. The gift will also support the development of a roster of trainers and will deepen the Dallaire Institute’s work in Colombia to protect children by preventing the recruitment of children as tools of violence and addressing systemic conditions leading to recruitment.

The Government of Alberta has announced that it will be providing more than $8.4M in grants to research labs at the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary. The funds, provided through the Research Capacity Program, will help researchers acquire the equipment they need to pursue research into areas like AI, quantum computing, and wildfire management. “Research and commercialization are essential to fostering economic growth and addressing productivity challenges, and this investment will help Alberta remain globally competitive in a rapidly changing innovation landscape,” said AB Minister of Advanced Education Myles McDougall.

A Quebec Superior Court judge has authorized a class-action lawsuit that names the Government of Canada, McGill University, and Royal Victoria Hospital. According to CBC, the lawsuit alleges that experiments carried out at the Allan Memorial Institute between 1948 and 1964 consisted of unlawful human experimentation. The lawsuit alleges that these experiments were “enabled by the Government of Canada as well as by the Royal Victoria Hospital and McGill University.” CTV News states that plaintiffs will be able to pursue compensatory damages, but will not be able to pursue punitive damages, as the events occurred before Quebec’s Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms came into effect.

Educators should consider the “why” and “when” of AI use when considering integrating AI into their courses, writes Soroush Sabbaghan (University of Calgary). Sabbaghan argues that educators must consider the philosophical questions of why these tools are being used and when it is appropriate to use them. The answer to these questions, writes the author, is dependent on each situation and student and requires the educator to ensure that AI is not displacing the development of core skills. “It is time to stop defaulting to “how” and instead lead the conversation about the values that define when and why AI fits within meaningful and effective learning,” concludes Sabbaghan.

The Government of Ontario has invested more than $2.8M into a project led by the Canadian Institute of Forestry in partnership with College Boréal to support job training for the forestry sector. Institute Interim Executive Director Ken Farr explained that the partnership with Boréal is focused on training 75 workers to work with high-tech harvesting machinery. “The program is expected to become a powerful pathway for younger workers to enter the sector with the operational expertise our forests will need,” said Farr. The institute will also be continuing its Bridge Training initiatives with Lakehead University, the University of Toronto, and the Ontario Professional Foresters Association to expand career pathways for forestry professionals.

In a recent article for the Winnipeg Free Press, University of Manitoba Faculty of Education Dean Emeritus John Wiens argues that debates around grade inflation distract from meaningful discussions about education. Wiens argues that for over six decades, he has listened to arguments about grade inflation and inadequate preparation from all levels of the educational system. He explains the stakes—admissions, scholarships, and recognition—that ultimately drive grade inflation and argues that the typical responses to grade inflation are generally self-defeating. “In my view, everyone involved would benefit from not being drawn into the political “grade inflation” diversion as a substitute for a real meaningful dialogue about why and how we need to educate our young in the first instance,” Wiens concludes.

The Ontario Superior Court has decided to block the Government of Ontario from enacting a bill that would remove protected bike lanes in Toronto that are commonly used by students. University of Toronto Student Eva Stanger-Ross and other applicants levelled a lawsuit against ON regarding the proposed removal of three protected bike lanes that reportedly travel through or near the campuses of OCAD University, Toronto Metropolitan University, and U of T. “Bike lanes are super important for student life,” explained Stanger-Ross. “A lot of students rely on those bike lanes for transportation.” University Affairs reports that faculty members from TMU and U of T also testified in the court case about the benefits of the bike lanes. ON intends to appeal the ruling.

A recent article from Acadie Nouvelle details the social, economic, and academic pressure that students are facing and their resulting mental health struggles. One student told Acadie Nouvelle that facing multiple struggles alone further exacerbates students’ mental health challenges and strains morale. Sophie LeBlanc Roy, co-ddirectrice de la Direction générale de la gestion stratégique de l’effectif étudiant at Université de Moncton, said that international students in particular can feel more isolated, given that they have moved away from their support network and have more limited access to resources. UMoncton has implemented several psychological supports in response, including a stepped care model where staff are trained to recognize signs of distress and refer students to the appropriate resources.

Despite the national aspirations of a productive and prosperous Canada, “governments at all levels have abandoned the postsecondary sector” that those aspirations rely on, writes Polytechnics Canada CEO Sarah Watts-Rynard. Watts-Rynard points to the impact of policies, job losses, and campus and program closures as symptoms of the sector’s abandonment. She then outlines how polytechnic institutions are essential to fulfilling national priorities such as AI, defence, housing and infrastructure, and a unified national economy. “Any grand vision for Canada requires a skilled workforce and a ready supply of talent,” she concludes. “A weakened public postsecondary sector is a risk we cannot afford.”

Assiniboine College has partnered with the Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society to deliver the Green Building and Retrofitting Program. This free, online micro-credential is focused on teaching green building skills to tradespeople and those who are looking to change careers. Courses in the program will draw on Canadian case studies, scenario-based tasks, and Q&A sessions. Participants can also access a separate work-integrated learning component through provincial service providers. The program is open to individuals from across Canada, with space for up to 1,600 students.