May 29, 2024

During a recent House of Commons committee meeting, several university presidents admitted that antisemitism is a “significant problem” on their campuses and spoke to their efforts to combat it. The Vancouver Sun reports that the presidents of Concordia University, McGill University, the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto spoke to the committee about the issue. Universities Canada President Gabriel Miller said that enforcing university speech codes against antisemitism has been difficult due to understandings about what constitutes hate speech. The committee members questioned the presidents over how they are responding to antisemitism and if their actions match their condemnation of antisemitism.

The Government of Alberta is providing $43M to the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology to support the planning of the Advanced Skills Centre, which will train an additional 4,200 apprentices each year. The centre will bring an additional 640,000 square feet of learning and training space to campus, supporting apprentices with a cutting-edge location where they can develop their skills for work in the sectors of construction, transportation, manufacturing, and energy. Construction is expected to begin on the centre in 2025.

The Quebec Superior Court has issued a partial injunction order for Université du Québec à Montréal against the pro-Palestinian protesters who set up an encampment on the university’s campus. The injunction orders protestors to take actions such as ensuring that the encampment does not obstruct building doors, windows, or walls. QC Superior Court Justice Louis J Gouin wrote that safety measures needed to be put in place to “prevent an unfortunate event from happening” and further asserted that implementing these measures will not infringe on the right to protest. The University of Toronto has reportedly filed an injunction asking the courts to remove the encampment on its campus.

Dalhousie University, Mount Saint Vincent University, and the University of New Brunswick are the recipients of a recent combined $3.5M donation from Shannex toward healthy aging research. The funds will be used by the Atlantic universities to create new research chairs, establish dedicated research labs, and develop training programs focused on healthy aging. “We believe the sector and universities need to work together to find solutions through research that addresses the huge demand for healthy aging support that is ahead of us, to ensure we have a longevity-ready society, one that is inclusive and focused on the opportunities of this wonderful new reality,” said Shannex President Jason Shannon.

A Yukon Nominee Program has been paused by the territory. The program offered a pathway to citizenship for Yukon University’s international graduates upon securing employment. YukonU Provost Shelagh Rowles described the pause as both sudden and disappointing, adding that the university learned about the pause at the same time as the general public. However, Rowles said that she does not expect the change to have much impact on international recruitment, as the university’s opportunities “are very solid and will be attractive to students.”

Cambrian College has renamed its business school the Douglas A Smith Family School of Business in honour of the founders of Manitoulin Transport. The Douglas A Smith Family Foundation has provided the college with scholarships, unrestricted funds for the Indigenous student centre, and support for student competitions and activities. “Our partnership with Cambrian College reflects our shared commitment to innovation and seizing opportunities,” said Manitoulin Transport Vice-Chair Jeff Smith, who formerly held the role of chair of Cambrian’s board.

In the wake of the convocation speech made at University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine, UManitoba President Dr Michael Benarroch stated that the institution is making training on Islamophobia and antisemitism mandatory for students in the Max Rady faculty. The training sessions will also be made available to the broader community of students, faculty, and staff. “As we move forward, I hope we can all commit to learning more about experiences and perspectives that are not our own to begin healing our deep divide,” said Benarroch.

McMaster University’s Board of Governors has decided to officially remove an associate professor from its faculty after an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. McMaster President David Farrar and Board Chair Jane Allen stated that the “decision is on the grounds that [the professor’s] conduct and pattern of behaviour involving students was an abuse of his position as a faculty member, amounting to a serious and fundamental breach of trust.” CBC reports that the faculty member was found not guilty of sexual assault by an Ontario judge in 2022.

The University of Calgary is relaunching its oil engineering program after a three-year hiatus. The university put the program on hold in 2021, when the sector was facing layoffs, low oil prices, and corporate consolidation, while prospective students were showing more interest in renewable technology. Global News reports that oil prices have since rebounded and global conflict has drawn attention to the importance of energy security. Industry professionals shared their perspective on the value of the program, with Greenpeace Canada senior strategist Keith Stewart noting that “a lot of the skills that you’re going to get are transferable to renewables too, for things like geothermal.”

The Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue has announced a new research collaboration with Développement économique Canada pour les régions du Québec, Services aux Autochtones Canada, the Abitibiwinni First Nation, and Sayona. The partners will conduct a research project focused on strategies for creating Anicinapek service companies in the mining sector. The project will study the mining industry’s benefits and will strengthen economic capacities within Indigenous communities to create good jobs.