July 16, 2025

Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières and the Ville de Drummondville have finalized the university’s purchase of the Drummondville campus and adjacent land from the city. UQTR erected its first building on the land nearly 10 years ago as a tenant. Now that it owns the facility, the university plans to develop new student residences. Drummondville Mayor Stéphanie Lacoste shared that the university could also introduce new on-campus amenities and services, including commercial spaces. The project aims to strengthen regional access to higher education and support graduate retention in Centre-du-Québec. The purchase was made possible thanks to $14.5M in support from QC.

The University of Waterloo, the Centre for International Governance Innovation, and the Centre for the Study of Living Standards have partnered to launch the Canadian AI Adoption Initiative (CAIAI). Co-directed by Joël Blit (UWaterloo) and Danielle Goldfarb (University of Toronto), CAIAI seeks to reverse Canada’s productivity decline and strengthen competitiveness by accelerating AI integration. “This initiative aligns with a growing government focus on AI adoption and will provide policymakers advice on best practices and support in developing the metrics that track country-wide adoption,” said Blit. CAIAI will also support small- and medium-sized businesses with AI “starter packs.”

In a recent article for University Affairs, Sara Cassidy shares excerpts from the convocation speeches given at universities across Canada this spring, which responded to global challenges and “often felt more like battle cries.” Some speeches offered students optimism and emphasized their interest in continued learning, spoke to graduates’ leadership potential, and highlighted the importance of topics such as empathy and purpose. Others addressed urgent challenges and changes facing the world, such as threats to academic freedom, a loss of patience for longform media, and AI’s growing impact.

Several members of the sector are calling on the Government of Québec to reconsider, reduce, or entirely repeal the financial penalty that it levelled against LaSalle College for over-enrolling English students. The Association des collèges privés du Québec has put out a statement calling on QC and LaSalle to negotiate and find “a reasonable, fair, and realistic solution” that would not irreparably harm the college. Political analyst Raphaël Melançon wrote an article arguing that LaSalle and QC share responsibility for the situation. He concludes that a reasonable solution would be to require the college to repay the subsidies in full, while reducing or outright cancelling the $15M penalty. In her column, Allison Hanes decried the student cap and penalties as unfair and punitive. InfoBref reports that LaSalle is appealing the fine in the Superior Court of Québec.

Laurentian University and Collège Boréal have signed a memorandum of understanding that formalizes their shared commitment to furthering French-language education and research. The agreement sets the stage for new educational pathways and partnerships that will help improve access to French-language studies, alleviate Northern Ontario’s Francophone labour shortage, and enhance access to French-language graduate studies. “Through this renewed commitment, our institutions continue working together to improve access to high-quality postsecondary education and enrich the student experience via more exchanges and collaborations,” said Boréal President Daniel Giroux. “Our goal is to train a truly bilingual workforce equipped to meet the job market challenges of today and tomorrow.”

Gen Z students are facing a new challenge to entering the workforce as internships and other entry-level positions are being replaced by AI tools, writes Melise Panetta (Wilfrid Laurier University). These positions, which have historically been used as ladders into the workforce, typically draw on labour for tasks that can be completed more quickly and at a lower cost by AI. Panetta writes that entry-level jobs are already becoming scarcer as the job market is reshaped. However, the author notes that there is still a shortage of certain skillsets, which indicates that roles are evolving rather than being eliminated. “The future of work isn’t about humans being replaced by robots, but about learning how to use the technology to enhance skills and creating new entry points into the professional world,” writes Panetta.

With wildfires in Manitoba forcing evacuations in several communities, postsecondary institutions such as the University of Winnipeg have been supporting evacuees. UWinnipeg’s Axworthy Health & RecPlex is currently being used as an evacuee centre for over 450 Manitobans. The Government of Manitoba has reportedly indicated that the shelter could fit as many as 800 people. The Winnipeg Free Press reports that the large number of evacuees has presented a challenge for the centres and the city: Alex McDougall, interim Grand Chief of Anisininew Okimawin, explained that many of the shelters are “stressed to their limits” in terms of resources.

Gen Z students are facing a new challenge to entering the workforce as internships and other entry-level positions are being replaced by AI tools, writes Melise Panetta (Wilfrid Laurier University). These positions, which have historically been used as ladders into the workforce, typically draw on labour for tasks that can be completed more quickly and at a lower cost by AI. Panetta writes that entry-level jobs are already becoming scarcer as the job market is reshaped. However, the author notes that there is still a shortage of certain skillsets, which indicates that roles are evolving rather than being eliminated. “The future of work isn’t about humans being replaced by robots, but about learning how to use the technology to enhance skills and creating new entry points into the professional world,” writes Panetta.

The University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union (USSU) has penned a letter calling on the Government of Saskatchewan to repeal Bill 137. Global News explains that Bill 137 prevents children under the age of 16 from changing their pronouns or names at school without parental consent and gives parents the option to withdraw their children from sexual education at school. In its summary of the bill’s impacts, USSU argues that this bill has “fundamentally changed how university students pursuing educational studies are learning to teach and explore concepts of identity, belonging, and sexual health.” They write that education students would be “jeopardiz[ing] the safety of youth by increasing risks of mental health crisis, suicide, family rejection, and violence amongst 2SLGBTQQIA+ students as a result of Bill 137.”

The Lionsgate production crew is on campus at Simon Fraser University for part of the filming of Karoshi, a corporate action thriller with “a samurai twist.” Several actors were reportedly spotted on and around campus for filming, including Cynthia Erivo, Teo Yoo, Isabel May, and Takehiro Hira. “I went to campus just to see the filming. I was there for a few hours, got to watch a couple of scenes,” SFU Student Eduarda told the Daily Hive. “Before going on lunch break, Cynthia walked by some of us, and we got to say hi.” The movie is filming around Metro Vancouver until early August.