Latest news with #AlgonquinCollege
Canada Standard
13 hours ago
- General
- Canada Standard
Parks Canada in Cape Breton working with post secondary institutions on restoration projects
Canada News Centre 09 Jun 2025, 23:26 GMT+10 Historical carpentry program provides unique hands-on experience for students June 9, 2025 Louisbourg, Nova Scotia Parks Canada Parks Canada in Cape Breton has signed a multi-year agreement with Holland College, Algonquin College, and Willowbank School of Restoration Arts. The agreement will enable students at all three post-secondary institutions to participate in the restoration of the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site. The agreement supports Parks Canada's priorities by helping preserve a nationally significant heritage place while fostering hands-on learning. Students from the schools have been working on shutters for the fortress after reviewing blueprints and meeting with Parks Canada's lead conservator, gaining hands-on experience in a restoration project. This experience has helped prepare them for careers as skilled tradespeople. Holland College is located in Prince Edward Island; Algonquin College and Willowbank School of Restoration Arts are both in Ontario. Parks Canada representatives worked with students virtually, with each school's program instructors overseeing the students' work. Several of the students from all three institutions were also able to visit the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site to gain hands-on, in-person experience directly at the site. Cultural resources are irreplaceable and connect us with the places, persons and events that have shaped history in Canada. Parks Canada is privileged in its role as the steward of outstanding cultural and natural treasures that represent the richness and diversity of Canada. -30-
Ottawa Citizen
3 days ago
- Ottawa Citizen
New Trim LRT Station a hit with future Transpo riders
Dozens of visitors, including many families checked out the almost ready-for-action Trim LRT station Saturday. Article content And by all appearances, they liked what they saw. Article content Article content 'When (Trim) opens, it's going to be a gamechanger,' said Kim LeBrun, 46. She says she is one of OC Transpo's 'top fans'. Article content Trim Line is part of the Line 1 East Extension and is one of five stations being added after Blair Station. It's the final stop after a series of stations including Montréal, Jeanne d'Arc, Convent Glen, and Place d'Orléans. Article content Article content The extension adds more than 12.5 kilometres of train tracks to connect to communities including Orléans, Blackburn Hamlet, and Beacon Hill. Article content The neighbourhood around Trim is relatively new development with not much happening around it. It has a covered pedestarian bridge connecting riders to the trains above Highway 174. Article content To get to Trim Station, there are over a thousand Park and Ride spaces, two bus routes and several bike racks and pathways. Article content LeBrun, who has been a transit rider for nearly 32 years, said she's been waiting a while for the station to open to make her commute even faster. Article content Article content While the station is still under construction, visitors were allowed to get a tour of a future transit line and learn from train operators about their control systems. Outside of the station, OC Transpo employees set up games for a chance to win 'goodies'. Article content Article content Spencer Wang-Marceau, nine, is a young train enthusiast and said his favourite part about the train were the sounds of the train and looking at the control room. Article content 'I can't wait for it to go from Tunney's Pasture to Trim,' Spencer said. His father, David Marceau, said Spencer was most excited about meeting OC Owl, OC Transpo's mascot. Article content Admittedly, Spencer said it's been hard to adjust to OC Transpo's New Way to Bus program, which he says has cut a crucial route for him on his way to school. Article content 'I wish they kept the old bus routes, like the 93 Hurdman,' he said. 'It was always in a minute and I wouldn't have to wait 27 minutes.' Article content David said they were looking forward to the train opening because of its proximity to Petrie Island Beach. Article content 'We enjoy the view, it's a beautiful view,' David said. 'We'd be able to come here faster to go to the island and go swimming or fishing.' Conveniently, Spencer already had his fishing rod tucked in his backpack. Article content Théo Cantin-Nantel, heading into Algonquin College next year, said he remembers being a train enthusiast as a child and wanted to check out the new station. Article content Article content Article content
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Algonquin College program cut hits most vulnerable students, advocates say
For parents like Meredith Vautour, one of the concerns of having a son with autism is what's going to happen to him when she is gone. Her 18-year-old son, Alex, is in his second year of high school at Sir Guy Carleton Secondary School, enrolled in a general learning program focused on teaching functional academics and life skills. The Academic Assistance For Adults With Developmental Disabilities (AAADD) at Algonquin College was a strong post-secondary option for him. Or rather it was until Thursday morning, when the college said it was 'phasing out' its adult special-needs program. 'The program … that we're losing is exactly a program that he suddenly saw a place for him that he could go on and continue to learn,' Vautour said, getting teary. 'It opened a whole other world to him where he thought he could continue to go and find a place to learn and get a job.' Throughout Alex's life, Vautour said, they have constantly fought for his education to find the 'right avenues' for him. The AAADD cut is another obstacle after the absence of a disabilities ministry in Prime Minister Mark Carney's federal cabinet and the special-education cuts by the provincial government of Premier Doug Ford. 