October 24, 2023

The École de technologie supérieure recently announced that it plans to expand its operations into Longueuil, marking the first time that it will operate outside of its downtown Montréal campus. eTS explained that the move will allow the school to respond to a request from the Government of Québec to share its cooperative teaching model and collaborative research with other industry partners throughout the province. eTS added that in Longueuil, it intends to expand its aerospace projects and programming through a partnership with the École nationale d’aérotechnique and the Centre technologique en aérospatiale, both of which are affiliated with Cégep edouard-Montpetit.

The Government of British Columbia is providing $2.5M through the BC Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF) to support 16 research projects at five universities. Recipients of this funding include research teams from Simon Fraser University, Thompson Rivers University, the University of British Columbia / University of British Columbia Okanagan, the University of Victoria, and Vancouver Island University. The teams will use the funding to embark on projects related to cannabis product safety, cancer treatment, studying the evolution of the galaxy, and more.

Students from several institutions are holding protests, issuing statements, and exploring alternative postsecondary options in response to the Government of Quebec’s announcement of a plan to raise tuition for out-of-province students. Students from Concordia University and McGill University organized a day of protest against the tuition hike. The Concordia Student Union and the Students’ Society of McGill University recently released a joint statement that condemns the move and argues that it will “price out the poorest out-of-province students, saddle students with further debts, and require students to work even more during their studies to afford their education.” reports that organizations such as the Alliance of BC Students have criticized the hike and that several high school students from BC are cancelling their plans to attend QC postsecondary institutions and looking at alternatives. Concordia director of student recruitment Savvy Papayiannis said that many people have been cancelling campus tours, withdrawing from events, or saying that tuition would be a barrier.

University of Manitoba President Michael Benarroch recently made a pitch for more funding to the new cabinet of the Government of Manitoba. Benarroch discussed UManitoba’s role in workforce creation and noted that the provincial government’s investments in postsecondary education are not competitive with those seen in Saskatchewan. For example, Benarroch noted that in 2021 MB invested $30M into research while SK invested $80M and argued that this disparity makes a difference when base funding is leveraged against other funding bodies. “I would say to the newly elected government, we need more to compete,” said Benarroch.

York University has condemned a collective statement published by York Federation of Students, York University Graduate Student Association, and the Glendon College Student Union regarding the Israel-Hamas war. YorkU asserted that the collective statement has been “widely interpreted as a justification for attacking civilians and a call to violence” and warned the student unions to retract their statement, issue an apology, acknowledge the harm the statement caused on campus, clarify that they reject antisemitism, and remove all union executives by an October 25th deadline. Alternatively, the unions can reportedly trigger a process to prove that they did not breach any regulations when sharing the post. If this process is triggered and it is found that the unions did breach regulations, the university could reportedly withdraw its recognition and revoke the unions’ status.

The University of Saskatchewan’s College of Law has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) to advance legal reform in child welfare systems for First Nations communities. Under this MOU, USask and FSIN will pool their expertise to develop academic and community-led research for the betterment of First Nations children, youth, and families in Saskatchewan. USask also recently inaugurated its kihci-okâwîmâw askiy (Great Mother Earth in Plains Cree) Knowledge Centre, which will serve as a resource for Indigenous communities seeking information pertaining to land, resource management, training, and research partnerships. “We aspire to build a centre that works with and for Indigenous communities,” said kihci-okâwîmâw askiy Knowledge Centre Director Candice Pete-Cardoso.

The Times Colonist reports that “years of cuts” are planned at Vancouver Island University to address a projected deficit. The news reports that the mitigation plan will address declining revenues by reducing academic department expenditures by 10% and non-academic department expenditures by 10% by 2025-26. VIU is considering reducing its operating hours, implementing seasonal closures for satellite campuses, and raising student housing and food services fees. New contracts costing $10K or more will require approval from the president, provost, or CFO. BC Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills Selina Robinson told that she does not believe that the future of VIU is at risk.

The Office of the Auditor General’s audit report of Memorial University has been delivered to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Memorial issued a statement prior to receiving the report indicating that it is committed to responding to the report’s recommendations and noting that both transparency and autonomy are important for all universities. Sources report that NL Progressive Conservative opposition leader Tony Wakeham called for the province to immediately release the audit report to the public to promote accountability. NL released the Audit Report on Memorial University yesterday: In the report, the auditor general identified issues with the university’s administrative structures, policy and processes, and oversight and issued eight recommendations for improved efficiency.

Conestoga College has established the Magna Centre for Industrial Skilled Trades, thanks to a five-year, $1M gift from Magna International. The new centre will be based at the Conestoga Skilled Trades Campus in Cambridge and will help the college to increase the capacity of its skilled trades programming and apprenticeships. The centre will include shops and labs for millwright, electromechanical, automation maintenance, and precision metal training. “We greatly appreciate the generous support and leadership of Magna to establish this new centre and help address the needs of our growing communities,” said Conestoga President John Tibbits.

Acadia University has announced the opening of Red Spruce Mental Health Centre, a mental health service located on campus. The centre will give Master of Education (MEd) Counselling Program students experiential learning opportunities, while bringing free mental health care to rural Nova Scotians. The centre will offer up to 40 full- and part-time practicum placements for Acadia students. “Our partnership with Red Spruce Mental Health Centre greatly enhances our ability to support students and the community with essential mental health resources,” said Acadia Director of Health, Counselling, and Accessible Learning Erica McGill.