News Articles Archives - Polytechnics Canada

Read editorials and articles that we’ve submitted to national and regional media outlets across Canada. These feature a few of the ways Canadian polytechnics are contributing on topics of national interest.

How to fix Canada’s sputtering productivity

By Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan | March 5, 2026 | Originally featured in the Hill Times

Canada is facing a national productivity emergency. This country’s economic output per worker, which has been stagnant for decades, took a turn for the worse during the pandemic, declining by 0.6 per cent since 2020.

Since the turn of the 21^st century, Canada has responded to this slow-growing crisis with familiar policies, modest reforms, and prolonged study. The results are now unmistakable: productivity has stalled and peer economies are pulling away, while Canada confronts stagnant wages, declining competitiveness, and growing economic insecurity. As this country works to build a more resilient national economy and diversify its international trading relationships, it must find a way to raise its lagging productivity now.

Download

Productivity Now: How an underutilized — yet proven — model of higher education can lift Canada’s economy out of the productivity crisis

By Humber Polytechnic | January 26, 2026 | Originally featured on the Humber Polytechnic website | 4.31MB | Download pdf >

Humber Polytechnic has released “Productivity Now,” a report on how to address the nation’s productivity emergency through its underutilized polytechnic model of education.

Authored by President and CEO Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan, “Productivity Now” argues that polytechnic education links theory to practice in ways that directly impact productivity, accelerate technology adoption and build end-to-end skills pipelines for sectors critical to Canada’s future.

Reimagining education: A polytechnic path to youth employment – and Canada’s resilience

By Dr. Larry Rosia | December 3, 2025 | Originally featured in SaskToday

Canada stands at a crossroads. Youth unemployment is surging, reaching levels more typically seen during recessions: 14.7 per cent nationally, with Saskatchewan’s only slightly lower at 13.4 per cent.

These are not just numbers. They reflect a growing disconnect between education and employment.

As we navigate economic uncertainty, geopolitical shifts, and rapid technological change, one thing is clear: Canada’s global competitiveness and economic resilience depend on how we prepare young people for the future of work. That means reimagining education – through a polytechnic lens.

Why investing in people is Canada’s most critical infrastructure project

By Sarah Watts-Rynard | November 28, 2025 | Originally featured in The Globe and Mail

In the face of a changing relationship with our southern neighbour, Canada is on the cusp of rewriting its trade, defence and infrastructure story for the next century. This will mean new investments and opportunities as the country aims to make itself more efficient and productive. Economic prosperity will rely, first and foremost, on enterprising Canadians putting their skills to work.

Ottawa’s blind spot on applied research makes productivity an afterthought

By Vincent Custode | November 11, 2025 | Originally featured in The Globe and Mail

Another federal budget has come and gone and, while there are investments worth applauding, it’s hard to shake the feeling that Canada missed the bigger picture.

Renewed investments in infrastructure and improvements to the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credits are welcome. The proposed “super-deduction” to spur capital investment is also a step in the right direction.

George Brown College changes name to stand out in crowded higher-education marketplace

By Joe Friesen | October 30, 2025 | Originally featured in The Globe and Mail

George Brown College is changing its name in order to differentiate itself in a crowded, and financially strained, higher-education marketplace.

The school’s new name will be George Brown Polytechnic. It plans to make the announcement Thursday morning.

It’s the third Ontario college to embrace the polytechnic name in the past two years, a time when the province’s colleges have been battered by cuts to international enrolment, program closings and job losses.

Building a stronger Canada requires people, partnerships and polytechnics

By Dr. Jeff Zabudsky | October 28, 2025 | Originally featured in the Vancouver Sun

Canada’s economic prosperity and global competitiveness depend on one critical factor: a highly skilled and resilient workforce.

The national unemployment rate rose to 7.1 per cent in August, the highest since 2016. We face an urgent and growing need to strengthen workforce participation, especially in the skilled trades.

Without immediate and co-ordinated actions of academia, industry and government, Canada risks falling short on its priorities and undermining both economic growth and social progress.

Tories pitch plan to address youth unemployment

By Meagan Gillmore | October 17, 2025 | Originally featured in Canadian Affairs

Organizations that work with post-secondary students are cautiously optimistic about a Conservative Party proposal to give more student aid to students enrolled in programs that prepare them for high-demand jobs.

How Canada can succeed in the global AI race by playing to its strengths – its people

By David Agnew, Vivek Goel | September 9, 2025 | Originally featured in the Toronto Star

Canada is home to some of the world’s top AI researchers and a vibrant start-up scene. But when it comes to using AI, especially in the sectors that matter most to our economic future, we are falling behind. In a recent study from KPMG, Canada ranked near the bottom among advanced economies (28 out of 30) in AI literacy and training.