'It feels like every level is coming at these kids,' Vautour said. 'Every parent in the world wants their kid to be prepared for adulthood and be part of society. 'With a child with a disability, our futures look different.' Since 1997, AAADD has offered adults with developmental disabilities the chance to build their academic and social skills within a safe environment. It runs 40 weeks per year from the end of August to the end of June. Pauline Beevor's son, Derek, graduated from AAADD in June 2023. She says the program has been 'extremely positive.' 'I found that being in the program … made him feel like he was truly part of the college,' Beevor said. 'The teachers were very supportive, (and) the teaching they did was obviously very helpful because he did struggle.' Derek, 27, now works at Canada Bread and Beevor gives a lot of credit to the AAADD program because of the community skills he developed throughout his time at Algonquin College. 'I can't fathom the idea of the (college) not knowing what it's going to do to these young people that want to succeed, like Derek,' Beevor said. 'It just saddens me. 'This program really, really helped Derek.' Derek said the AAADD program was important because it made access to learning easier for people with disabilities. When he learned the news about the program's demise, he said it was 'unacceptable' to him. 'The program was really good. I'm pretty upset at them shutting down the program,' Derek said. 'How can people with special needs (access) college?' Kate Dudley-Logue, vice-president of community outreach for the Ontario Autism Coalition, says losing programming like AAADD narrows opportunities for adults and children with disabilities. Parents hope their kids will develop the skills they need to reach their full potential in life, but for parents of children with disabilities it's already difficult to find day programs and support, Dudley-Logue said. 'You would think, where we're at in the world right now, more programs would be offered and more supports would be in place for our vulnerable people in the community,' she said. 'It just seems like we're moving in the opposite direction.' When cuts have to be made at colleges, Dudley-Logue says it's frustrating that vulnerable communities face more cuts than other members of the population. 'It's just very frustrating that, more often than not, when cuts have to be put in place, it's people with disabilities that end up bearing the brunt of the cuts,' she said. In an email statement, Algonquin College said the decision to cut AAADD was made in an effort to focus on 'credentialed programs' as approved by the Ministry of College and Universities, Research Excellence and Security. The AAADD is a non-ministry program that offers a certificate, but doesn't lead to a 'formal credential,' the statement said, adding the decision also came after 'substantial fiscal challenges,' including a shift in federal immigration policy and a provincial post-secondary tuition freeze. 'There have been no new students accepted into the program for three years,' the statement read. 'New students will not be accepted moving forward.' The current program will end on April 30, 2026, allowing 73 students currently enrolled to finish their studies. Martin Lee, second vice-president of OPSEU Local 415, said this was another round of 'disappointing cuts' by the college, especially since it would affect a vulnerable student population. In April, Algonquin announced it was cancelling academic upgrading courses that helped students complete missing credits in order to begin new courses of study. The college is facing a $60-million budget deficit, expected to rise to $93 million in the following year. Lee said colleges were there to support the needs of the communities that they served, not to 'make a surplus or a loss.' 'It appears that the college is aiming for those who are most vulnerable first,' he said. 'If the college truly believes that it is about caring, learning, integrity, respect, then it needs to look at that caring piece first.' While the program is not affiliated with the union, Lee said the union local's offices were located right beside the AAADD department, allowing him to see how much the students benefited and required daily assistance from the program. 'The college cutting the service off is going to put a strain on the community,' he said. 'It's going to put a strain on the families whom these learners belong to.' Our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark our homepage and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Another 173 Ontario measles cases identified since last week Kanata office building gets committee go-ahead for conversion to housing
CTV News
22-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Algonquin College to phase out adult special needs program amid continuing financial challenges
