September 4, 2008
Quebec's coroner has released his report into the 2006
Dawson College shooting. The report, made public yesterday, notes that the shooter, Kimveer Gill, was treated for depression and suicidal thoughts 18 months before receiving a gun permit. The coroner praised police for their response to the incident, and suggests that patrol officers be allowed to keep 1 or 2 rifles in the trunk of their vehicles. The coroner recommends that the assault rifle used by Gill in the shooting be banned.
Globe and Mail |
CanWest News Service |
Canadian Press |
CBCNearly 300 University of British Columbia students are scrambling to find accommodation because the construction of the Marine Drive Residence won't be complete until mid-September. Students who applied for a spot at the residence were sent an e-mail advising them of the delay and that they would need to secure alternative accommodation for the first 2 weeks of school. UBC will refund 2 weeks of rent to students waiting for their rooms.
CBCThe number of foreign students enrolling at post-secondary institutions in Prince Edward Island is on the rise. 7% of students at uPEI are from overseas, as are 3% at Holland College. This year the college has doubled its intake of international students, with many coming from the Caribbean, China, Bermuda, and the Bahamas. A Holland official says the college is boosting marketing efforts geared towards foreign students as the local student population declines.
Charlottetown Guardian |
CBCIn an effort to enhance its visibility,
Quest University has partnered up with Sprott-Shaw Community College, a BC-based private career college. Quest has hired Sprott-Shaw's president to serve as the university's interim president, managing Quest's administrative and financial functions. As Sprott-Shaw has over 7,500 students in campus worldwide, Quest pursued the partnership as a means to attract more international students.
CIBT News Release |
Squamish Chief
A year following several
sexual assaults at one of its residences, York University has augmented security at the school. York has installed over 140 cameras across campus, including in the lobby of every dormitory. The university has invested $1.4 million into a residence watch program, and has hired police officers to patrol the campus. York is also considering proposals to install a school-wide public address system. The university is currently conducting a
campus safety audit, expected to be complete next spring. York's Safety Audit Committee, established in March, has published its first newsletter.
Toronto Star |
Y-FileKingston police are boosting patrols around the student "ghetto" following increasing complaints this week over rowdy off-campus partying. On Tuesday night, police were dispatched to the ghetto 26 times, including one response to a hit-and-run accident resulting in drug and weapons charges laid against a Queen's student. On Sunday, officers responded to 20 calls. An intoxicated student was the victim of a hit-and run and refused medical treatment from paramedics. A city councillor whose ward includes Queen's has received a record number of complaints, and is getting them sooner. Kingston Whig-Standard | Drunken student refuses treatment The City of Kingston and Queen's University have partnered to create a survey to identify how Queen's students learn about and use municipal services. The 10-question survey, available online, asks students to identify their year and area of study, where in town they live, where they like to hang out, and how they prefer to access information about city services. The survey includes a comment field where students can offer input about services.
Kingston News Release |
Kingston Whig-StandardJust in time for back-to-school, Statistics Canada has released some facts and figures relating to education in its latest issue of Education Matters. University enrolment in Canada surpassed the 1-million mark for the first time in the 2005/2006 academic year. The number of Aboriginals with a university degree is on the rise, as an estimated 44% of the Aboriginal population were PSE graduates in 2006. At the end of 2005, close to 80% of Canadians ages 24 to 26 had attended a post-secondary institution. Statistics Canada A new survey conducted for Human Resources and Social Development Canada shows low-income parents face difficulty in saving up for their children's PSE. The survey found that while 83% of respondents said they have heard of RESPs, only half could accurately describe what they were. Just one-third were aware of Canada Education Savings Grants, and half of those could accurately describe the option. 40% said they were saving for their children's education in some fashion. The parents surveyed primarily cited the lack of money as the issue for not saving.
CanWest News ServiceSchools aren't doing enough to prepare youth for their future careers, according to a new study from the Canadian Policy Research Networks. The study recommends that schools introduce career planning initiatives as early as Grade 6, by offering co-operative programs and bringing guest speakers to class. As education falls under provincial jurisdiction, the report suggests that provinces improve the integration of career planning into the curriculum. Schools should offer more dual credit programs and vocational courses. Such initiatives could reduce dropout rates, increase PSE enrolment, and encourage youth to consider non-traditional careers. CanWest News Service | Read the full report
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