November 30, 2022
The Government of Nova Scotia has announced it will be investing $6.2M in one-time non-repayable grant to address the rising cost of living for students who receive financial assistance. Eligible students who are receiving financial assistance in the 2022-23 academic year will have a payment of $550 automatically deposited into their bank account. “As affordability pressures continue to grow, students are increasingly struggling to balance the rising costs of education, housing, groceries and transportation, said Students Nova Scotia Chair Kyle Cook. “This investment in students comes at a critical time and will help over 11,000 borrowers in financial need focus on their studies instead of wondering how they will make their next rental payment or keep the lights on for the winter term.”
NS |
CBC (NS)
Laurentian University has successfully completed its restructuring process and has exited the CCAA process that began on February 1st, 2021. “While there is much healing and hard work yet to be done, today we emerge stronger with safeguards in place to ensure a sustainable, more transparent and inclusive future,” said Jeff Bangs, Chair of the Laurentian Board of Governors. Bangs stated that Laurentian is expected to remain under scrutiny in the future and Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk is reportedly planning to conduct follow-up audits.
Sudbury.com reports that the university will next need to find a new president and provost, develop a strategic plan, and implement the terms of the plan of arrangement, including selling up to $53.5M in real estate to the province.
Laurentian |
CBC |
Sudbury.com |
SudburyStar (ON)
Mitacs has received $1.15M in funding from the Government of Saskatchewan to support internships and other programming. The funding will support up to 265 research and development internships for postsecondary students and post-doctoral fellows, enabling them to gain experience in Saskatchewan industries, in addition to supporting programs such as the new Indigenous Pathways program. “This investment increases opportunities for students to develop and apply their education and research skills while gaining valuable work experience that benefits our industries and province,” said SK Advanced Education Minister Gordon Wyant. “Mitacs supports Saskatchewan’s Growth Plan by helping develop a skilled workforce and enhancing business productivity and innovation.”
SK (SK)
St Clair College has received $720K for projects that address youth homelessness and school nutrition in Windsor-Essex. The first project will be completed in partnership with Family Services Windsor-Essex (FSWE) and will focus on developing better methods for contacting and estimating the number of youth experiencing homelessness, as well as developing programming to prevent youth homelessness. St Clair will also be partnering with Ontario Student Nutrition Program Southwest Region, AgScape, and Prosperous to co-develop and evaluate a universal school nutrition program that will be implemented in target locations. The project aims to bring together previous work and agricultural resources to create a model for school nutrition approaches in other communities.
St Clair |
Windsor Star |
CTV News (ON)
The Government of British Columbia has announced that it will be providing a start-up funding injection of up to $4.9M to support Simon Fraser University’s planned new medical school. The funding will go towards accreditation, curriculum planning, engagement, space planning, and professional staff. SFU has also retained interim dean Dr Roger Strasser, who will provide the new medical school with strategic leadership during the planning and implementation phases. “SFU is excited about the progress we’re making with the province, health authorities, and Indigenous partners towards a new medical school,” said SFU President Joy Johnson. “With today’s announcement, we’ve hit another important milestone on that journey.”
City News reports that the school is expected to begin welcoming students by 2026, which marks a delay from the BC NDP’s original promise of seeing students graduating as 2024.
City News |
Nelson Star (BC)
In a recent editorial for
Inside Higher Ed, Mark Putnam reflects on the high presidential turnover rates at certain US institutions and the way that this trend can lead to more turnover. When a new president arrives at an institution that has gone through multiple recent leadership transitions, Putnam writes that they may face challenges from conflicting expectations, negative energy, and having to look back rather than forward. Breaking this pattern of turnover is difficult and can only be achieved with the commitment of the board and shifts in perspective. The author discusses the value of stewarding a presidency as an “institution within an institution” to ensure the enduring impact of the office and of embracing long-term, large-scale initiatives that cannot be accomplished during a short-term presidency. “Stewardship of the presidency is not about the next year,” concludes Putnam. “It’s about the next decade—or maybe even the next century.”
Inside Higher Ed (Acct. Req.) (Editorial)
The University of Prince Edward Island has been formally announced as a Bridge Builder partner for the 2023 Canada Games. PEI will welcome over 3,000 athletes, managers, and coaches in 2023 for the largest multi-sport event in the country, and the university will act as a main hub for the games. UPEI will serve as the home for the athletes’ village and mission services, in addition to hosting sport competitions such as hockey, ringette, and wheelchair basketball and badminton. “UPEI has a long history with the Canada Games on PEI, going back to 1991 and 2009,” said UPEI President Dr Greg Keefe, “and we're excited once again to contribute to the community legacy being created for generations of Islanders to come.”
UPEI (PEI)
A man has been arrested for making multiple online threats against Toronto Metropolitan University and its community, report
Global News and
City News. Toronto Police report that they were alerted to a series of threats made online on Saturday and Sunday. During a search warrant, Hamilton Police Service’s tactical unit took multiple electronic devices from the 39-year-old man who was arrested in relation to the threats. The man was charged with 23 counts of uttering threats of death or bodily harm and three counts of harassment by threatening conduct.
Global News |
City News |
CP24 |
Toronto Police (ON)
University of British Columbia Okanagan students have started an online petition to call for the expansion of bus service between Quail Ridge and UBCO. CBC reports that BC Transit only runs buses on this route until 5:40 pm on weekdays, but some students have classes that do not end until 9:30pm. Petition co-lead and UBCO student Peyton Twardochleb says that the lack of bus service forces students to choose between walking on “a dangerous unlit trail” or alongside a busy roadway for four kilometers to get back home to Quail Ridge. “We believe in order to change the safety of people in the area, we must provide safe alternatives, including city transport,” said Twardochleb. The City of Kelowna and BC Transit told CBC that an expansion is not immediately possible due to limited financial resources, but plans for an expansion are included in a three-year proposal.
CBC (BC)
A group of health and kinesiology students at Queen’s University are petitioning for the development of an Indigenous health course that students from any program can access. The students recently completed a special topics course focused on Indigenous resilience, vitality, and health that is only available to upper year students in the program. Student Mariam Farooq told the
Queen’s Journal that she believes an open health course led by Indigenous instructors would be beneficial. Nathan Brinklow, associate head (Indigenous Studies) in Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, told the
Journal that the curriculum is constantly being developed and reassessed across the university with an eye towards Indigenization, and encouraged students to speak to faculty if they want to see courses developed.
Queen’s Journal |
Nation Talk (ON)
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