January 19, 2024

The Globe and Mail reports that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is being urged by immigration experts to “crack down” on study permit abuse and target “no shows” who fail to appear on campus at the start of their program. Marie Woolf of the Globe writes that the IRCC’s list of schools with high potential non-compliance rates includes several private colleges in Ontario; an IRCC report in 2021 reportedly found that “no shows” make up as much as 90% of students at some private colleges. “Clearly, for the integrity of, and public confidence in, the student visa program, student visa holders not actually enrolled in school should not be allowed in Canada,” said former federal public servant Henry Lotin, who highlighted the need for better, more timely data on this issue.

At York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School, a recently established Sikh student association is working to reduce systemic barriers to the legal profession and bring together Sikh law students across the country. The association advocates for the Sikh community at the law school and holds awareness-raising events and initiatives. Over the course of 2023, the association helped to establish Sikh Students Associations at Queen’s University, Thompson Rivers University, Toronto Metropolitan University, and the University of Windsor; a chapter is also under consideration at the University of Toronto. The leaders of the association hope to create a Canada-wide network. “We are also hoping to get in touch with BC law schools and then later expand across to law schools in Manitoba and Saskatchewan and at Dalhousie in Nova Scotia,” explained OSSA co-president Dalraj Singh Gill.

In response to a study indicating that 17% of the University of Calgary’s students are neurodivergent, Vanessa Kozielec (UCalgary) has shared six principles that can help support neurodivergent people in their learning and work environments. Kozielec draws on a recent presentation by Jay Haukenfrers and Dr Shane Lynch to summarize strategies and recommendations for each of the six principles: Communication, environment, structure, flexibility, connection, and emotion. On the topic of communication, for example, Kozielec highlights the importance of speaking clearly and asking about the individual’s preferred communication style. “Embracing these six key principles can significantly contribute to a campus environment that promotes well-being for all,” the author concludes.

Researchers from Western University and the École nationale d’administration publique have received funding for research projects focused on health and wellbeing. Western and the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio have received a $6.5M grant that will support the creation of a consortium focused on Crohn’s disease patients. ÉNAP professor Martin Goyette has received $4.7M from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé for a program that will connect vulnerable youth in Quebec with services such as nurses and social workers. The research team includes representatives from Concordia University, McGill University, Université Laval, Université de Montréal, Université du Québec à Montréal, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, and Université de Sherbrooke.

The Atik Mason Indigenous Pilot Pathway program will be coming to Rankin Inlet. In this fully-funded program, students from Northern communities will learn about flight theory, aerodynamics, weather, and aviation laws before learning how to fly. Students will attain a recreational pilot’s license and a private pilot licence during the program and can continue their education at Moncton Flight College if they wish to pursue a commercial pilot license and further training. “It gives a lot of the students the opportunity to fly in and out of their home communities, and that’s something that we’ve seen really good success with our initial Thompson class,” said Exchange Income Corporation Manager Lisa McGivery.

The Université du Québec à Montréal will be offering a new doctorate program in geography. The program will take a holistic perspective on geography and will cover topics such as human geography, physical geography, and geographic information systems. Students will learn about the complexity of geography and learn how to solve problems with a global vision and cross-sector approach. The program can be completed in three years of full-time study or five years of part-time study, starting in Fall 2024.

Five more postsecondary institutions have recently partnered with SpacesShared to bring new housing options to their student communities. Academy Canada, College of the North Atlantic, Keyin College, Memorial University, and Nipissing University have signed agreements with the organization, which operates an online matching service that connects students with older adults who have space to rent in their homes. In addition to bringing an alternative housing option to students, CNA President Elizabeth Kidd commented that homesharing has the potential to “foster intergenerational and intercultural learning and exchange.” Memorial Provost and VPA Jennifer Lokash also noted that they hope alumni will be among the older adults who sign up for the platform.

The University of Toronto and the University of the Fraser Valley have both announced projects related to campus sustainability. U of T has begun construction on what it says will be Canada’s tallest academic mass timber building: A 14-storey building that will house three faculties and schools. The building is expected to become a case study for designers and engineers who can apply best practices from the building to their own projects. UFV has received around $570K from FortisBC to install heat pumps in its Trades and Technology Centre. Six heating and one combined heating/supplemental cooling units will be installed, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by transferring heat between ambient outdoor and indoor air.

Memorial University has published an update on the cybersecurity incident that affected its Grenfell Campus near the start of 2024. The university has confirmed that the incident was a ransomware attack in which an unauthorized third-party gained access to the campus’s network and encrypted data, rendering Grenfell IT services unavailable in the process; personal information does not appear to have been comprised by the attack. Memorial is continuing to work with law enforcement.

Emergency crews were onsite at the University of British Columbia Thunderbird parkade on Wednesday after a vehicle crashed through a barrier on the parking garage’s second storey. The vehicle reportedly crashed through a concrete wall and fell to the first level; the concrete barrier was found hanging precariously above the vehicle. Vancouver Fire Rescue Services spokesperson Matthew Trudeau said that the location and position of the vehicle, as well as concerns about the structure of the parking garage, made the process of rescuing the vehicle’s occupant more complex. RCMP spokesman Staff Sgt Kris Clark stated that the building may have suffered structural damage.