Weekly News Roundup

UNIONS | INSTITUTIONS | GOVERNMENT

Join CUFA BC each week for a roundup of news in BC’s post-secondary sector

New immigration rules raise fears that northern B.C. will lose foreign students, workers

For years, international students have made up a large portion of the student body at the College of New Caledonia in Prince George, B.C. But under Canada’s tightening immigration policies, many on campus are now questioning their decision to come north — and local businesses and community leaders are worried about a knock-on effect on the workforce. Over 1,500 international students from more than 40 countries came to study at CNC for the 2022-23 academic year — almost a quarter of the school’s total enrolment of 6,610. The school isn’t alone in the north in having a high international cohort: there were 3,656 at the University of Northern British Columbia in the same year, or around 17 per cent of the total.

BC | CBC

UNBC holding weeklong events for Inspiring Women Among Us week

The UNBC will be celebrating Inspiring Women Among Us week from November 13th to the 20th. The week began with a goal of reducing violence against women, and has grown to include discussions and awareness of women’s achievements and knowledge in spaces that aren’t often created for them. Caring in the Time of Polycrisis is the theme this year, and Student Planning Assistant, Kiara Mills goes over some of the events throughout the week. This year, UNBC will observe the Trans Day of Remembrance as part of Inspiring Women Among Us’s (IWAU) week-long series of workshops and speakers. IWAU, in collaboration with the Northern Pride Centre, will host a ceremony on Wednesday, November 20, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., followed by a brunch.

BC | MyPGNow | Over The Edge

A Pair of Veteran Educators Named 2024 Kelly Outstanding Teacher Honourees at Royal Roads University

A pair of veteran educators who share a passion for outside-the-box and, when required, outside-the-classroom approaches to teaching are the dual recipients of Royal Roads University’s Kelly Outstanding Teaching Award. Geoffrey Bird and Hilary Leighton received their honours at a ceremony on campus this fall. Bird has been teaching for 30 years, more than half of those at Royal Roads, where he’s a professor in the School of Communication and Culture. Leighton has been teaching for more than 25 years, 19 of those at Royal Roads, where she’s a professor and program head in the Master of Arts in Environmental Education and Communication as well as program head, Graduate Certificate in Regenerative Sustainable Community Development.

BC | ENC

SFU launches inaugural Accessibility Plan

The university’s first institutional Accessibility Plan marks a significant step towards building an equitable and inclusive SFU for all who work, live, teach and learn here. Informed by the perspectives and needs of students, faculty, staff and alumni with disabilities, the plan outlines the necessary action required to create systemic change in alignment with the Equity Compass while ensuring the university is in compliance with the Accessible British Columbia Act. Through the Equity Office, Accessibility Secretariat and Committee, SFU will refine the plan each year, responding to provincial standards and community feedback.

BC | SFU

Camosun announces coming layoffs due to loss of international student tuition

Camosun College says layoffs will be coming as it has to make up for a $5-million budget shortfall due to the reduction of international students imposed by the federal government. In addition to the layoffs, Lynelle Yutani, president of the Camosun College Faculty Association says the college announced it would be transferring Departments across different schools and creating new schools. Yutani says these layoffs were decided without consultation with the unions, and that there are other places the budget could have been cut before turning to layoffs.

BC | Chek

Job losses at Langara College? Faculty group fears fewer international students means fewer classes to teach

Vancouver’s Langara College is in the middle of putting together a new strategic plan at the same time that it’s coping with declining international enrolment, which has its faculty worried that the combination will lead to big job losses. All the Langara Faculty Association has been told is that reduced international enrolment resulted in a total of 112 fewer classes being offered within many courses in September — meaning fewer instructors are needed. There are expected to be even fewer classes in January for the spring semester, said association president Pauline Greaves. The faculty association has written a letter to Langara’s senior leadership and board of governors asking them to consider measures to mitigate job losses by splitting classes, by offering retirement incentives as other institutions have or asking for permission to use capital funds sitting in bank accounts to shore up staff budgets.

BC | VancouverSun | CityNewsVancouver

Milovick tapped to chair board of B.C. university procurement agency

Thompson River’s University’s Matt Milovick has been tapped to chair the board of directors of BCNET, a shared services organization with which TRU does millions of dollars in business each year. Speaking with Castanet, Milovick, TRU’s vice-president of finance and administration, said he’d been involved with BCNET on and off for nearly a decade and said it was an honour and a privilege to now be leading the board over his two year term. He said he’s “got some big shoes to fill.” He described BCNET as a cost-saving service that maximizes efficiency in areas like networking, information and educational technology, cybersecurity and procurements — specifically for the province’s universities and higher-education institutions. Now that he’s chairing the board, Milovick said he thinks BCNET’s potential is still largely untapped and he hopes the organization will keep growing.

BC |  Castanet

KPU raises awareness about the toxic-drug crisis and offers naloxone training

Kwantlen Polytechnic University hosted an event on Nov. 4 to raise awareness about the growing toxic-drug crisis in B.C. and supply students with the skills and knowledge to prevent drug poisonings in their community. “The Toxic Drug Supply and Post-Secondary Students” offered students, faculty, and staff skills to administer naloxone, a medicine that reverses opioid overdose. KPU has two naloxone kits available at each campus for emergency use only. The event provided attendees with the awareness, tools, and skills necessary to intervene in a potential overdose situation, receiving naloxone kits that came with gloves, syringes, and the medication to safely use on someone. Attendees also heard from community groups engaged in harm reduction and those with lived experiences.

