July 11, 2024

The Government of Canada has proposed amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations that would reportedly compel designated learning institutions (DLIs) to track and report the enrolment status of international students. DLIs would reportedly be required to comply with conditions such as submitting compliance reports pertaining to student enrolment status. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officers would also be enabled to verify a DLI’s compliance with the conditions. Canada states that the amendments would allow IRCC to act against institutions that fail to comply, such as by placing them on a suspension list and/or suspending them from receiving international students for up to 12 months.

McGill University closed its downtown campus on Wednesday to dismantle the pro-Palestinian encampment. McGill stated that the encampment was being dismantled in order “to protect the security of the McGill community and the integrity of our property.” CBC and La Presse report that McGill used a private security agency to dismantle the encampment and that Montréal police were present for support purposes. The campus was closed for the day with events and classes cancelled or moved online. Protesters took to social media to call for support to defend the camp, with several reportedly leaving the camp to hold a demonstration on nearby streets.

The Government of British Columbia has announced $33.7M in capital funding for Simon Fraser University’s new medical school. The funds will be used to design, renovate, and equip an interim site for the medical school at SFU’s Surrey campus. “Through this interim space and the operational funding to support this medical school at SFU’s Surrey campus, we’re taking action to train the doctors of tomorrow and build the primary care workforce for all of BC,” said BC Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills Lisa Beare.

Academics across Canada are rethinking how they will teach and discuss Alice Munro’s work in the classroom, following the recent publication of an essay by Munro’s daughter. Faculty members such as Lorraine York (McMaster University), Neil Besner (University of Winnipeg), Shelley Hulan (University of Waterloo), and Sherrill Grace (University of British Columbia) spoke to the Globe and Mail about the impact of the news on their work. “This will, without a doubt, affect the way we teach and write about Munro’s work,” commented York. “I now need to teach her work with this painful reckoning in mind.” Western University is also reportedly considering its ties to Munro, who graduated from the institution and has a chair named in her honour.

At the University of Ottawa, pro-Palestinian protesters have reportedly decided to end their encampment. CTV News reports that protesters escalated their encampment last weekend by moving closer to Taberet Hall and setting up a barricade. Organizers told the student newspaper The Fulcrum that they decided to vacate the encampment due to stalled negotiations with the university administration and “legal action and police violence at student encampments across the county.”

The University of Manitoba recently approved changes to its Master of Laws (LLM) program. Starting in September 2025, students can choose between completing either a thesis or course-based LLM. Additionally, applicants will no longer be required to have a Juris Doctor or a Bachelor of Law degree but can instead apply with a non-law degree that is relevant to their research area. “The benefits of these new program features are significant for both the legal community and Manitobans,” said UManitoba Dean of Law Dr Richard Jochelson. “They enhance access to justice, promote citizen advocacy, and provide more opportunities for individuals to pursue legal education for the betterment of others.”

The Government of Canada is investing $9.3M through the Aquatic Ecosystems Restoration Fund to support Canada’s coastal aquatic ecosystems. As part of this funding, the University of Victoria and the Kelp Rescue Initiative will receive $3.68M over four years. The partners will use the funds to develop and apply methods for culturing and out-planting giant and bull kelp in southern British Columbia in partnership with local First Nations. “This new funding will help advance the critical science that is needed to understand how best to restore kelp forests, and to begin this important work,” said UVic Professor Julia Baum. “We’re exciting to be building partnerships with, and developing this work, with local First Nations around Vancouver Island.”

The University of Calgary is partnering with TELUS and the Alex Community Health Centre (The Alex) to provide mobile diabetes screening to vulnerable Calgarians. The partners will work together to add diabetes Point of Care Testing to the suite of healthcare services offered by the Alex Mobile Care Clinic. “Through our previous shelter-based diabetes outreach program, we were able to help a number of people but we realized there are so many people in Calgary who aren’t being reached,” said UCalgary Associate Professor Dr David J T Campbell. “Being able to take our program mobile through the Mobile Care Clinic allows us to offer full-service diabetes specialty care services to people who face barriers to accessing care in traditional hospital-based clinics.”

Protesters staying in the encampment at the University of Guelph have announced their intent to voluntarily dismantle the camp by July 15. In a written statement, the demonstrators said that this timeline allows them to dismantle the camp safely and without damaging camp materials, which they will donate to those struggling as a result of the housing crisis. This announcement comes after UoGuelph delivered a trespass notice that warned the protesters of potential legal action. UoGuelph President Charlotte Yates said that the university will pause legal action provided that the encampment is disbanded by 9 am on Monday without incident.

Cégep de Baie-Comeau has received $1.3M from the Government of Québec to upgrade its athletics track and better support the needs of its athletic community. Cégep technician Anne Tremblay explained that the track–which was originally built in the early 1980s–has become outdated and obsolete to the point of being underused by the cégep’s sports teams, the cégep’s physical education classes, and local community members. The funds will be used to add a synthetic coating to the track; the project is expected to be completed in Spring 2025.