May 15, 2024

Protesters have set up new encampments on the campuses of Queen’s University, Université de Sherbrooke, and the University of Windsor, joining the growing number of pro-Palestinian protests across the country. The new encampments’ demands include asking each respective university to divest from companies and organizations connected with Israel. In response to these calls for divestment, Queen’s said that it would review these demands in line with a procedure that requires a written case and a petition of at least 200 signatures. USherbrooke is “evaluating the regulatory and security conformity of the installation” on its campus. UWindsor indicated to the Windsor Star that its investment decisions are made in alignment with the United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Investing.

In a recent article for Times Higher Education, Tara Mahoney (Simon Fraser University) and Scott Neufeld (Brock University) explain the importance of community-engaged research and share their experience in using it. The authors explain that this type of research “makes space for communities to work in partnership with academic researchers,” ensuring that those most affected by a particular research problem are at the table in a decision-making capacity. Mahoney and Neufeld highlight examples of the use of community-engaged research in British Columbia, before sharing several resources for researchers looking to incorporate these practices into their own work.

York University recently announced two new initiatives relating to the technology sector. YorkU received a $1.5M contribution from the Government of Ontario’s Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network to launch Smart Mobility Applied Research and Testing – Toronto (SmartTO). Coordinated in partnership with Centennial College, SmartTO will help entrepreneurs, small- and medium-sized enterprises, and start-ups to develop and test innovative automotive technologies and smart mobility solutions. YorkU also recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology. Together, the partners will engage in collaborative activities in the cybersecurity field, such as knowledge exchanges, resource sharing, and joint workshops and conferences.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) will be investigating the police actions during the clearing of pro-Palestinian encampments on the University of Alberta and University of Calgary campuses. Due to reports of injury, ASIRT will investigate to ensure that officers did not use unreasonable force. In both cases, officers reportedly used force to remove protesters who refused to leave the campus, arresting five people following the protest at UCalgary and three in relation to the demonstration at UAlberta. The University of Calgary Students’ Union condemned the action against the demonstrators and questioned whether the protest “devolved” when counter-protesters arrived.

The opening of the combined postsecondary campus in West Shore has been delayed by a year due to labour shortages and material delays. The campus—which is now set to open in September 2025—will host Camosun College, Justice Institute of British Columbia, Royal Roads University, School District 62, and the University of Victoria, giving students a variety of options under one roof. The campus was designed to help improve the direct-to-postsecondary transition rate in the area by addressing the barrier of long commutes to attend postsecondary education

In a recent CBC article, journalist Jonathan Montpetit tracks how conversations about divestment have helped to unify the pro-Palestinian protest movement across many Canadian campuses. Montpetit discusses how boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) demands in the early 2000s were met with criticism by Canadian politicians and major postsecondary institutions. However, the author explains that the recent wave of campus encampments set up in Canada have effectively used some of the language of BDS–as well as that of newer concepts like settler colonialism–to unite solidarity groups and “shift” the conversation to one that more people can and will engage with. The article points out that while this language is by no means universally accepted, it has served as an entry point for some activists who are new to this cause.

Toronto Metropolitan University has received $3M from BMO toward the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration program. This funding will support research into migration and the Canadian labour market. It will also establish the BMO Newcomer Workforce Integration Lab, which will develop evidence-based recommendations for employers on how they can leverage the talents of newcomers. “This recent gift will help companies address the distinct challenges faced by newcomers as they enter the labour market, and will strengthen their odds for success in their careers and in Canada,” said TMU President Mohamed Lachemi.

HEC Montréal recently signed an agreement with Bocconi University in Milan to offer a dual master’s degree for students looking to expand their international opportunities. Students in HEC’s Master of Management (MM) in Cultural Enterprises program can earn a Master of Science in Economics and Management of Arts, Culture, Media, and Entertainment at Bocconi by replacing their final year in Montréal with a year of study in Milan, while Bocconi students can earn an MM in Cultural Enterprises from HEC by completing their second year of studies in Montréal. Graduates of this program will earn two degrees in two years.

Saint Mary’s University and Acadia University anticipate that the changes made to international student permits will substantially decrease their revenue in the future. CBC reports that SMU’s applicant pool has been depleted and that it expects a decline in revenue of between $5M and $6M. Acadia VP of Student Experience Scott Duguay said that the changes will cost Acadia between $3M and $6M in its first year alone, adding that a decrease in enrolment has a four-year impact. CBC says that the Atlantic School of Theology, Dalhousie University, Mount Saint Vincent University, Nova Scotia Community College, St Francis Xavier University, and the University of King’s College have indicated that they were not anticipating as much of a financial impact.

The Montreal Gazette reports that Moody’s credit rating agency has downgraded Concordia University and is warning McGill University about a weakened financial outlook, due to an anticipated drop in enrolment. The change reportedly stems from the Government of Québec’s tuition hike and policy changes, which Moody’s expects will deter out-of-province and international students. Concordia’s baseline credit assessment and its senior unsecured long-term debt ratings were both downgraded, while McGill’s baseline credit assessment was downgraded and its senior unsecured long-term debt rating remains the same.