BC | The Runner

Former B.C. premier John Horgan, Canada’s ambassador to Germany, dead at 65

Former B.C. premier John Horgan has died at the age of 65. In June this year, Horgan confirmed that he had been diagnosed with cancer for a third time during a routine followup appointment for his previous throat cancer. Horgan went on leave from his position as Canada’s ambassador to Germany at the time. Horgan was first elected to the B.C. legislature in 2005 and became leader of the NDP in 2014. He was elected as B.C.’s premier in 2017, holding the province’s top job until 2022, when he announced he would be stepping down. He cited his health and lack of energy as the primary reason. Premier David Eby released a statement: “The news of John Horgan’s passing this morning in Victoria leaves us with heavy hearts. John loved this province and its people. He sought to address injustice wherever he saw it – using his time in office to help build a better, stronger British Columbia for everyone.”

BC | BC Gov News | Book of Condolences | CBC

Alberta Province reviewing post-secondary funding after cuts to international student permits

The Alberta government has enlisted economist Jack Mintz to chair a panel to examine post-secondary funding in Alberta. Advanced Education Minister Rajan Sawhney says the creation of the panel comes after the federal government introduced tighter restrictions by limiting the number of international student permits. New, tighter restrictions for international students at Canadian universities and colleges are worrying industry watchers, who warn that continued uncertainty about post-secondary could damage Canada’s reputation as an attractive place to study and live. NDP education critic David Eggen says the time for reviews is over, says, “I’ve never seen post-secondaries in such a tight spot, students are literally not able to complete full studies. Many people have to drop out, and [with] inflation … cost of living is just exacerbating the situation. So it’s an emergency that demands action, not another reflective study.”

AB | CBC

Registration for CAUT and Education International Academic Freedom Conference 2025

CAUT and Education International, the global federation of teacher unions, will be hosting an international conference on academic freedom on Friday, February 7, and Saturday, February 8, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Hotel Sheraton Suites Eau Claire, in Calgary. The conference — Knowledge and Power: International Struggles for Academic Freedom – will review the global state of academic freedom with the aim of discussing ways it can be strengthened. Panellists from around the world will evaluate the existing legal foundations of academic freedom in both domestic and international law, explore how academic staff unions and civil society groups globally are organizing to defend and advance academic freedom, and discuss concrete ways the right to academic freedom can be better monitored and enforced.

National | CAUT (Registration) | CAUT (Program)

Indigenous studies graduate programs’ growing presence in Canadian academia

Indigenous scholars in Canada have had limited options in Indigenous studies at the graduate level. Today, there are 11 Indigenous studies graduate programs across the country — and the number is growing. The Varsity spoke to several Indigenous professors at U of T about their experiences applying to graduate school and about the development of a new Indigenous studies graduate program at U of T. Graduate programs in Indigenous studies are becoming increasingly available across Canadian universities, with a notable concentration in western provinces. Ontario also hosts several options, including programs at Trent, York, and Queen’s universities. Other institutions, such as First Nations University of Canada, University of Regina, and University of Northern British Columbia, offer specialized graduate programs focused on Indigenous education, social work, and community perspectives.

National | TheVarsity

Canada launches AI-focused institute

The Government of Canada has announced the launch of the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (CAISI), a new institute that will focus on the safe and responsible development and deployment of AI technologies. CAISI will address societal, technical, and ethical challenges to build trust in AI technologies and promote their adoption. CAISI will be housed by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and will be supported by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), National Research Council of Canada, and Canada’s three AI institutes. CIFAR will implement and steer CAISI’s applied and investigator-led research stream, which is funded by $27M from Canada, while the National Research Council will oversee the government-directed project stream.

National | Govt of Canada | CIFAR

In a surprising move, the Canadian government has officially terminated the Student Direct Stream (SDS) program as of November 8, 2024, Friday, bringing an end to the expedited study permit process that has benefited thousands of international students seeking to study in Canada. The SDS program, which was introduced in 2018 by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), aimed to streamline the visa application process for students from 14 countries, including major source nations like India, China, and the Philippines. In light of the new regulations, international students may face longer wait times and elevated eligibility standards. 

National | BusinessToday

As the housing crisis continues to cause widespread confusion and frustration across Canada, university students are giving up on convenience as they struggle to find even the most basic affordable housing. The student housing crisis highlights the importance of adopting a collaborative approach between universities, governments, and private sector partners. As challenges related to affordability and availability continue to impact student well-being, these innovative partnerships provide a glimmer of hope for sustainable solutions. However, further efforts are still needed to restore campuses to their primary role as spaces for learning, personal development, and community life for everyone.

National | UA

Universities Canada has relaunched the UniversityStudy.ca platform to help prospective students make informed decisions about their future university studies. The bilingual platform now includes a new scholarships database and an in-depth resource centre that covers topics such as residence options and graduation preparation. “We’re thrilled to offer an expanded UniversityStudy.ca platform that goes beyond program listings to include tools that simplify the search for financial support and other resources vital to student success,” said Universities Canada President Gabriel Miller.

National | UniversitiesCanada