July 17, 2026

Kwantlen Polytechnic University has partnered with the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) to help postsecondary students across disciplines to prepare to apply AI in the workforce. Through Amii’s AI Workforce Readiness program, KPU will assist with the development of accessible learning resources focused on equipping students with AI literacy skills. The program’s curriculum covers practical applications of machine learning tools, critical evaluation of AI tool output, and bias and ethical considerations. It is designed to assist students throughout their program. “This program is recognizing a gap in the university system—especially within smaller institutions—where our programs are lacking that AI and machine learning training,” said KPU Instructor Dr Nick Inglis.

The Institut national de la recherche scientifique will establish a chair focused on decontaminating soil and groundwater in Québec, thanks to $3.5M from the Government of Québec and TechnoRem. This chair will focus on developing new knowledge and strategies to improve in situ treatment methods to address contamination and to broaden their applications. It will be held by INRS Professor Richard Martel, and will bring together professors, engineers, and field specialists focused on in situ decontamination solutions.

Northern College announced that it will be launching a transition program for Indigenous students in the lead-up to this Fall term. The Indigenous Student Transition Program will provide incoming students with a variety of supports including tours, academic preparation sessions, and cultural programming. Northern College Manager of Indigenous Services Christina Kioke explained that the program was launched in response to hearing that some Indigenous students have found the transition from their communities to the postsecondary environment overwhelming. “The program is carefully designed to help them connect, to make friends, to feel supported and ultimately succeed in their studies during their time with us at Northern,” Kioke explained.

Acadia University President Jeff Hennessy recently responded to an on-campus incident where a group of protesters surrounded Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston’s vehicle and smashed its windshield. Houston was at Acadia to speak to the Annapolis Valley Chamber of Commerce. When he left the building, his vehicle was surrounded, and someone climbed on top of the vehicle. The windshield was smashed during the protest. Hennessy described the actions as “threatening and terrifying” in a recent post. “Acadia will always be a place where respectful disagreement will be encouraged,” said Hennessy. “It cannot be a place where violence, harassment, and intimidation are allowed.”

Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) serve as an important tool in the quest to help students hone their “AI slop detection” skills, according to Meghan E Norris (Queen’s University). Norris asserts that academic circles seeking to teach students about being a “human in the loop” of an AI workflow often overlook teaching the prerequisite knowledge to effectively check facts. MCQs, Norris says, provide a way for students to practice locating correct information amongst plausible-sounding incorrect information. Norris provides several tips to help educators create high-quality MCQs. Norris concludes that instructors should generate and continually revise sample MCQs for students to practice with throughout the semester, keeping refined test-banks for summative assessments private.

Online learning platform Coursera has released its Job Skills Report 2026, which identified the most sought-after skills among its learners. The report examines skills by technical fields including data, IT, and product and software development. Coursera also examined the topic of generative AI as a whole, noting 234% growth in course enrolment in this area over the past year, with similar growth in courses on ethical AI use. The top three most sought-after skills were those in content creation, AI personalization, and generative AI agents. Coursera concluded that AI proficiency is quickly becoming a core competency for employees, with humans transitioning into roles of judges and validators of AI work.

The Government of Ontario has disqualified students at five private career colleges from receiving Ontario Student Assistance Program loans for the coming school year. Four Academy of Learning Career College locations and Citi College of Canadian Careers were those under the disqualification order, with several of these institutions seeking judicial review of the decision. Commenting on the decision, Career Colleges Ontario spokesperson Taylor Buck wrote that “protecting the integrity of the system requires clear rules, consistent oversight, and effective enforcement, and is in everyone’s interest.” “[Citi College] will seek to continue to meet Canada’s labour market demands and serve the needs of students and employers,” said Citi College Director Jaidev Chakravarty.

An early morning fire at an Aurora College housing unit is being investigated by the Fort Smith RCMP. The fire was located at a unit in the Aurora Garden housing complex and was quickly extinguished by firefighters. CBC reports that the housing unit and the adjacent units were vacant at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported. Fort Smith RCMP have deemed the fire “suspicious” and are asking anyone with information about the incident to come forward.

Okanagan College is now certified for B-Pressure welder testing. The college says that it is the first in British Columbia to be certified by the Alberta Boilers Safety Association to conduct this kind of testing. B-Pressure certification allows welders to work on pressure vessels and piping systems, and the credential typically must be renewed every six months. This means that welders in the region who work with these systems have had to frequently travel to Alberta to have their certification renewed. “Being able to offer ABSA-certified B-Pressure initial and recertification testing means our students and local certified welders can achieve and maintain a high-demand, Alberta industry-recognized credential right here in the Okanagan,” said Okanagan Dean of Trades and Apprenticeship Caitlin Hartigan.

Several postsecondary institutions in Alberta are hosting agriculture- and farm-focused events this summer. Lakeland College hosted Alberta Crop Diagnostic Day, which included a discussion of crop management topics such as canola agronomy and pest management. Lethbridge Polytechnic hosted a farm field day where farmers, agronomists, and other industry experts shared practices on a variety of topics, from irrigation to weather to new technology. At Olds College of Agriculture & Technology, the upcoming Prairie Precision Sustainability Network Field Day will cover topics such as precision agriculture and marginal land use, while giving participants the opportunity to see Olds College Smart Farm research projects.