November 5, 2026

Wilfrid Laurier University has reportedly begun the approval process to create a Faculty of Law and Juris Doctor program at its Brantford campus. The Waterloo Region Record reports that WLU first proposed a law school two decades ago, but the proposal did not go through. However, today, the lawyer-to-population ratio in the region is less than half the provincial average for Ontario. The faculty would aim to address this lawyer shortage. WLU Special Advisor to the Provost Poonam Puri will support the development of the proposed faculty, which would welcome its first students in 2028 if approved. “From access to justice to advancing reconciliation, this proposed law school will bring important benefits to the region and the province,” said Puri.

The Government of Alberta has introduced Bill 38, which would require public and independent universities to remain neutral on social and political issues. If passed, Bill 38 would require institutions to put formal policies in place regarding institutional neutrality and freedom of expression, but would not limit individuals from expressing their own views. It would put a 2% cap on next year’s tuition increases for existing domestic students and set maximum tuition amounts for certain programs or groups of programs. AB Minister of Advanced Education Myles McDougall also announced changes to student financial aid rules for 2026–27: AB will no longer use parental income in its provincial student aid assessments. The province will reassess approximately 21,000 applications while taking this change into account.

The Government of Ontario has announced that it will not be releasing the full results of its audit of the OSAP system at private career colleges. ON Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security Nolan Quinn clarified that some of the results of KPMG’s audit may be released if they do not compromise existing or future investigations. Opposition parties in the province have called for greater transparency, either through the full release of KPMG’s findings or an auditor general investigation. “The auditor general is there for this exact purpose, to be able to do a review of government spending and government programs and look at how it cannot happen again,” concluded ON Member of Provincial Parliament Lee Fairclough.

Statistics Canada has released enrolment data for the K–12 school system. Across all school types, enrolment reached 6,100,000 students in 2024/2025 and the share of students attending private and independent schools increased to a new high of 8%. Enrolment in public schools grew by 1.6% from 2023/2024 to 2024/2025, marking a slowdown from the record-breaking growth seen in the previous year (2.3%). StatCan noted that the moderation in public school enrolment growth coincides with broader demographic trends, as Canada’s population growth slowed from 3% in 2023 to 1.9% in 2024. Much of the enrolment growth was concentrated in the upper school grades, while junior and senior kindergarten enrolment declined to the lowest share since 2009/2010.

The University of the Fraser Valley is launching a Master of Science in Computer Science that is designed for graduates of degrees in computer science and related fields. This master’s degree will teach students about AI, machine learning, cybersecurity, and more. It is tailored to the Fraser Valley’s agriculture sector so that graduates of the program will be able to apply their learning in areas such as smart farming and crop yield prediction. Students can choose to pursue a thesis stream or a project stream, with different timelines to completion.

Cape Breton University and McGill University each recently opened centres on campus. At CBU, the Dr Judith A Rolls Communication Centre will help students develop their communication skills, confidence, and self-awareness. This centre will offer coaching, peer mentorship, and workshops and consultations, and will work closely with the career services centre. CBU says that this centre is the first of its kind in Canada. McGill’s Max Bell School of Public Policy has launched the McGill Growth Lab, which will develop policy responses to help governments across Canada adapt to the current economic context. The lab will also prepare future policy analysts to advance innovation and economic growth.

CTV News reports that Anderson College’s London campus has laid off 10 staff members due to the impact of the OSAP pause. Three dental assistant students at Anderson also expressed uncertainty about whether to take out loans to pay their tuition when they are worried about their program closing. Anderson President Heather Yang further emphasized the need to address the impact of the OSAP pause on students. “Protecting the students and catching the bad players, they are not in conflict. Both can happen simultaneously,” said Yang.

St Thomas University has announced that its Sustainability and Environmental Studies (SEST) program has received accreditation from Environmental Careers Organization Canada. With this accreditation, graduates of the program are now eligible for EPt (Environmental Professional in Training) status, which will help them move towards Environmental Professional status. “It recognizes the importance of liberal arts education in the sustainability sector, and specifically the unique set of skills and perspectives that our graduates bring to the table,” said SEST Director Dr Janice Harvey.

Cégep Limoilou and Groupe Collegia have each launched programming to support the professional development of Québec’s workforce. Cégep Limoilou announced a one-day leader in innovation training program. In this program, participants lead a fictitious organization over the course of a fictional year and receive feedback on their decisions. Meanwhile, Groupe Collegia has launched new training in notarial studies for administrative staff in notary offices. The 110-hour remote training provides trainees with the basic legal knowledge they need for a notarial environment.

As part of a collaboration between Mount Saint Vincent University and Gunma University in Japan, Gunma education students and a professor recently travelled to Canada for a learning experience. Gunma students joined MSVU Bachelor of Education classes to learn about technology integration, curriculum planning, and reconciliation, and also shared Japanese cultural activities with MSVU day camp students. MSVU says that the partners hope to further their partnership through expanded exchanges and collaborative research.