May 21, 2026

The Government of Alberta has invested $21M into the Dual-Use Ecosystem for Future Engineering, National Defence and Sovereignty (DEFENDS) program, which brings together AB postsecondary institutions. The DEFENDS program is led by the University of Alberta and includes the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, the University of Calgary, and rural college networks. This funding will accelerate research timelines and will support the construction of three new secure facilities. “This creates new opportunities for students and researchers in leading-edge facilities and builds the skilled talent Alberta needs to grow our economy and compete in emerging defence and aerospace markets,” said AB Minister of Advanced Education Myles McDougall.

Ontario Tech University will receive $5M from the federal government toward the expansion of its Automotive Centre of Excellence (ACE) facility to support the development of defence technology. The funding will be used to expand the ACE Climatic Aerodynamic Wind Tunnel so that it can test heavier, larger vehicles that are under development, as well as aerospace technologies and drones. Ontario Tech VP of Research and Innovation Les Jacobs said that the project will cost roughly $9M in total. “Upgrades will enable higher-speed and higher-capacity testing, positioning Ontario Tech to better support innovation in military vehicles, heavy-duty transportation, and AI-enabled automotive technologies,” said Ontario Tech President Dr Steven Murphy.

The Government of Canada’s External Advisory Panel on the Creation and Dissemination of Scientific Information in French has released a report on the French-language scientific research ecosystem in Canada. The report offers advice and recommendations that will inform development of a federal strategy focused on long-term viability for Canada’s French-language scientific research ecosystem. CICan issued a statement to express its support for the Advisory Panel’s call to review and strengthen funding for applied research. CICan also highlighted the report’s emphasis on the persistent challenges that French-language and bilingual colleges face and expressed its commitment to the report’s recommendations on this front.

International Business University has launched the IBU Signal in order to help students provide employers with validated evidence of their skills and abilities. The IBU Signal is a comprehensive skills record that will provide students and employers with information about competencies, with a focus on human and higher-order cognitive skills such as problem-solving and communication. The university developed IBU signal based on consultations with employers and an analysis of labour market expectations. “The IBU Signal was built from those real-world insights; delivering exactly what graduates have always deserved: validated proof of what they know, what they can do, and how ready they are to contribute,” said IBU Professor of Practice in Future Work and Skills Gina Jeneroux.

Some parents in Canada are paying external consultants anywhere from tens to thousands of dollars to help their children through their postsecondary selection and application process, according to a new article in the Globe and Mail. As entering averages of first-year university students rise, so too have additional requirements like interviews, essays, and extracurricular experience. Academic consultancy CEO Joel Nicholson explained that consultants help students select schools, find scholarships, and develop application strategies in the months or years leading up to their applications. The argument for such consultants may be tenuous in Canada according to University of Toronto Professor Elizabeth Dhuey, who says that there is no evidence that one’s choice of university influences their long-term labour outcomes.

The University of Saskatchewan and the City of Prince Albert signed a four-year Memorandum of Understanding to support the Prince Albert community. The MOU strengthens an existing partnership between the university and the city and formalizes the partners’ plans to work together on priority projects in the city. USask Prince Albert Campus Principal Jay Wilson cited previous projects as past examples of the work done through partnership, including a Substance Use Disorder Toolkit and the city’s new parking app, adding that communication between the partners to identify future projects will be key to its success.

Toronto Metropolitan University has signed a five-year research partnership with Kids Help Phone (KHP), supported by $3.2M in funding from the charitable foundation Wellcome. The funds will support research in the areas of youth, digital, and mental health fields, and the creation of an AI prototype to help train KHP volunteers. The prototype will be built on de-identified KHP transcripts to simulate youth crisis scenarios, and will provide feedback to volunteers about their performance. “Ultimately, these tools will enhance training for health providers and contribute to better outcomes for youth seeking mental health support in Canada and around the world,” explained TMU VP, Research and Innovation Dr Steven N Liss.

Authenticity is the wrong standard when hiring new faculty, argues Mohammed Albakry (Middle Tennessee State University). Albakry explains that perceptions of authenticity are influenced by cultural biases and institutional norms. Committee members may also view authenticity differently from each other, resulting in judgements that favour familiarity. The author writes that this can lead to candidates being authentic “only in institutionally legible ways” and to exclusionary hiring practices made under the guise of collegial language. “Higher education cannot claim a commitment to fairness while elevating an evaluative standard that depends on how familiar, comfortable, or emotionally resonant a candidate appears,” concludes Albakry.

The now-dissolved University of Regina Students’ Union (URSU) has been ordered to pay over $77K to former employee Haris Khan, who was fired without notice in 2024. CBC reports that URSU did not have appropriate grounds to dismiss Khan, failed to complete a thorough investigation before his dismissal, and did not provide him with 12 months’ notice or pay in lieu of notice as outlined in his contract. “Having chosen to give Mr. Khan no notice, URSU is bound by the obligation to make the requisite payment in lieu of notice,” wrote Justice Michael J Morris in his decision. URSU was ordered to pay Khan 12 months of pay for wrongful termination, plus $10K in moral damages.

In an open-access article for Teaching in Higher Ed, Collins Fleischner (Australian Catholic University), Karen Maras (University of New South Wales), and Stephen Marshall (UNSW) summarize the scholarship on education-focused academic roles. The authors write that these roles, which are focused on teaching and educational leadership, have emerged as part of a broader international trend towards academic role specialization, particularly in countries facing pressures such as declining funding and increasing participation rates. The literature review outlines the conceptual framework for these roles; covers some of the emerging consensus around the roles’ qualities, including workload and career progression; and the questions remaining around how and why these roles develop in an institution.