Institutions have continued to announce plans for fall reopening and educational delivery. St Francis Xavier University President Kevin Wamsley has announced that the university is preparing to deliver classes in-person, on-campus in September. Red Deer College and the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi will deliver online courses in the fall, while the Université de Montréal is planning for a term largely delivered virtually. Other schools are still planning for multiple delivery scenarios, such as Lethbridge College which has announced that a decision on fall delivery will not be made until late summer. StFX | RDC | Le quotidian | Journal de Montreal | Lethbridge Herald (National)

Universities and colleges across the country have shared their fall delivery plans. Royal Roads University has announced that programs, courses, and residences will continue to be delivered online until December 31st, 2020. The Government of Québec has invited cégeps and universities to consider reopening this fall, but the province’s Ministry of Education notes that distance education could be an attractive solution for many schools. Saint Paul University has announced that it is committed to offering all courses through distance or online learning, as well as in-person if authorized by health authorities. Schools like Mohawk College and McMaster University indicate they are planning for phased reopening and preparing various delivery scenarios, while Fleming College has announced that they will not be holding in-person classes for the month of September. Royal Roads | Journal de Montréal | Global News (Fleming) | SPU | Mohawk (BC, QC, ON)

The Government of Manitoba has announced an increase in their matched funds program for the Manitoba Scholarship and Bursary Initiative for the 2020-2021 academic year. The initiative will see the province match all funds raised by universities and colleges for the year, amounting to approximately $30M in support for students via scholarships in bursaries. MB also announced that they are committing $5M to the program on top of the $10M already announced, and the separate Manitoba Bursary program—which provides up-front financial support to students in need—has been increased by $1.8 million for 2020-21. MB | Times Colonist (MB)

Alberta’s Comprehensive Community Colleges have employed a variety of tools and tactics to meet educational outcomes and the continued delivery of student services. Portage College, NorQuest College, and Northern Lakes College have provided technological equipment to students in need to ensure the continuation of their educational programs. Others, such as Grande Prairie Regional College, Lethbridge College, and Lakeland College, have provided students with online resources to allow students to complete hands-on learning activities at home and online. “Despite never-experienced-before circumstances, Alberta’s CCCs are ensuring they remain active and relevant to meet the needs of learners and the provincial economy,” reads a Medicine Hat College statement. MHC (AB)

Some schools in Québec and Prince Edward Island have released details regarding their phased recovery plans. McGill University, for instance, has announced that the first stage of their progressive phase-in will start the week of May 11th with the opening of six buildings chosen based on factors like building and room capacity and research priorities. Researchers will be required to abide by the University’s directives for facilitating a safe and efficient transition back to on-campus research activities. Meanwhile, the University of Prince Edward Island has unveiled their three-phase operational ease-back plan that will begin on May 25th. Key steps in the first phase-back step include management teams returning to campus to prepare and plan, and allowing faculty, researchers, and graduate students to conduct research on-campus and in the field while maintaining physical distancing. McGill | UPEI (QC, PE)

The University of Calgary has broken ground on a $90M, 2-year expansion of the Haskayne School of Business. The project will involve the creation of a new four-storey building, Mathison Hall, as well as renovations to the existing Scurfield Hall, that will provide students with new classrooms, study spaces, group work, student advising, food services, and events. “This is a critical time for the school to expand in support of our strategic growth and bold vision and will add significant capacity for unparalleled learning, innovative research and meaningful community engagement,” said UCalgary Haskayne School Dean Jim Dewald. UCalgary | Calgary Herald (AB)

McMaster University has launched a program designed to help faculty and staff feel better prepared to address student mental health issues. The program – Professor Hippo-on-Campus Student Mental Health Education Program for Educators and Navigators – includes eight three-hour modules covering topics like stress, resilience and coping, as well as communicating with stressed and distressed learners. “This program will help us meet the needs of students who are experiencing stress and distress in a more informed and coordinated way,” said McMaster President David Farrar. “It also encourages us to consider ways that we can continue to create more inclusive and mental health positive learning environments at McMaster.” McMaster (ON)

The University of Saskatchewan has launched a kinesiology fitness course that is focused on teaching fitness remotely. Starting spring 2020, Remote Fitness Delivery will begin with the fundamentals of the discipline, and then shift to a focus on using technology to deliver fitness, as well as talking about fitness delivery when technology is not available. “Given the circumstances we all face, we were looking to develop a creative and innovative course that would be of interest to students to take as an elective and was a good fit for the exceptional expertise we have within the college,” said USask associate dean academic Kent Kowalski. USask (SK)

The Government of Québec has approved the resumption of some university research, and the gradual resumption of other areas of research. According to a Bureau de coopération interuniversitaire release, research activities in health, natural sciences, agriculture, forestry, engineering, as well as seasonal outdoor activities, can now resume if they are conducted accordance with public health guidelines. An email obtained by Le Devoirnotes that the provincial government has also authorized universities to continue infrastructure construction in anticipation of a full reopening. McGill University, Université Laval, and Polytechnique Montréal have responded to the announcement cautiously, indicating that further institutional planning is underway to ensure the success of the gradual reopening. BCI | Le Devoir | McGill | Laval | Polytechnique Montréal (QC)

Royal Roads University has launched the Cascade Institute to identify intervention points in global crisis situations. The institute, which is collaborating with the University of Waterloo, will focus on addressing critical problems faced by humanity, such as pandemics, climate change, growing wealth inequality, and social upheaval. “The institute will place the current pandemic within a broad, systemic focus on humanity’s global challenges,” said RRU Professor and institute leader Thomas Homer-Dixon. “Finding the opportunities to intervene and put us all on a more positive path is what the institute is all about.” Royal Roads (BC)