March 26, 2026

Red Deer Polytechnic has received an anonymous $10M donation, which it will use to create an Institute for Financial Literacy, provide capital funding, and create a new Student Access Bursary at the polytechnic. The Institute for Financial Literacy will offer learners hands-on financial education across a variety of personal finance topics, including budgeting, debt management, and investing. The $1.1M portion set aside for capital funding will support the polytechnic’s proposed Healthtech Centre for Applied Learning and Innovation and an expansion of its Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing. RDP President Stuart Cullum thanked the anonymous donor for the gift, adding that financial literacy is “foundational to individual success and economic resilience.”

The Université du Québec en Outaouais has received $3.6M in funding from the Government of Canada’s Regional Defence Investment Initiative to support cybersecurity and defence. UQO will use the funding to establish a cybersecurity laboratory at the university that will simulate cyberattacks facing businesses. UQO Rector Murielle Laberge said that the laboratory will both provide Canada with strategic cybersecurity capacity and position the Outaouais region as a reference hub in the field of cybersecurity.

The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 have been released, which assess over 1,900 institutions across five broad subject areas and 55 specific subjects. Several Canadian universities secured ranks in the top 50 of at least one of the five broad subject areas, including the University of Toronto (#14 Arts & Humanities), the University of British Columbia (#18 Social Sciences & Management), McGill University (#28 Life Sciences & Medicine), and the University of Waterloo (#38 Engineering & Technology). Several institutions appeared in the top 10 for specific subjects, including McGill (#2 Engineering – Mineral and Mining), UAlberta (#3 Engineering – Petroleum), U of T (#4 Nursing), UBC (#4 Sports-Related Subjects), and UoGuelph (#4 Veterinary Science).

The Cégep de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Cégep de Sept-Îles, and Cégep de Thetford have formed a consortium focused on the mining sector. Through this consortium, the partners will pool their resources to offer joint training and applied research, with the goal of strengthening skills development and collaboration. Leaders from the cégeps explained that this consortium will enable them to meet the increasing demands of the mining industry, which has become a key sector in Canada’s economy. The institutions are currently working to develop branding and implement joint projects, with a further announcement planned for later this spring.

The Government of Canada has announced an extension to the temporary increases to the Canada Student Financial Assistance grants and loans for the 2026-27 academic year. This includes the 40% increase to grants and the $90-per-week increase to the Canada Student Loan limit. “We are focused on lowering costs for Canadians, and supporting students as they pursue post-secondary education remains central to this,” said Canada Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hajdu. “That’s why we are ensuring students have the financial supports and resources they need to succeed, build meaningful careers, and contribute to a strong and resilient workforce.”

In an article for the Calgary Herald, Nazak Birjandifar (Mount Royal University) argues that Alberta’s universities are being slwoly redefined by a series of funding decisions, legislative changes, and policy reports. Beginning with the 2019 Blue Ribbon Panel on Alberta’s Finances, the author outlines a series of events that she says have reduced universities to mere “skills pipelines for workforce development” without recognition of their responsibilities on the fronts of cultural preservation, the development of informed citizens, and research. Given the implications for society more broadly, she concludes by calling for Albertans to decide whether they want their universities to be devoted to “immediate economic goals” or to serve their broader purpose.

Four institutions are reportedly considering or engaging in job cuts in response to declining student enrolment and the impacts of the international student cap. Conestoga College is reportedly discussing further layoffs with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union. Keyano College, which is projecting a further 40% decline in student enrolment this year, says that it anticipates layoffs at a scale that will be “similar to last year.” Humber Polytechnic is reportedly moving forward with layoffs of faculty and support staff after a voluntary exit package did not fully address the institution’s fiscal gap. The University of the Fraser Valley reportedly laid off 45 faculty and staff members as part of the institution’s efforts to bridge the $20M deficit for 2026/27.

Institutions in New Brunswick and Ontario have announced new program pathways this week. Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick’s and the University of New Brunswick have established an agreement that will recognize up to 60 credits of CCNB’s social and community service diploma toward UNB’s Bachelor of Social Work program. CCNB President Dr Pierre Zundel and UNB Acting President Kathy Wilson explained that the pathway is designed to meet the high demand for social workers in the region. Meanwhile, Queen’s University has become a pathway partner for Seneca Polytechnic’s Liberal Arts University Transfer program. Under this partnership, graduates of Seneca’s two-year Liberal Arts University Transfer diploma can be considered for admission to Queen’s Faculty of Arts and Science.

Cégep Beauce-Appalaches has announced that its nursing and special education programs will return to its Lac-Mégantic campus. The institution previously paused the programs due to a lack of applications, but both programs have now reached sufficient interest during the first round of applications to warrant offering them. The cégep credits several initiatives for the increase in interest, including community engagement and financial incentives from government and private partners. Cégep Beauce-Appalaches directrice générale Caroline Bouchard thanked the community for their engagement to support the programs, noting the high need for graduates in the region.

Northern Lights College and the Université de Moncton each celebrated the opening of new learning spaces on campus this month. Northern Lights opened a new health lab at its Fort St John campus, which will improve access for learners living in rural communities and help to meet the demand for health care training in the region. “We don’t want to lose a single student, a single, future health-care professional,” said NLC VP of Academics and Research Tara Hyland-Russell. UMoncton officially launched its new hub focused on eco-responsible entrepreneurialism. The hub will offer learners the tools, guidance, and professional network access necessary they need to learn how to integrate profitable, environmentally responsible actions.