March 24, 2026

The City of Edmonton has invested $15M into the construction of more than 500 student housing units in the city’s downtown. The project is part of a larger set of housing developments, supported by the CMHC Housing Accelerator Funding. The development projects are expected to be completed in 2027; they are required to remain student units for 10 years following completion. Rents for the units will be set each year according to affordability guidelines, varying based on the type of unit. BILD Edmonton Metro CEO Kalen Anderson explained that the current high construction costs and financing rates make building affordable housing less attractive to developers, and that the investment seeks to “[unlock] projects that otherwise might remain on the shelf.”

The Government of Yukon has announced a 12-month independent review of its Department of Education that will examine its delivery of core services across K-12, postsecondary, and adult education. In particular, the review will focus on improving outcomes for First Nations students, rural students, and students with inclusive education needs. It will also examine opportunities to better include Yukon First Nations histories, languages, and cultures across the education system. The final report will be submitted in 2027 with recommendations for improving supports for learners.

Several Canadian postsecondary institutions have appeared in the UTD Top 100 Business School rankings, which were released by the University of Texas at Dallas. The rankings are based on research publications in 24 leading journals in major business disciplines. The Worldwide rankings included the business schools of four Canadian universities: The University of Toronto (#14), McGill University (#48), the University of British Columbia (#51), and Western University (#94). The business schools of 8 Canadian universities were listed in the North American ranking: U of T (#13), McGill (#37), UBC (#40), Western (#63), Université de Montréal (#72), the University of Alberta (#76), Queen’s University (#91), and York University (#92)

Mount Royal University has received over $5.6M in funding support for the opening of the Alberta Logistics Centre of Excellence. The new centre will be a hub for industry, government, and academia to come together to address ongoing challenges in the transportation and logistics sector. It will help local companies with trade disruption, workforce shortages, and technology adoption by sharing knowledge and providing training and micro-credentials. Students will also have access to new work-integrated learning opportunities.

The Government of Canada has announced $1M to help international francophone graduates from the Université de Hearst settle in Canada. Announced alongside two other initiatives to support Francophone talent in Northern Ontario, this funding will be used to support informational activities, job market transition initiatives, and integration opportunities for students and graduates. “By supporting their pathway to permanent residency, this project will allow us to better prepare them to put down roots here and to contribute in a lasting way to the vitality of our communities,” explained UHearst Rectrice Sophie Dallaire.

Fleming College, the University of British Columbia Okanagan, and the Université du Québec à Montréal have all recently announced updates to some of their programs. At Fleming, the Early Childhood Education program now offers a Leadership Development specialization. This specialization will support working professionals who want to pursue supervisor and administration roles, allowing students to continue to work in the early learning sector. UBC Okanagan has redesigned its BA program to give students more flexibility by letting them take more electives in various subjects. UQAM has introduced a new concentration to its Bachelor of Business Administration in strategic management. The university says this is the first concentration of its kind to be offered in French at a Canadian university.

Higher education needs to be preparing for a quantum future today with quantum cryptography, argues technology writer Tom Mangan. Mangan explains that quantum cryptography will be an important piece of institutional cybersecurity when postsecondary institutions are using quantum computers in the future. He explains that related processes could be used in the future to protect student grades, financial status, and personally identifiable information (PII) from attacks by bad actors with quantum computers. Drawing on a migration roadmap created by the Post-Quantum Cryptography Coalition, he points to next steps for IT Teams such as taking inventory of encrypted assets, creating an accountability system, and engaging with vendors early.

Some Iranian students are asking the University of Windsor to consider changing the flag representing Iran in the university’s CAW Student Centre. The student centre is adorned with flags from numerous nations, according to CBC, including the internationally-recognized flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran. UWindsor student Akhavan Rezaee says that this should be replaced with the country’s former ‘lion and sun’ flag. “I feel like this is not the flag of Iran. This is just a representation of the regime,” Rezaee explained. Toronto Metropolitan University professor Shirin Khayambashi added that this alternative flag is not without its own controversies, as it represents the country’s monarchist movement. “The Iranian flag has always been a heavily political piece of garment,” she concluded.

Thompson Rivers University has officially celebrated the opening of its new campus store. Now located in a newly renovated space, the store is supplied with course materials and both TRU and TRU Wolfpack merchandise. Additionally, the store will provide custom printing and on-demand printing services. During the opening day celebrations, students had the opportunity to win prizes by playing games and enjoy the grand opening promotions. “Wolfie’s Campus Store is more than a store,” said TRU President Airini. “It is a place where pride in being part of TRU is visible.”

Joshua Bay of Inside Higher Ed explores how institutions in the US are teaching students to approach disagreement and political views. Bay highlights initiatives that include faculty development workshops focused on leading respectful conversations and courses where students can learn how to engage in nuanced discussions with people they disagree with. “This generation hasn’t really been taught how to disagree in a way that demonstrates understanding and respect for the person they’re engaging with,” said Kalamazoo Associate Professor Justin Berry. Berry added that by helping students to practice communicating across political divides, the college is helping them prepare for life in a fractured political climate.