News & Events Archives - Polytechnics Canada

Why hasn’t AI changed Canada yet?

By Ricardo Arena | January 15, 2025 | Originally featured in The Hill Times

Much has been written about Canada’s lagging innovation and productivity indicators. The federal government has struggled to offer effective solutions, alternating between big gambles on select sectors and splashy announcements that end with a fizzle.

Last month, however, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne quietly put out a press release detailing plans to allocate the Budget 2024 centrepiece: a $2-billion investment in artificial intelligence (AI). It signaled a welcome shift toward incorporating implementation and impact in Canada’s innovation ambitions.

Reflections of 2024: Resilience in the Face of Adversity

By Kamila Graczyk | December 20, 2024

As 2024 draws to a close, it is hard not to focus on the tremendous challenges brought on by abrupt federal policy changes on the international student file. Our members – like much of the postsecondary community – are grappling with the fallout of sweeping cuts, harsh rhetoric about the quality of Canadian education, then further caps and restrictions to post-graduate work permits.

While the difficulties cannot be overlooked, moments like this can also be transformative. They force us to review, retrench and find new paths forward. As we turn the page on 2024 and look ahead, there are reasons for optimism.

Commercialization is critical for Canadian productivity. Colleges can help

By Ricardo Arena | October 9, 2024 | Originally featured in The Globe and Mail

While Canada’s weak productivity performance is not a new phenomenon, its impact is beginning to show more than ever.

Families are struggling with inflated living expenses, reduced job security and the high cost of housing, leaving many feeling as though they are falling behind. Small and mid-sized companies – the backbone of the economy – are burdened by long-standing capital investment challenges and rising operational costs, bogging down their ability to lead an economic expansion.

All signs point to the need to fire up Canada’s innovation engine. Postsecondary institutions can help.

A new model to revolutionize higher education

By Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan | September 19, 2024 | Originally featured in The Globe and Mail

Higher education has the power to change lives, build communities and drive economic growth. And it’s time for the model to change.

For years, education has followed the same approach to delivery: students enroll in a program, take a set of courses and earn a credential. This approach assumes that every student follows the same pathway to graduation.

Higher education has essentially been an assembly line, adhering to a status quo education model where everybody comes in the same way and goes out the same way. This no longer suits the world for which we are preparing our students.

Canada’s innovation tool box should contain more applied research

By Sarah Watts-Rynard | September 15, 2024 | Originally featured in the Toronto Star

While Canada’s productivity indicators have long been lacklustre, the urgency of addressing persistently sluggish economic performance has only recently made headlines.

What we’ve known for some time — that small businesses are relatively slow to adopt new technology, that skill mismatches diminish performance and impede growth — is no longer a conversation confined to economists and central bankers.

With poor productivity performance, quality of life in Canada is being eroded and policymakers urgently need effective solutions. Past federal measures introduced to boost innovation and productivity have been disappointing or delayed, failing to generate promised results. Productivity indicators continue to lag those of peer countries.

2024 Polytechnic Showcase Spotlight: Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s transition to registered nursing in Canada

By Christa MacLean, Monica Gretchen | July 25, 2024

Nurses represent the largest share of health workers, with over 28 million worldwide (World Health Organization, 2020), yet Canada is struggling to retain and meet the labour demand due to a nationwide shortage. Reflecting on the insightful conversations held at the 2024 Polytechnic Showcase in May, Polytechnics Canada connected with Saskatchewan Polytechnic to discuss their session Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s IENnovative Approach: Transition to Registered Nursing in Canada, highlighting their efforts to prepare internationally trained nurses for positions in Canada.

Christa MacLean, Dean of the School of Nursing and the School of Health Sciences, and Monica Gretchen, Academic Chair of the School of Nursing, recently shared how Saskatchewan Polytechnic is responding to their province’s demand for nurses.

2024 Polytechnic Showcase Spotlight: How the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology is providing world-class applied student learning experiences

By Jamie McInnis | July 22, 2024

Polytechnics are supporting graduate success by equipping students with skills, connections and mindsets tailored to a new world of work. At the 2024 Polytechnic Showcase in May, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) profiled their approach to student engagement at every touchpoint of the journey to, through and after attending the applied learning institution.

Jamie McInnis, Director of Applied Research and Innovation Services at SAIT, shared how the institution’s digital storytelling platform and Capability Framework not only enhance student engagement but also ensure that graduates are well-prepared to meet emerging industry needs.

2024 Polytechnic Showcase Spotlight: Humber’s international development journeys

By Clarisse Estebar | July 16, 2024

Polytechnics are solving some of Canada’s most pressing challenges, driving business innovation and developing next-generation talent in highly technical, hands-on occupations. So it is no surprise that institutions are well-positioned to address environmental, economic and social challenges abroad through global partnerships. Reflecting on the insightful conversations held at the 2024 Polytechnic Showcase in May, Polytechnics Canada connected with Clarisse Estebar, Humber’s International Development Lead, to discuss their session International Development: The Humber Journey.

2024 Polytechnic Showcase Spotlight: How Conestoga is inspiring sustainability in research and academics

By Anna Hohenadel, Nicole Detlor | July 8, 2024

Polytechnics are playing an important part in addressing the twin urgencies of developing a green-ready workforce and helping industry adopt sustainable practices. Reflecting on the insightful conversations held at the 2024 Polytechnic Showcase in May, Polytechnics Canada connected with speakers from Conestoga to discuss their session, Inspiring Sustainability in Research and Academics.

Anna Hohenadel, Accreditation Consultant at Conestoga’s School of Business and Nicole Detlor, Director of the Conestoga Food Research & Innovation Lab (CFRIL), elaborated on Conestoga’s ongoing efforts to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through campus operations, research and curriculum. They emphasized how these initiatives meet the growing local, regional and international demand for food research and innovation.