AGP Executive Report

School Funding: Ontario’s OSAP pause is affecting students at institutions including the National Ballet School and a divinity college, while a recruiting firm linked to a private college is under scrutiny over claims it could secure students grants of up to $50,000. Labour: About 5,500 school support staff could walk off the job within 10 days, raising the prospect of disruption for students and families. Student Outcomes: A new report says half of children in care don’t finish high school, and far fewer go on to complete post-secondary education. Classroom Capacity: A B.C. school-board candidate has promised 25,000 new classroom spaces, putting growing demand for school places on the campaign agenda.

Learning Access: Iqaluit nonprofit Ampere is preparing a new makerspace hub to expand science, technology and digital-literacy programs that already have waitlists. Early Learning: Cochrane District has 556 children waiting for licensed child care, while staffing shortages have shut 452 francophone spaces in Timmins and Kapuskasing. Civic Education: Six Kootenay-Columbia schools are running mock municipal elections, part of a Student Vote program involving nearly 800 B.C. schools. Student Aid: Ontario has blocked three career colleges from OSAP until at least 2030 as scrutiny grows over private-college recruiting; the funding pause is also affecting students at the National Ballet School and a divinity college. Post-Secondary Pressures: Foreign-student enrolment at Atlantic Canadian universities has fallen nearly 50 per cent since 2024, with job and program cuts reported at Providence University College.

Student Aid: Ontario’s pause on OSAP payments to private post-secondary institutions is drawing legal challenges and leaving students uncertain about tuition and living costs; National Ballet School trainees are among those affected. International Enrolment: Atlantic universities report foreign-student numbers have fallen nearly 50% since 2024, while Providence University College is cutting jobs and programs amid declining enrolment. AI in Education: A new warning says chatbots may be harming teens’ learning, as the Canadian Teachers’ Federation raises concerns that the national AI literacy initiative puts adoption ahead of safety. Student Privacy: Burnaby’s school district says a cyberattack may have exposed student and parent information. School Staffing: Nova Scotia schools are warning families of possible support-staff strike action, while concerns about teacher burnout persist.

Student Privacy: A cyberattack at Burnaby’s school district may have exposed student and parent information. School Funding: Ontario has blocked three career colleges from OSAP until at least 2030, as students and families report financial strain; Mohawk College students also won a landmark court ruling on financial aid. International Enrolment: Foreign-student numbers at Atlantic universities have fallen nearly 50% since 2024, with sector leaders blaming Ottawa’s enrolment cap as Nova Scotia universities also report declines. Classroom Climate: About 150 students at a Grande Prairie Catholic school walked out after a teacher’s social media comments about residential schools, calling for accountability. AI in Education: The Canadian Teachers’ Federation says a national AI literacy initiative puts adoption ahead of safety, while reports warn chatbots may be harming teens’ learning. School Governance: Vancouver’s school board election is drawing attention to seismic upgrades and other local priorities, with advance voting up 60% from 2022.

Student Data: Burnaby’s school district says a ransomware attack may have exposed students’ and parents’ personal information, including grades and specialized learning plans. College Funding: Ontario has blocked three career colleges from OSAP until at least 2030 amid growing scrutiny of the student-aid system. International Enrolment: Foreign-student numbers at Atlantic Canadian universities have fallen nearly 50% since 2024; university groups say Ottawa’s enrolment cap is adding pressure. AI in Classrooms: The Canadian Teachers’ Federation says a national AI literacy initiative puts adoption ahead of safety, while researchers warn chatbots are harming teens’ learning. Schools and Reconciliation: A Selkirk middle school has been renamed for Murray Sinclair, the former Truth and Reconciliation Commission chair; Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says education, rather than criminal penalties, should counter residential-school denialism.

International Enrolment: Atlantic universities have 13,775 international students this fall, down 18% from last year and nearly 48% since 2024. The regional association says Ottawa’s student cap is hurting campuses as they try to attract global talent. Student Aid: Ontario has blocked several career colleges from OSAP for another three years, adding financial pressure for students in Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury. AI in Schools: The Canadian Teachers’ Federation says the national AI literacy initiative puts adoption ahead of safety, while another recent call warns AI chatbots may be harming teens’ learning. Skills and Training: Ottawa plans to spend more than $350 million on skilled-trades training and recruitment as MPs warn that skills gaps and training barriers are holding back major projects. Indigenous Education: The Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation say they are disappointed after their challenge over education inequity was dismissed.

Student Aid: Ontario has extended OSAP suspensions for three Academy of Learning campuses until at least 2030. The province cites suspected coursework irregularities; the schools say the decision was unfair and are challenging it in court. Early Learning: Nova Scotia is providing $100,000 to help North Preston Day Care Centre replace its oil heating system and plan further upgrades. Schools: A new kindergarten-to-Grade 8 school has opened in Manitoba’s Seven Oaks division, while a shortage of educational assistants at Fisher River Cree Nation is disrupting learning. University Access: Memorial University is directing recruitment efforts toward local students. Workforce: A year after Alberta’s historic teachers’ strike, more teachers are back in classrooms, though questions remain about whether conditions have improved.

