October 20, 2023

The University of Ottawa and IBM Canada have officially opened the uOttawa-IBM Cyber Range. It will offer cybersecurity response training to businesses and government organizations to teach them how to plan for, respond to, manage, contain, and remediate cyberattacks. The Cyber Range trains individuals with cyberattack and cyber threat simulations including Cyber War Games and Business Response Challenges. Cyber Range training will be integrated into undergraduate and graduate courses as well as microprograms and micro-credentials. The uOttawa-IBM Cyber Range will also facilitate interdisciplinary research and collaboration.

Humber College has received $1M from the Government of Canada to make the heating system at its Etobicoke campus greener through the SWITCH project. The investment will see Humber switching to an electric heating system which is expected to reduce the campus’ reliance on natural gas by 70%. The system is designed so that it can be expanded to other campus buildings in the future. “This support from the federal government will bring us closer to achieving our ambitious vision with the SWITCH project,” said Humber President Ann Marie Vaughan. “As it becomes fully operational, it will set the stage for Humber’s future sustainability initiatives such as achieving net zero by 2050.”

McGill University has postponed the announcement of a $50M program that would support its community members in learning the French language. “The larger goal of the program was to help students, faculty and staff integrate more fully into Quebec society, broadening the already extensive impact of our talent and expertise across Quebec,” read a statement from McGill. The program was postponed after the Government of Quebec announced that tuition fees for domestic out-of-province students would double next year. “We are currently examining the potential financial impact that these [changes] might have on the university,” read the release.

A tentative agreement between Simon Fraser University and the Teaching Support Staff Union has ended a strike that started in late September. Sources report that the union has removed pickets from SFU campuses and SFU is advising students to prepare for the disrupted classes, labs, and tutorials to resume. The University of New Brunswick has signed a collective agreement with Public Service Alliance of Canada Local 60551, Professional and Technical Staff Union (PTSU) this week. UNB and PSAC PTSU both indicated that they are pleased with the new four-year agreement.

Six Nations Polytechnic and the Brantford Police Service (BPS) are expanding their collaboration with an agreement that will see officer training held in campus facilities. BPS and SNP have entered a rental agreement that will see BPS renting Athletic Building classroom and training space at SNP. BPS will conduct officer training in these facilities while the Elgin Street police headquarters is under renovation. A release from SNP stated that this partnership embodies the polytechnic’s “commitment to being open for all learners.”

In a recent article for the , David D Perlmutter (Texas Tech University) discusses strategies for finding good mentors in times of change. Perlmutter writes that academics should avoid looking for a “universal” mentor who can provide advice in a variety of areas and instead find mentors who are experts in specific areas. The author also recommends that academics look for mutual mentors whom they can not only receive mentorship from, but also provide mentorship to in their own area of strength. Perlmutter encourages academics to understand the benefits of caring criticism, to recognize that negative mentoring can show academics what to avoid, and to be judicious in deciding what advice is useful.

Cape Breton University will be lowering its international enrolment after seeing a sharp increase in enrolments since 2018. The university has faced challenges with a lack of space on campus, and students have had issues finding suitable housing and jobs. CBU President David Dingwall said the university’s plan to reduce enrolments aims to “stabilize and manage growth.” The university plans to cap enrolment in popular programs, with a goal of having its student population drop from the current 9,100 students to 7,000 by Fall 2027. CBU also plans to draw international students from a wider range of countries and increase its pool of domestic applicants with hopes of having domestic students make up 40% of its student body by 2027.

The University of the Fraser Valley is launching a new degree that will train urban planners. The Bachelor of Regional and Community Planning program aims to graduate planners who have local knowledge, with the aim of graduates filling the region’s need for urban planners. Students will work towards the preliminary requirements for becoming a registered urban planner as they complete their degree so that they are accredited when they graduate. Students will also gain hands-on experience working with municipalities during their studies. UFV says it is the third university in the province to offer this kind of program.

HEC Montréal Foundation has received a $2M donation from the Lise and Giuseppe Racanelli Foundation. Half of the donation will be put towards HEC’s Hélène Desmarais Building, while the other half will support the Cursus entrepreneurial series of activities, which are operated as part of the Pole Entrepreneuriat, Repreneuriat et Famille en affaires. The donation will support those completing business acceleration and incubation programs at La base entrepreneuriale HEC Montréal. The space used for Pole Entrepreneuriat, Repreneuriat et Famille en affaires will be named the Espace Fondation Lise et Giuseppe Racanelli in honour of the donation.

College of the Rockies will be beginning construction on a secondary access road that will provide a second entrance and exit for the campus. The new road will be located on college property, and will enable COTR to host larger events, as traffic congestion is currently a limiting factor on event size. The road extension will prioritize safety with streetlights, CCTV, crosswalks, and speed bumps. “This road extension has been on the College’s capital plan for a very long time, and we are grateful to the Province for providing the funding to move forward with construction this year,” said COTR Director, Facilities Allan Knibbs. “Creating a secondary access road to the campus makes the campus even more walkable and addresses safety concerns should we ever be faced with an emergency.”