September 20, 2024

Several national advocacy bodies have shared their reactions to the recent IRCC update. Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) expressed support for certain parts of the announcement, such as the decision to preserve the eligibility of current international students in the country and provide time for planning, but asserted that other measures such as changes to the Post Graduate Work Permit program would do “significant harm” to local communities. U15 Canada issued a statement expressing its concern with the cap, which it says “risks further damaging Canada’s international reputation and harming our ability to attract and retain [the] talented researchers we need to grow the economy and drive innovation.” In a social media post, Universities Canada echoed these concerns, asserting that this must be the final reduction to allow “Canada and its universities to focus on rebuilding our global brand.”

Bloomberg has released its Best Business School Rankings for 2024-25, which assesses business schools and awards them a score out of 100 for factors such as compensation, entrepreneurship, learning, and networking. Each region was given its own ranking: The US ranking included 77 schools, the Europe ranking included 19 schools, the Asia-Pacific ranking included nine schools, and the Canada ranking included six schools. The six Canadian business schools were: Western University Ivey Business School (Score of 75.0), Concordia University John Molson School of Business (72.8), HEC Montréal (71.2), McGill University Desautels Faculty of Management (71.0), Toronto Metropolitan University Ted Rogers School of Management (69.9), and the University of Alberta (69.3).

Numerous postsecondary institutions across Canada have announced events and activities in preparation for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Collège Montmorency is planning a rally to commemorate the day. Brock University, Northlands College, Trinity Western University, and the University of Winnipeg will be hosting speakers; opening special art exhibits; and running activities such as paddle-making, medicine-picking, and moose-hide preparation. Columbia College, TWU, the University of Calgary, and TWU will be screening films, while Brandon University’s Evans Theatre will be showing a play about two men’s experience navigating the compensation process for former residential school students.

Université de Saint-Boniface was evacuated yesterday morning after a suspicious package was found on campus. The university was evacuated while the Winnipeg Police Service’s bomb unit investigated the package. The Winnipeg Free Press reports that all activities, classes, and services—excepting the opening event of a symposium held late in the afternoon—were cancelled for the day. The item was found by officers and determined to not be dangerous.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University and the Fraser Regional Correctional Centre have partnered to bring a welding program to inmates. Inmates in the program attend classes and learn the fundamentals of welding and safety. Upon completion of the course, they are evaluated by a welding instructor from KPU and granted a welding certification if they pass. “We’ll take tools and supplies from what would be the six-month course at KPU and teach the guys the basics of how welding works to prepare them to take their CWB (Canadian Welding Bureau) test,” said FRCC Assistant Welding Instructor Cole Enders. “When they leave here, they can actually get a job where they can make enough money to re-start their life or get back on their feet.” KPU states that it has a longstanding relationship with the correctional centre with a focus on offering trades programming inside the prison.

The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Board of Directors has removed the club status for the SSMU club Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR). McGill University reportedly sent a notice to the students’ society in July informing them that continuing to recognize SPHR constituted a default regarding their Memorandum of Agreement (MoA). McGill asked that SSMU sever its relationship with SPHR and publicly communicate this with membership in order to rectify the claim of default, otherwise McGill could begin holding SSMU student fees in trust. SSMU said that it revoked SPHR’s status as a SSMU club effective September 5th to avoid risking SSMU operations. SSMU noted that it is working on renegotiating the MoA to “reclaim the SSMU’s political autonomy.”

A new study published in The Lancet by Monica Aggarwal (University of Toronto) and Sabrina T Wong (University of British Columbia) found that the “triple whammy” of being a woman, racialized, and a parent can hinder research productivity. Through interviews with 23 primary care researchers at Canadian institutions, the researchers discovered that researchers who were women, racialized, and parents often faced fewer career advancement opportunities, lower salaries, and limited workplace influence. The study authors urge Canadian institutions and granting agencies to improve recruitment and retention practices for woman and racialized faculty in health care research. The researchers further make recommendations such as considering parenthood, race, and gender in grant evaluations and implementing guidelines to support equitable representation and advancement.

Cégep de Sorel-Tracy’s Varennes campus will be introducing an AEC in special education in March 2025. The Techniques d’éducation spécialisée program will train students to assist children and adults who have social, emotional, or behavioural challenges. The program includes three internship placements that are designed to align with the needs of the job market. The placements will introduce learners to the varied places they can work, including in rehabilitation centres, hospitals, school service centres. The program will take 20 months to complete.

The Okanagan College Students’ Union is raising concerns about the college’s decision to consolidate or move some adult basic education courses to an online delivery format. OCSU Organizer for the Salmon Arm Campus Lindsey Loftus said that students were not contacted about the changes and instead found out about the change through a letter posted on the door of their classroom. Okanagan Associate Director of College Relations Kevin Parnell said that the college opted to consolidate upper- and lower-level courses due to low enrolment, but that all but one of the classes are still available in an in-person format at the Salmon Arm campus.

Western University has shared a new open-access resource that is designed to help students and instructors navigate the “hidden curriculum” of the school environment. This “hidden curriculum” consists of the norms, values, or skills that students need to succeed, but are not explicitly taught. In an interview about the resource, Western Professor Nicole Campbell explains that the hidden curriculum impacts students at every stage of their education, though the impact varies depending on lived experiences and connections. “[N]ot all learners have the same foundational skills or knowledge of the academic environment,” said Campbell. “Constantly trying to navigate these barriers can lead to stress, anxiety and a profound mental health impact – and it can impact overall success.”