February 24, 2025

Government of Canada Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Marc Miller has called for the postsecondary sector to diversify its source countries for international students. “Universities and colleges have been going to one or two source countries,” said Miller. “You have to be able to invest more in the talent you’re bringing here, and that includes going to more countries.” Isaac Garcia-Sitton (Toronto Metropolitan University) told The PIE News that systemic barriers such as slow visa processing times “make it difficult to turn this goal into a reality.” Vinitha Gengatharan (York University) added that many institutions have already diversified their sources and that a call for diversification must be accompanied by adequate resources.

Concordia University has partnered with the National Bank of Canada on a $1.5M research project that will advance the development of trustworthy AI systems. The collaboration will develop techniques to seamlessly integrate AI into the software development lifecycle and verify that AI-generated software components are trustworthy, secure, and reliable. The partners will also train graduate students in AI-based software system development and give students internship opportunities with National Bank. “This collaboration aims to create actionable knowledge and advanced technologies essential for the future of AI,” said Concordia Professor Emad Shihab. “The research will not only benefit National Bank but also provide valuable insights and solutions for the broader AI community.”

Loyalist College’s Board of Governors has confirmed that it will be indefinitely suspending 24 programs as part of its efforts to address a projected $40M loss of revenue for the coming year. Quinte News reports that the cut programs include Architectural Technology, Cloud Computing, Financial Technology, and Public Relations – Event Management. Loyalist President Mark Kirkpatrick asserted that the federal international student cap was a driving factor in the college’s financial situation. “As we go into next fiscal, we’re anticipating […] somewhere in the neighbourhood of 1,500 less international students,” said Kirkpatrick. With the announced program cancellations and a 20% reduction in staffing, the college still anticipates a $1.5M budget shortfall for the upcoming year.

Several Québec institutions have recently established partnerships to create new pathways to degrees and diplomas. Collège de Bois-de-Boulogne and the Université du Québec à Montréal have established a DEC-BAC pathway that will allow college students in the natural sciences to bridge into a baccalaureate degree in chemistry, biochemistry, or the environmental sciences. Students will have three courses recognized toward their baccalaureate degree and will be exempt from select fees. HEC Montréal recently expanded its Specialized Graduate Diplomas (DESS) – International Pathway program through partnerships with two Belgian postsecondary institutions: ICHEC Brussels Management School and HEC Liège. Participating ICHEC and HEC Liège students will complete a year at HEC Montréal and earn a DESS in addition to the degree from their home institution.

North West College has introduced Brownie the Buffalo, its new mascot. Brownie will attend community events and competitive team activities with the goal of connecting the college with the broader community. The college explained that the buffalo is symbolic of strength and resilience. It serves as a reflection of the region for international students and reflects the local First Nations communities. To this latter point, North West said that the Buffalo will reflect the college’s ongoing commitment to Indigenization. “The conceptualization of Blair Stonechild that “Education is the New Buffalo” is a key element for the implementation of the College’s indigenization charter and our intention to offer more connection points throughout college life to our indigenous students and communities,” said North West President Dr Eli Ahlquist.

Western University’s Design Thinking Program will continue to provide students with financial support and learning opportunities, thanks to a $1.35M commitment from the Royal Bank of Canada. The investment will support the program and fund 10 $15K scholarships for engineering and computer and data science students. This commitment builds on a partnership in 2019 between Western and RBC through which the RBC Design Thinking Program was launched. “Driving innovation and nurturing talent are at the core of our mission,” said RBC Senior Manager, Tech and Academic Partnerships Patrick Famaran. “Our partnership with Western University plays a critical role in moving technology forward for the benefit of Canadians.”

The Union étudiante du Québec, which represents students from institutions across QC, has expressed concern about the provincial government’s decision to cancel a provincial survey that examined sexual violence on campus. The Journal de Montréal explains that the provincially-funded survey, which was conducted by the Institut de la statistique du Québec, collected data on safety and sexual violence. Union President Étienne Paré and the Université de Sherbrooke Professor Geneviève Paquette commented that the loss of the survey will make it difficult to know if measures taken to improve campus security have worked. The QC Ministry of Higher Education argued that the survey was not the most cost-effective way to gather the data; QC Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry stated that another survey on mental health will collect data on sexual violence.

Brock University has launched a Master of Athletic Therapy (MAT) program. Students will learn how to treat injuries, optimize recovery, enhance performance, and prevent injuries in athletes and in the broader population. The program includes hands-on learning opportunities such as clinical placements and a major research project, to ensure that graduates are ready to enter the job market. The Canadian Athletic Therapists Association has granted MAT provisional accreditation, which will allow graduates to complete the national certification exam to become Certified Athletic Therapists. Brock says this is the first English-based program of its kind in Canada.

North Island College will establish a Seaweed Innovation Hub thanks to over $880K in funding from the Government of Canada. The hub will advance BC’s sustainable seaweed industry with a seaweed seed bank, mobile processing unit, and testing for seaweed dehydration and food processing technologies. It will also help small-scale producers to improve their operations and adopt innovations. “Seaweed presents unique opportunities for both social and economic innovation,” said NIC President Lisa Domae. “This project will help accelerate the Canadian seaweed sector by addressing community and industry needs, driving innovation and advancing NIC’s leadership in the blue economy with the potential for global impact.” The investment is part of a $1.1M investment from PacifiCan.

Ontario Tech University and Humber Polytechnic have announced that they are partnering to help build the workforce for the clean energy transition. The two partners will be bringing together their research expertise and training capabilities to create a workforce pipeline that will meet the energy needs of tomorrow, according to Ontario Tech President Dr Steven Murphy. The two institutions also called for a national approach to clean energy and stated that they will be working alongside other Canadian postsecondary institutions to build a workforce that can support the country’s nuclear developments.