Top Ten News

May 03, 2024 • BC

The Government of British Columbia has announced a $155.7M investment to boost the health-care workforce through worker recruitment, retention, and training. The province will invest $60M of this into three organizations that will deliver supports for professional development, mental health, and wellness. $7.5M will be invested in training initiatives, including tuition credits, bursaries that will offset licensing exam fees for new graduates, and new employer-sponsored earn-and-learn opportunities. BC is also investing up to $15M over three years into retention and career development for allied health workers through efforts such as clinical mentorship and transition-to-practice support for new allied health workers.

BC, Vernon Matters, City News

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May 03, 2024 • BC, ON

Encampments have been set up at several more universities across Canada. Protesters set up a temporary encampment at Western University on Wednesday, which remained until midnight. The University of Toronto informed protesters about its expectations for a peaceful protest after an encampment was set up on campus early Thursday morning. In British Columbia, pro-Palestinian protestors have set up encampments at the University of Victoria and Vancouver Island University. UVic told the Vancouver Sun that it is “taking a calm and thoughtful approach” to minimize any disruptions from the encampment, while VIU said that it is monitoring the situation on its campus.

London Free Press (Western), CTV News (Western), Radio Canada (U of T), Vancouver Sun (UVic, VIU)

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May 03, 2024 • National

Postsecondary institutions across the country are honouring Red Dress Day with commemorative events and dedicated time for reflection. Observed on May 5, Red Dress Day honours and brings awareness to missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people. Mount Royal University is encouraging its campus community to wear red as a symbol of their commitment to action in the elimination of gender-based violence. Many institutions, like Durham College and Mount Saint Vincent University, have installed red dresses on campus to commemorate the lives lost. The University of Winnipeg is including a Red Dress Special ceremony at its Graduation Pow Wow, while Cape Breton University recently held a healing march featuring drumming and jingle dances. Brock University is holding several traditional events throughout the weekend, including ribbon skirt and medicine pouch workshops.

MRU, UWinnipeg, Durham, Brock, City News (MSVU) , Saltwire (CBU)

Top Ten News

May 03, 2024 • ON

The Ontario Agricultural College at the University of Guelph has officially kicked off its 150th anniversary celebrations. OAC—which welcomed its first cohort of students on May 1, 1874—is marking 150 years of agricultural innovation with several events over the next eight months, including historical campus tours, Food Day Canada celebrations, and an alumni weekend. To honour the occasion, OAC has released an ice cream flavour called “Heart and Stone,” which is made with peaches, cream, and honey from the Honey Bee Research Centre. “The entire University of Guelph community is thrilled to celebrate this significant milestone in our history,” said UoGuelph President Dr Charlotte Yates.

UoGuelph, CTV News, Guelph Today, Real Agriculture

Top Ten News

May 03, 2024 • International

In the wake of international campus protests and the sometimes-violent results of involving police, several authors have analyzed other ways that postsecondary schools can handle on-campus protests. Sarah Wildman of the New York Times spoke to US lawyer David French about postsecondary schools’ responsibility to focus on maintaining neutrality and “granting equal access, equal rights” to the different sides of campus disputes, such as by enforcing “reasonable time, place, and manner” restrictions. Two articles in the Chronicle of Higher Ed touch on the use of agreements and memoranda of understanding with student protest groups. In exchange for ending campus encampments, the postsecondary institutions agreed to actions such as the creation of advisory committees, reviews of campus policing policies, and promises to ensure student protesters are protected from “retaliation” by the institution.

New York Times (Acct Req), Chronicle of Higher Ed (1), Chronicle of Higher Ed (2)
Opinion

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May 03, 2024 • QC

The Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières will open 110 new rooms this August to help meet the need for affordable student housing. Located two kilometres away from campus, the Roomî student residence is a former retirement home that has been transformed into a more modern, comfortable student dwelling. The space was developed through a private-public partnership between UQTR and the LS4 /LSR GesDev developers. UQTR rector Christian Blanchette said that this new residence is part of the institution’s efforts to find creative solutions to solving the student housing shortage.

UQTR, Radio-Canada

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May 03, 2024 • BC

Camosun College is launching two new program pathways that will help women and Indigenous individuals explore careers in technology. The Women in Technology Pathway and the Indigenous Peoples in Technology Pathway are both 12-week, tuition-free programs that focus on computer science and civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering. The provincial government has provided funding to increase the number of seats in the programs, which will launch in Fall 2024 and Winter 2025, respectively. “With these new seats we will be able to open the doors to a rewarding career in tech for two underserved groups,” said Camosun President Lane Trotter.

Camosun, Oak Bay News

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May 03, 2024 • ON, QC

The Université du Québec à Montréal and St Lawrence College have each launched new centres that will support student training. UQÀM has launched the Laboratoire d’analyses environnementales (LAE), which houses the scientific equipment that is necessary for training students in the environmental sciences. SLC has unveiled the Paramedic Simulation Centre, which features cutting-edge equipment and technology that can simulate real-life emergency scenarios, enabling students to practice emergency response procedures.

UQÀM, SLC

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May 03, 2024 • International

In a recent article for EdTech, Alexandra Shimalla discusses the introduction of the latest generation of wireless connectivity—Wi-Fi 7—and the implications for postsecondary campuses. Shimalla writes that the volume of people using campus Wi-Fi for a variety of applications—including engaging with hybrid and online courses—means that it is critical for institutional Wi-Fi to be reliable and sufficiently able to support these efforts. Wi-Fi 7 addresses issues with the last generation of wireless connectivity by increasing its speed and reliability and introducing enhanced security measures. Shimalla shares the perspective of several experts, who emphasize that students expect solid campus Wi-Fi. These experts advise institutional teams that are using older technology to consider upgrading and encourage leadership to update campus infrastructure as necessary to support the adoption of Wi-Fi 7.

Ed Tech
Opinion

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May 03, 2024 • AB

Lakeland College has received approval from the Government of Alberta to relaunch its steamfitter-pipefitter apprenticeship training program this Fall. Students in the program will complete a four-year term that includes both classroom instruction and on-the-job training. “We suspended the program in May 2020, but it was intended to be a temporary measure,” said Lakeland School of Trades and Technology Dean Dave King. “Current economic conditions make it easier for us to offer the program, providing steamfitter-pipefitter apprentices with the classroom learning and hands-on training they need in their trade of choice.”

Lakeland