June 16, 2026

The Université de Montréal has received more than $200M in funding from the Government of Canada and the Government of Québec to support the second phase of its MIL Campus Science Campus project. The funds will be used to construct two pavilions at the university, which will host the institution’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Department of Computer Science and Operations Research, and the Courtois Institute. They will offer a mix of learning and study spaces, office and meeting spaces, specialized and laboratory spaces, and more. Work will begin this summer, with the infrastructure’s completion in 2029.

McMaster University received a $50M donation from the McCall MacBain Foundation that will be used to support research, community practice, and training for health leaders focused on extending lifespans. The endowed gift will be used to establish the McCall MacBain Kinesiology and Healthspan Institute, which will bring together interdisciplinary collaborators to advance cutting-edge research on healthspans—the years of life lived in good health—and turn it into real-world impact. The funds will also support the creation of four McCall MacBain Chairs in Healthy Living, as well as the Marcy C McCall Kinesiology Scholarships.

The Government of Alberta has selected the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy to lead an independent analysis of the impacts that secession would have on Albertans. UCalgary’s report will provide voters with information about the estimated costs of transition, economic impacts, and potential savings and risks associated with AB separating from Canada. AB has also appointed an expert advisory panel to provide input and serve as a consultative body for UCalgary’s School of Public Policy and the government. The school will have independent control over the final report, with the advisory panel reviewing the findings and providing a written assessment.

Ashkan Yazdi Zadeh and Roger Pizarro Milian (University of Guelph) recently analyzed 30,000 Canadian student job postings that appeared on Intern Insider to understand the supply of student job opportunities. Using data from March 2025 to May 2026, Yazdi Zadeh and Pizarro Milian found three trends. First, they noted sizeable geographic imbalances, with major metropolitan centres having a substantial share of the job ads. Second, demand was highest in the applied and professional fields, while several liberal arts majors were not as strongly represented. Finally, the most sought-after skills were “soft” skills. The authors explain that these findings highlight the potential for targeted investments in northern and remote communities, more early exposure to work for liberal arts graduates, and institutional support for soft skill acquisition.

Collège nordique francophone, the Association des francophones du Nunavut, and the Association franco-yukonnaise have taken another step towards the creation of a pan-territorial postsecondary structure in Canada’s North. In May, the partners finalized the governance model for the planned structure. Collège Nordique will be supported by campuses in Whitehorse, Yellowknife, and Iqaluit. The partners say that this approach will expand French-language education opportunities to better address the labour market, as well as to strengthen francophone communities in the territories. The partners expect the pan-territorial approach to begin operation by 2028.

Nipissing University will receive more than $2.8M from the Government of Ontario for the launch of a Bachelor of Community Planning program at the university. The program will train more community planners with a focus on small- and mid-sized communities found in Northern Ontario. Nipissing President Kevin Wamsley expressed gratitude for the province’s support, adding that “[b]y combining strong academic foundations with practical, community-based experience, we are preparing graduates to help build sustainable, thriving, and inclusive communities across Northern Ontario and beyond.” The first cohort of students is expected to enter the program in Fall 2027.

In a Policy Options article, Louis Volante (Brock University) argues that universities need to ensure their learning assessments take into account rising class sizes, increased tuition, and AI’s impact on assignments. Volante argues that the way forward should not be “subservient to bots” or traditional approaches that cannot be adapted to today’s context. Drawing on his research on cognitive and non-cognitive skills, and their influence on one another and on educational and workplace success, Volante writes that universities must redesign their assessments to connect these learning outcomes. The author concludes by arguing that institutions need more funding as well as consistent approaches and assessment policies to address the issues posed by GenAI.

University College of the North has been selected to lead the University of the Arctic’s Thematic Network on Solid Waste Management in the Arctic. The network will support learning and collaboration in relation to solid waste management in Arctic communities. UCN Associate Professor Dr Anderson Assuah explained that Arctic communities face challenges with waste management due to weather, location, and policies that do not reflect communities’ realities. Assuah added that the thematic network will “work with communities, institutions, and those in the solid waste management value chain to bring about sustainable solutions.” The network currently has eleven partner institutions across five countries, including UCN and Lakehead University.

The Canadian Bureau for International Education recently provided four pre-budget recommendations to the House of Commons. The first two recommendations were to invest in and support a new international education strategy and international scholarship programs, which they said would support the country’s “trade, talent, and diplomatic objectives.” CBIE also recommended the creation of a new Centre for Excellence on International Students, which it says would bring together relevant parties to examine data and improve policy. As their final recommendation, they recommended that the government ensure sufficient funding for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada so that the department is able to “ensure a strong, responsible and sustainable International Student Program that meets Canada’s talent needs.”

The Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne (ACUFC) has reacted to the Government of Canada’s recently announcedAI for All strategy. The association said that the initiatives outlined in the strategy should be implemented with a linguistic lens. ACUFC explained that while equivalent performance of AI tools in French and English is necessary, Francophone minority communities must also participate in the design and adoption of the technologies to ensure that their needs are met. The association also urged the government to ensure that in the Francophone minority context, postsecondary institutions can equitably participate in the commercialization, adoption, and governance of AI tools in French.