July 27, 2023

Colleges and Institutes of Canada will deliver the Empowerment Through Skills Program to Tanzanian women and girls, as part of a broader national support effort for Tanzania. CICan will deliver the seven-year, $25M program in partnership with Tanzania’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. Through this program, 17 Canadian colleges and institutes will work with Tanzanian Folk Development Colleges and community-based organizations to increase the participation rates of women and girls in skills training programs; improve access to business, skills, and gender and human rights training; and expand economic opportunities. 7,000 people from across Tanzania are expected to benefit from the program. CICan states that the program is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The University of Manitoba has received a combined investment of $6.4M from the governments of Canada and Manitoba towards the establishment of the Prairie Crops and Soil Research Facility (PCSRF). This 20,000 square foot facility will act as a hub for crop research on topics such as nutrient management, cropping systems, digital agronomy, and breeding. “The PCSRF sets the stage for our researchers to develop an integrated approach to robust agronomic systems that will benefit Western Canadian producers and consumers across Canada for years to come,” said UManitoba Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences Martin Scanlon. The facility is expected to be operational by June 2026.

The British Columbia Institute of Technology has received $3.3M from the Government of British Columbia to develop a mass timber training hub. BCIT will be use the funding to pilot two new courses that will address key knowledge gaps and prepare professionals to meet the skilled labour shortage in the industry. The courses will also complement the institute’s existing mass timber program. “Today’s funding announcement in support of mass timber training is a prime example of how BCIT, government and industry continue to collaborate to identify areas of need, and quickly build talent to support in-demand jobs across the province,” said BCIT President Jeff Zabudsky.

In a recent op-ed for The Conversation, Brianne Selman (University of Winnipeg) and Mark Swartz (Queen’s University) argue that secondary publishing rights should be afforded to academic authors in Canada. The writers explain that secondary publishing rights ensure that publicly funded research can be immediately made available to the public through open access repositories. In so doing, all Canadians would be able to access “information that could help us understand the world around us,” which in turn would drive science, innovation, and cultural progress. Selman and Swartz contend that this is an opportune moment to revisit the potential of secondary publishing rights, as the Government of Canada recently announced a review of its Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications.

Kenjgewin Teg has introduced a new program that equips learners with a diverse range of foundational skills, while supporting their emotional, spiritual, physical, and mental health. Enaadmaagemgad Enizha’yaayin: Helping You on Your Pathway is a free, three-week program built upon the traditional teachings of the medicine wheel. Students will gain valuable insights from Elders and Traditional Knowledge holders while also developing practical skills–such as resume building and professional communication–in workshop settings. “By integrating traditional teachings with contemporary skill development, we are nurturing individuals who are well-equipped to thrive in their educational journeys and beyond,” said Kenjgewin Teg Director of Health and Wellness Whitney McGraw.

The University of Saskatchewan has received a $1M donation from charitable foundation Knight Cares and philanthropist Kevin Knight to support research and care for patients affected by neurological diseases such as brain tumours and strokes. The donation will be used to create The Knight Family Enhancement Chair in Neurological Surgery, which will be held by USask Professor Dr Mike Kelly. In this role, Kelly will establish clinical research trials in areas such as neurooncology, neurotrauma, pediatric neurosurgery, and cerebrovascular diseases.

Turnitin recently announced that its AI detection tool has reviewed over 65 million papers for AI-written text since its launch in April. In that time, the tool determined that six million papers (10.3% of all reviewed) contained at least 20% AI written text and over two million (3.3%) were flagged as containing 80% or more AI-written text. Campus Technology reports that the usage of AI-written text is not inherently misconduct, as this rate does not take into account whether AI usage is acceptable to educators who used the tool or what the stipulations on its usage may be.

Three of Anderson College of Health, Business and Technology’s healthcare programs have received “accreditation with condition” status from Accreditation Canada’s EQual program. Anderson College’s Cardiology Technology, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, and Medical Laboratory Technology programs have each received this status for a two-year period until August 2025. As new programs, “accreditation with condition” is the highest status they can receive. Anderson College Chief Operating Officer Rose Elia said that this accreditation strengthens the institution’s standing in healthcare education. “[O]ur highly qualified graduates are in demand and poised to make a substantial contribution to addressing the healthcare requirements of, and shortages prevalent in, Ontario and Canada,” she said.

In its recent campus plan, Vancouver Community College proposes redeveloping its east Vancouver property to create new housing and learning spaces. VCC President Ajay Patel noted that the province’s funding for the Centre for Clean Energy and Automotive Innovation enables the college to move to the next stage of its campus plan, which includes developing new educational facilities and a series of residential towers, which could provide over 3,000 homes. “It is unlocking the potential to serve the whole region in ways beyond our academic mission,” said Patel. VCC hopes to submit a rezoning application to the city by the end of 2024.

Students at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and Western University were recently affected by a data breach involving Gallivan, a broker that operates the student benefits plans for NAIT’s Student Association (NAITSA) and Western’s University Student Council (USC). Gallivan first learned of a data breach in March 2023 and determined that student names, emails, and dates of birth were compromised. It has since taken steps to address the breach. These steps include discontinuing use of the compromised third-party file transfer service, offering complementary credit monitoring services to affected students, and reporting the incident to the authorities.