Algonquin College says a program for adults with special needs will be phased out as the school continues to face financial challenges. The Adult Assistance for Adults with Developmental Disabilities (AAADD) program has been offered at the college since 1997, providing academic and social skills for adults with developmental disabilities. The college says the program will conclude on April 30, 2026 to allow students currently enrolled to finish their studies. Seventy-three students are currently enrolled in the program but no new students have been accepted in three years. AAADD students are given a certificate of completion and not a formal credential approved by the Ministry of Education when they finish their studies. The college says amid its financial difficulties, it is focusing on credentialed programs that align with its mandate. 'We have made the decision, given the financial and fiscal challenges that we are facing, to exit out of other activities that did not fit that particular mandate,' said Julie Beauchamp, Algonquin College's senior vice-president of academics, in an interview. The school says no other alternative programming is being planned at this time. 'The reason we are announcing it now is to give not only the students ample time to be accommodated, but the parents amble time to find alternative opportunities for these students and to find accommodations that will meet their needs,' Beauchamp said. AAADD runs 40 weeks per year, according to its website. Students can attend day or night courses part-time for a maximum of four years. Courses are facilitated by a coordinator and adult development counsellors. Beauchamp and Jane Trakalo, Dean of the School of Wellness, Public Safety and Community Studies, say staff in the AAADD program will be accommodated through to its last day. 'Any staffing issues that would result from the changes would be addressed through the respective collective agreements,' Beauchamp said. The college already announced wider cuts earlier this year, including the suspension of 41 active and dormant programs, the closure of the Perth Campus and the offering of voluntary exit packages to staff, citing a drop in international student enrollment and a tuition freeze. Staff say enrolment is projected to drop 11 per cent in 2025-26. Algonquin College reported in January that it was projecting a $32 million loss in revenue for 2024-25, and a $60 million loss in 2025-26 and $93 million for 2026-27. The board of governors approved the $479 million 2025-26 school year budget last month, using $41 million in reserves to cover the multi-million-dollar budget deficit and to support projects and initiatives at the college for the next school year. With files from CTV News Ottawa's Josh Pringle
CBC
06-05-2025
- CBC
Indian community mourns student death in Ottawa
Social Sharing The family of an Indian international student who died in Ottawa late last month is mourning her loss, with some questioning how the investigation has been handled while the immediate family asks others to "refrain from sharing unverified details." Vanshika Saini was a 21-year-old student about to graduate from Algonquin College with a degree in health administration. Her body was found on April 27 at Dick Bell Park. Police said foul play is not suspected. On Monday, Ottawa Police sent out a news release with a lengthy statement they attributed to the Saini family. In the statement, the Saini family said only the immediate family is receiving updates and speaking with investigators. "From the earliest moments of her disappearance, the Ottawa Police Service has been in regular and consistent contact with our immediate family," the statement read. "Please understand this is deeply personal and while we continue to heal as a family, we are confident that the police have approached this case with thoughtfulness, diligence, and a sincere commitment to keeping us informed from the outset." "We kindly ask that people refrain from sharing unverified details, as doing so only deepens an already painful time for our family and compounds our grief," the statement read. The family notes some individuals who have spoken publicly are not directly involved in ongoing communications with police. Some in community had questions On Sunday, Saini's cousin Deepkaur said she and other family members had been given inconsistent answers about the circumstances of Saini's death, with OPS saying at different times that she'd been found at Britannia Beach, at Dick Bell Park and even that she'd been pulled directly from the water. In addition to when and where her body was found, the family wants other answers, Deepkaur said, like why Saini left her apartment that night and what happened next. "We are living like hell over here, and we don't know anything," she said. "No one here is eating properly, no one is sleeping properly.… We just want answers about what had happened to her — why and when and how." On Sunday, a small group gathered at Dick Bell Park to both mourn Saini and echo the family's call for more answers. "There was no alert. Nobody was told to look for this young girl," said Rasna Arora, who said they have been in contact with some members of Saini's family and organized the gathering. OPS had earlier issued a statement Sunday morning acknowledging the community's concerns about how the case was handled. "Each case receives careful consideration, and this one was no exception," it said. "We can assure the community that it was approached with professionalism, urgency, and a deep sense of responsibility from the outset." News made headlines in India Arora said news of Saini's death had made headlines in India. "There are people [in those articles] saying, 'We told you, don't send your child to Canada, don't send them to Ottawa, our children are not safe,'" Arora said. "That's not true, but that is the perception that's going to stay there unless we come up and say, 'No, we do care about people who come here.'" Saini's body is expected to be repatriated to India by Wednesday, Arora added. Bay ward Coun. Theresa Kavanagh, who represents the area where Saini's body was found, said police had told her that they don't believe there's any risk to public safety. "It's more complicated because she's from another country," Kavanagh told CBC. "It's very difficult to get details about what happened." In the meantime, Saini's family is mourning her from afar. "I don't have any words [to describe] how the current situation is here," Deepkaur said. "You can just imagine a family who had a lot of dreams for their daughter."
