October 27, 2023

Yukon University has submitted an application to join Universities Canada, in a bid to gain further acceptance within the academic community. YukonU President Lesley Brown told CBC that the institution has applied for membership with Universities Canada in order to gain additional access to funding for students. Brown further noted that YukonU could bring a unique northern voice to the table. “We want to be part of the voice of Universities Canada when there are discussions about the role of universities and the role of education in helping to solve some of the most pressing issues in Canada,” said Brown. CBC reports that the application is currently under review.

The Tribunal administratif du travail is currently holding ongoing hearings about Champlain College Lennoxville campus director Nancy Beattie, who is at the centre of allegations including psychological harassment, nepotism, and conflict-of-interest. Four individuals, including one who is the plaintiff in the case, testified that their working environment at the college has affected their physical and mental health, adding that there were issues with escalating complaints, as Beattie’s husband was co-ordinator of administrative services. Beattie reportedly previously testified that she felt uncomfortable with being appointed interim director because of a conflict of interest; states that her mandate was renewed in April 2022 without the board seeing evaluations or documentation.

The Gabriel Dumont Institute and Employment and Social Development Canada have signed a five-year agreement that will increase Métis representation in the health sector. The agreement involves the implementation of demand-driven skills development training programs that will address the shortage of skilled healthcare workers; these programs are estimated to reach 600 Métis clients over the next five years. ESDC will contribute a total of $14.6M to the project and the Saskatchewan Health Authority will recruit and support the program’s graduates.

Mohawk College has partnered with CityHousing Hamilton (CHH) to provide affordable housing units in Hamilton. Under this collaboration, students from Mohawk’s Contruction Engineering Technician — Building Renovation program will complete a 112-hour service-learning project with CityHousing Hamilton. Through this project, learners will participate in work-integrated learning experiences that directly benefits their community. The Government of Canada’s Innovative Work-Integrated Learning Initiative and CEWIL Canada’s iHUB are providing funding to supply students with safety boots, high-visibility shirts, safety glasses, dexterity gloves, hearing protection, and N95 respirators.

Several Canadian university student groups recently held protests calling upon their postsecondary institutions to remove RBC locations and ATMs from campus. The students cite RBC’s support of fossil fuel expansion and alleged violations of Indigenous rights as the reason for this demand. Groups from Lakehead University, Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia, University of British Columbia Okanagan, University of Guelph, University of Ottawa, and University of Toronto held information sessions, painted murals, and hung banners to sway fellow students and university leadership. In an email, RBC responded: “When it comes to climate change, we strongly believe that more action and at a faster pace is needed to address it.”

Memorial University’s Faculty of Nursing is opening new learning sites in Gander and Grand Falls-Windsor. These sites, which will serve students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Collaborative) degree, offer a combination of in-person clinical and course instruction using technology-equipped classrooms. “This is an opportunity for more prospective students across the province to make the choice to become a registered nurse and to earn their bachelor of science in nursing degree closer to home,” said Memorial Faculty of Nursing Associate Dean Andrea Watkins.

Staff and students at Lakehead University, the University of New Brunswick, and Western University are implementing initiatives that bolster campus sustainability. Lakehead’s dining facilities have launched a reusable food container program where students can earn free food and drink rewards by using and returning a reusable container. Western has announced that it will no longer sell plastic-bottled water on campus and is encouraging students to refill a reusable water bottle at stations across the university. For Sustainability Month, UNB highlighted students who shared their sustainability strategies, which included eating more vegetarian meals; walking, biking, or taking the bus; carrying reusable utensils; and buying second-hand items.

Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Interactive Design and Technology (IDT) program and the MacKenzie Art Gallery (MAG) have entered a two-year partnership focused on work-integrated learning. Through the partnership, IDT students will gain hands-on experience at the MAG by creating and implementing digital design and technology projects. The students will receive mentorship and feedback, as well as having access to presentations from MAG communications and educational coordinators. “The MacKenzie Art Gallery is a leading authority on creativity, and their mentorship will be invaluable,” said Sask Polytech IDT instructor Shannon Yashcheshen. “I believe this experience will not only enhance our students’ skills but also ignite their passion for digital art in ways they never imagined.”

The Toronto Police Service has identified a suspect who is wanted in relation to seven reports of voyeurism on the University of Toronto Campus. The man allegedly loitered in women’s washrooms and gender-neutral showers and filmed victims by placing a cell phone under the stalls. Reports of the incidents were received by University of Toronto Campus Safety, which alerted the police. The police force recently released photos of the suspect and have asked that those who have information that could help identify the suspect to come forward.

The heads of Université de Montréal, Université Laval, Université de Sherbrooke, Polytechnique Montréal and HEC Montréal have written an open letter against the recent QC tuition hike announcement, stating that “[a]ny measure that would put the very existence of a university at risk, or weaken it to the point of impairing it, must be excluded from the discussion.” The authors encouraged students from outside the province to be thought of as contributing to the institutions’ excellence, quality, and diversity. McGill University student Alex O’Neill, who is helping organize a protest against the tuition hike, noted that the tuition changes will also “disproportionately affect Francophones.” Students from Bishop’s University and Université du Québec à Montréal will be joining McGill University and Concordia University to protest.