November 25, 2021
A new regulatory college has been launched to oversee Canada’s immigration consulting profession. The College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants will provide licensing, oversight, investigation, and enforcement to immigration and citizenship consultants working in Canada and abroad. Those interested in entering the profession will need to complete a specialized graduate diploma program through Queen’s University or the Université de Montréal. Those licensed by the College will be required to complete annual Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements as well as an annual practice assessment.
Financial Post (National)
The Government of Ontario has announced that it will be expanding the Second Career Program, as well as proposing an extension to the Ontario Jobs Training Tax Credit. By Spring 2022, the Second Career Program will be expanded to support not only individuals who are unemployed or have been laid off, but those who are unemployed with little or no work experience, self-employed, or gig workers. The program will also offer better support for those whose employment barriers have worsened due to the pandemic such as young people, newcomers, people with disabilities, and people on social assistance.
ON (ON)
Two senior leaders at Thompson Rivers University are reportedly under investigation for harassment, racism, bullying, and fostering a toxic workplace. The university stated that the allegations made by an anonymous email are currently unconfirmed and unsubstantiated, and that a sub-commitee is investigating the matter with the results of the investigation expected in early 2022. CBC and
Kamloops This Week report that the anonymous employees reported “directly witnessing, or being the victims of, discriminatory conduct, discriminatory statements and/or harassment” by the vice president of finance and administration and the assistant vice president of people and culture.
TRU |
CBC |
Kamloops This Week (1) |
Kamloops This Week (2) (BC)
Western University’s Ivey Business School has launched a new program that will help prepare women to pursue careers in asset management. The Women in Asset Management (WAM) program was developed with second-year undergraduate students who identify as women in mind, and aims to increase the number of women in the asset management industry. The program includes four weeks of in-class training and a ten-week internship at an asset management firm. “The program is meant to attract women to asset management,” said Ivey finance professor and program co-director Steve Foerster. “Not only do we want to see more female participation, but we’d like to see women remain in the industry and fill more senior investment decision-making roles.”
Western (ON)
In a recent article from
APTN News, Brett Forester highlights recent cases of Indigenous identity fraud and Indigenous leaders’ calls for institutions to improve. Kitigan Zibi Chief Dylan Whiteduck calls for postsecondary institutions to publicly apologize for insulting nations by empowering people who are not Indigenous to break the cycle of fraudulent claims. Whiteduck further says that institutions should communicate with local communities to verify the identity of Indigenous hires. University of Alberta Native Studies professor Kim TallBear said that institutions need to build relationships with local Indigenous communities in order to verify identity. “If an institution has no relations with the Indigenous communities in their area it’s a problem, because non-Indigenous people are simply unqualified, for the most part, to figure out who is Indigenous and how they belong to a community or not,” said TallBear.
APTN News (National)
The University of Regina has joined a partnership to deliver the Agtech Accelerator program, which seeks solutions for global agricultural challenges. The Accelerator is a venture-capital-backed accelerator for early-stage Canadian agtech start-ups. Students will have the opportunity to participate in experiential learning through the Accelerator. “We are excited to be able to leverage the University of Regina’s outstanding research infrastructure and expertise in our new partnership,” said Dr Chris Yost, AVP Research at URegina. “We are ready to help Agtech Accelerator clients meet the challenges they face and to help build a world-class agtech industry hub in Saskatchewan.” The accelerator program is operated by a partnership between the university, Economic Development Regina (EDR), Cultivator powered by Conexus, and Emmertech.
URegina (SK)
Nova Scotia Community College received a $1M donation from the Folk Family to establish the Adam Folk Memorial endowment fund. The endowment fund was created in honour of Adam Folk, an Honorary Life Member of the Construction Association of Nova Scotia who believed “in two things – hard work and family.” The fund will create scholarships for students enrolled in NSCC’s plumbing program, beginning with two $2.5K awards for students who demonstrate commitment to the community and expanding in future years with new annual awards.
NSCC (NS)
York University has launched a stand-alone Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. The program, which will receive $385K in support from the Government of Ontario, will welcome its first students in Fall 2022. The degree was previously offered in partnership with two colleges, but recent changes from ON have allowed all three institutions to offer independent degrees. “[T]he new stand-alone Nursing degree will reduce barriers and create more opportunities for students to respond to the needs of the culturally diverse communities we serve, reduce health inequalities, and explore social, economic and cultural determinants of health and healthcare outcomes,” said YorkU President Rhonda Lenton.
YorkU (ON)
The University of Lethbridge has successfully concluded its fundraiser
Shine: The Campaign for the University of Lethbridge after exceeding its goal of $100M in donations. In total, ULethbridge raised over $103M with the support of over 11,000 donors. These funds will be used for student experiences, academic programming, research initiatives, and community connectivity. “Our strategic goals are deeply entwined with the dreams and aspirations of the communities we serve,” said ULethbridge President Dr Mike Mahon. “When we launched the campaign and coined the phrase, “Together, we shine brighter,” it was a sincere reflection of what we know and experience daily.”
ULethbridge (AB)
A new research article by a group of researchers from around the world – including Dr Neil Guppy and Dr Silvia Bartolic of UBC – explores teaching and learning during the COVID-19 public health edicts. The research explores three research questions: how teachers and learners were impacted by their past experiences and understanding of learning technology during the COVID-19-induced pivot, how the “retreat to the household” after this pivot impacted student learning, and whether the student experience was more influenced by the digital factors or the household arrangements after accounting for instructor efforts. The study draws on the experiences of over 3,800 students and 280 faculty from nine institutions across Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America.
Springer (Full Text) (International)
rtraction