Child-Care Access: With B.C.’s Oct. 24 election approaching, ACE National is urging parties to present a costed plan to extend $10-a-day care beyond the limited spaces available. Premier David Eby says his family’s child was already enrolled when the centre joined the program and that they donated the savings; only about 10 per cent of licensed spaces in B.C. offer the rate. Campus Inclusion: Memorial University is holding its first workshop for women, non-binary and gender-diverse faculty and postdoctoral researchers, aiming to identify practical ways to address barriers in academic careers. Postsecondary Policy: Ontario says universities and colleges must enforce anti-hate policies or risk losing provincial funding, putting campus rules and institutional accountability in focus.

Campus Accountability: Ontario says universities and colleges must enforce anti-hate policies or risk losing provincial funding, putting campus rules and oversight under scrutiny. Student Aid: Ontario’s probe of private career colleges over OSAP funding concerns has left students facing uncertainty about their support. Classroom Recovery: A year after Alberta’s historic teachers’ strike, more teachers are back in classrooms, but questions remain about whether staffing gains have improved conditions. Postsecondary Review: B.C. universities and colleges remain in limbo as they await the release of an independent review. Student Outcomes: New Brunswick education officials faced questions over the province’s poor student test scores.

AI in Education: A story asks what Thompson Rivers University students know about AI, as universities weigh how the technology fits their public missions. Alberta Schools: A year after a historic teachers’ strike, more teachers are back in Alberta classrooms; the question is whether that has improved students’ experience. School Food: Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is pitching an expanded school-food program, while critics question how it would be paid for. Campus Accountability: Ontario says universities and colleges must enforce anti-hate policies or risk defunding. Student Aid: Reports raise concerns about OSAP funding irregularities and Ontario’s probe of private career colleges, with some students facing uncertainty. School Governance: Student-run trustee debates are planned in Maple Ridge, and Nipissing University will host a mayoral debate on education issues.

Campus Policy: Ontario says universities and colleges must enforce anti-hate policies or risk losing provincial funding. Student Aid: Ontario is probing private career colleges over OSAP funding concerns, leaving students in limbo; reports say the freeze has affected more than 500 colleges. School Meals: Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is promising lunches for students citywide if re-elected, but rivals question the cost and whether the city can fund the plan alone. International Students: Ottawa has eased study rules for some temporary workers, but experts say the change won’t do enough to expand the professional workforce. Post-secondary Review: B.C. colleges and universities are still awaiting the release of an independent review.

Campus Accountability: Ontario says universities and colleges must enforce anti-hate policies or risk losing provincial funding. Student Aid: A pause on OSAP funding to more than 500 private career colleges has left students facing uncertainty, including some who may have to drop out; Ontario’s Liberals have asked the auditor general to examine spending amid concerns about irregularities. School Governance: Niagara trustee candidates are debating proposed provincial changes that critics say would narrow elected boards’ powers, while school board elections continue to draw little voter attention. Postsecondary Review: B.C. universities and colleges remain in limbo as they await the release of an independent review.

Student Aid: Ontario’s sudden OSAP freeze has left private career-college students without expected funding; a single mother of four says she may have to quit her massage-therapy program. School Safety: Police are investigating a call from outside Canada that prompted a Halifax high-school lockdown as a possible swatting incident. Indigenous Languages: A new Carleton University exhibition imagines a future where Cree syllabics are part of everyday life, including on a convenience-store mural. Teaching: Toronto Grade 8 students say role-playing historical figures for a Murdoch Mysteries pitch made history more engaging; teachers in several communities were also recognized with Prime Minister’s Awards.

College Milestones: Georgian College celebrated about 168 Automotive Business graduates and awarded Ford Canada CEO Bev Goodman an honorary degree. Indigenous Education: First Nations University of Canada is backing a Nov. 3–4 summit at Simon Fraser University focused on turning post-secondary commitments to fight anti-Indigenous racism into accountable action. Teaching Excellence: Lethbridge science teacher Cilena Mathieu and Saskatchewan educator Natasha Cochran are among this year’s Prime Minister’s Award recipients; Mathieu was recognized for her STEM teaching and space-exploration program, while Cochran leads a one-room, nine-grade school. School Safety: Police say a threat that prompted a Halifax school lockdown came from outside Canada; the lockdown was lifted. Post-secondary Funding: Ontario’s referral of concerns about OSAP payments at private career colleges to provincial police has left some students uncertain about their funding. B.C. Colleges: Universities and colleges are awaiting the release of an independent review, leaving the sector in limbo.

School Governance: Overlapping B.C. provincial and local elections are confusing voters in races that include school trustee seats. In New Brunswick, education officials faced questions over poor student test scores. Student Aid: Ontario referred concerns about OSAP payments at private career colleges to police, leaving students at more than 500 colleges uncertain about funding. School Safety: A Washington state resident has been charged in connection with the deadly Tumbler Ridge school shooting, as investigators examine alleged online assistance. Postsecondary Access: The University of Toronto announced a $100-million PhD scholarship program, while Ottawa is looking to attract more graduate international students.

Student Aid: Ontario’s OSAP freeze and referrals of private career-college funding concerns to police are leaving students at more than 500 colleges anxious about their studies and finances. Campus Security: Canadian Mennonite University says hackers accessed a decade’s worth of personal data, affecting students and staff. School Results: New Brunswick education officials faced questions over weak test scores, while fresh Ontario results fuelled criticism of the Ford government’s progress on learning. Educators: Two Central Okanagan teachers and educators from Saint John-area schools were among recipients of Prime Minister’s Awards. School Safety: Police lifted a lockdown at Oshawa schools after a threat, while Halifax police said a fake threat call to a high school came from outside Canada.