October 14, 2025

The Government of Alberta has published the final report of the Expert Panel on Post-Secondary Institution Funding and Alberta’s Competitiveness. The panel, chaired by Jack Mintz, concluded that AB’s approach to funding the postsecondary sector “is not conducive to achieving excellence” and encouraged the province to focus on the needs around growing enrolment, the use of incentives for better performance, and the need for greater autonomy for institutions. The report authors made 11 recommendations related to the creation of a new funding framework, changes to tuition and financial aid, improving institutional autonomy and reducing administrative burden, and ensuring adherence to the principles of institutional neutrality.

The University of Prince Edward Island has officially opened its Faculty of Medicine and interdisciplinary health education facility. This $103M facility includes a variety of new learning spaces—including a simulation centre—and a provincial collaborative care center. It will host a provincial adult ADHD clinic and the expanded Doctor of Psychology program. UPEI Faculty of Medicine Chief Operating Officer Paul Young said that the facility is a place for collaboration, with the doors open to the public, partners, and campus groups. Classes have already begun in the building, and a phased transition plan will bring additional tenants and systems online through winter 2026.

Cégep de l’Outaouais’s Board of Directors has reportedly adopted a resolution seeking regional cégep status. This status would recognize the cégep’s two campuses as separate entities and would enable the cégep to obtain an estimated $800K in additional funding, reports FM 104.7. The cégep says that the status would also recognize it as having a unique regional mission and a recognized role in addressing that region’s socio-economic inequalities. The official request has been forwarded to the Government of Québec.

Acadia University has launched a standalone School of Counselling, which will house Acadia’s Master of Education in Counselling program. The master’s program was launched in the 1970s and was housed in the university’s School of Education. Since that time, there have been significant changes around the regulation and recognition of counselling as a health profession. Acadia says that the new school acknowledges that transformational shift. Acadia Provost and VP Academic Dr Ashlee Cunsolo explained that moving the program into a stand-alone school will allow it to flourish and support the training of more mental health professionals in Nova Scotia.

RBC has launched a new initiative called RBC Generate that will support Canadian agriculture with a $5M, five-year investment. RBC Generate will support organizations that work with educational institutions, industry, governments, and businesses in the areas of markets, skills, and finance. The initiative will support applied learning opportunities and training. RBC will collaborate with the Sustainable Food Systems for Canada network, which includes 13 universities and colleges, to connect students to agri-innovation skills and training opportunities. Additionally, it will support RBC’s commercial relationship managers and finance specialists in upskilling.

Confederation College and Synergy North have partnered to construct a heat pump and thermal storage facility on the college’s Thunder Bay campus. Funded by $3.2M from the Independent Electricity System Operator’s Grid Innovation Fund, the facility will allow the college to store excess power and sell it back to the provincial grid. Confederation President Michelle Salo said that students will also be able to access the system to supplement their learning. “They can see our biomass boiler, they can see the all the energy coming in, whether it’s electricity, natural gas,” said Salo. The system is expected to be operational in two years.

The four cégeps of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean—Collège d’Alma, Cégep de St-Félicien, Cégep de Jonquière, and Cégep de Chicoutimi—have co-launched a brand campaign focused on promoting cégep studies called “Le Cégep, tel que je suis.” The campaign is directed at students who are less likely to attend college, as well as their parents. It seeks to raise awareness of the value of a cégep education in the region and positions a cégep education as a springboard to personal and professional success. The campaign will share the stories and pictures of students currently in the midst of their cégep studies across a variety of channels, including digital platforms, public displays, and at the local cinemas.

Conestoga College President John Tibbits appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration last week to answer questions related to the international student program. CBC reports that Tibbits was challenged by MPs about the college’s role in increasing international enrolment and the intensified issues around affordability and housing in the Waterloo region. Tibbits stated that the college was “encouraged to grow” in Kitchener, Guelph, Brantford, and Milton and was asked to help solve the problem of job vacancies in the province. “It was not the money. That’s not why we grew the international program,” said Tibbits. “We grew [the program] because we don’t have domestic students to fill the jobs in our region.”

Memorial University is establishing the Transformation Program Office, which will focus on modernizing the university and increasing its financial sustainability. The office is attached to the Office of the Vice-President (Finance and Administration), and will contribute to projects that have university-wide impact. Currently planned projects include a new travel and expense management system and a procurement system, which will address several recommendations from the 2023 auditor general’s report.

The University of Waterloo has broken ground on WaterFEL, its Infrared Free Electron Laser (IR-FEL) facility. When operational in 2028, the facility will analyze molecular and material structures for several applications, notably in medicine. UWaterloo IR-FEL project lead Dr Scott Hopkins described the laser’s potential impact as “enormous,” saying that it will allow for the development of new types of treatments and personalized medicine. The facility will be located next to the regional hospital, which will open in 2035. The project is a part of the Canadian Free Electron Laser project, which also includes the construction of a complementary broad-based terahertz light source at TRIUMF, Canada’s national particle accelerator laboratory in Vancouver.