Latest news with #NolanQuinn
CTV News
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- CTV News
North Stormont community calling for changes to Highway 138 after fatal crash
A memorial for Amanda Maloney erected on Highway 138 at Dyer Road after she was killed in a crash on March 29. (Dylan Dyson/CTV News Ottawa) Residents in North Stormont came together Saturday to call for safety changes to Highway 138. Back in March near the community of Moose Creek, local resident Amanda Maloney was killed in a collision involving two tractor trailers at the intersection of Dyer Road. 'On March 29, we lost a cherished member of our community, Amanda Maloney, who was killed while attempting to navigate a dangerous turn on Highway 138,' said Cara Sabourin, who organized a town hall Saturday morning featuring police, the Ministry of Transportation (MTO), local politicians and community members. The provincial highway is a key corridor for commuters between Cornwall and Ottawa. In recent years, the roadway has seen traffic increase exponentially with Walmart, the Amazon distribution centre and Calypso waterpark nearby. A Great Wolf Lodge is planned to be built in the future. 'Every single person pretty well has had a near miss on that highway, and most of them more than once,' said Martin Lang, warden of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. Highway 138 Highway 138 in eastern Ontario is pictured in this April 2, 2025 photo. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa) Bringing good news was local MPP Nolan Quinn, who said a long-standing report for redesigning the highway was set to be pushed forward in the coming months. 'The whole report, including passing lanes. One set of passing lanes north, one set of passing lane south, left hand turning lanes, slip lanes, lines of sight as well. That will be starting this summer.' The redesign to Highway 138 would also feature road widening and snow drift fences along farmers' fields. Frustratingly for residents, this work is not scheduled until May 2028. 'I'm happy that there's going to be turning lanes at that intersection because that that is the reason why she died was because there wasn't one,' said Sabourin. 'I'm a bit disappointed to hear of how long it's taking for some of those changes.' With planned changes three years down the road, residents who spoke at Saturday's town hall called for more immediate, low budget solutions, such as amber lights at intersections, more marked police cruisers patrolling the highway and emotional signage reminding drivers of past tragedies. A representative with the MTO who joined the town hall virtually said previous studies by the ministry have found that stop lights and amber lights along Highway 138 are not been warranted by the volume of turning vehicles. 'I really like the emotional signage,' said Ontario Provincial Police acting superintendent Stephan Neufeld, who was in attendance Saturday. 'I refer to the Remember Adam project that started in that community in Mattawa. That certainly makes every time I drive on Highway 17 and I see that it, makes me think. So, I think there's a lot of value in that emotional signage.' Neufeld says the 138 is the most patrolled roadway by the OPP in Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. Since 2022, there have been 247 collisions on Highway 138 including two deaths. 'It's the enforcement piece, which is the key role for the OPP, and the education piece,' Neufeld said of the OPP's place in ensuring safety along Highway 138. 'The education piece, that's a journey, that's not a destination. Education never ends. Whether it's signage, whether it's getting out to new drivers that are just starting out.' While the community waits for construction to begin on the highway, fellow town hall organizer Amanda Brownrigg has been working to erect a monument at the Moose Creek community centre in Maloney's memory. 'I want a bench for her. I want a bench at the park so her girls can see how much she was appreciated, see how much she was loved.'
Business Upturn
11 hours ago
- Business
- Business Upturn
OCUFA Challenges Ontario Government's Narrative on Postsecondary Funding Crisis, Welcomes Review with Call for Meaningful Faculty Consultation
TORONTO, ON, June 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) today responded to the announcement by Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (MCURES) Nolan Quinn of $55.8 million to expand teaching training seats across Ontario. While OCUFA welcomes any new investment in the postsecondary sector, the organization asserts that the Ontario government is not taking meaningful action to address the deep-seated financial crisis facing Ontario's world-class public universities. Minister Quinn highlighted that the investment would train up to 2,600 new teachers by 2027, prioritizing accelerated programs, French and technological education, and seats in northern, rural, Indigenous, and remote regions. However, when asked on the broader financial challenges confronting the sector, Minister Quinn attributed these issues to 'unilateral decisions' by the federal government regarding international student study permits. 'The financial struggles plaguing Ontario's postsecondary education sector are not a sudden development, nor are they solely a result of federal changes to international student permit caps', stated OCUFA President Nigmendra Narain. 'For decades, Ontario's universities have endured chronic underfunding, consistently ranking dead last in Canada in per-student funding. We are disappointed to see the Ontario Government downplay its own responsibility in supporting this vital sector.' OCUFA is deeply concerned that Ontario's universities are currently grappling with program closures, enrollment pauses, increasing precarity among faculty, and significant challenges in funding the province's most promising talent. The undergraduate programs that produce the students who enter teacher's college are not only underfunded, but are now facing cuts, limiting the academic preparation of teachers. While the $55.8 million for teaching pathways is a positive step, OCUFA emphasizes that these recent commitments only scratch the surface of the sector's needs. To simply reach Canada's national per-student funding average, Ontario requires an immediate investment of at least $2.78 billion, possibly more depending on the impact of declining international student enrolment. Without substantial and ongoing funding commitments, Ontario's position as a world leader in postsecondary education, research, and scholarship will continue to be at jeopardy. OCUFA welcomes the Minister's announcement that his ministry will be reviewing how funding is delivered across the postsecondary sector. 'We sincerely hope for meaningful consultation during this process and that the Ontario Government will ensure the voices of university faculty and academic librarians across the province are not only heard but respected,' said OCUFA Executive Director Jenny Ahn, echoing recommendations made at OCUFA's Funding Our Future: Keeping Universities Public conference in 2023. Founded in 1964, OCUFA represents more than 18,000 professors and academic librarians in 30 faculty associations across Ontario. It is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education in Ontario and recognizing the outstanding contributions of its members towards creating a world-class university system. For more information, please visit the OCUFA website at Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. Ahmedabad Plane Crash
Cision Canada
11-06-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
The Honourable Nolan Quinn to deliver opening remarks at OACETT Conference
WINDSOR, ON, June 11, 2025 /CNW/ - The Honourable Nolan Quinn, Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security, will deliver opening remarks at the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT) Conference on Friday, June 13, 2025, at Caesars Windsor Hotel. This year's conference focuses on the future of infrastructure and the built environment in Ontario. As the province continues to grow and evolve, so too does the need for innovative, forward-looking solutions to meet emerging challenges and seize new opportunities. The event will convene industry leaders, professionals from academic institutions and companies, association executives, and subject matter experts for insightful discussions on Ontario's rapidly changing infrastructure landscape. Event Details: What: Opening Remarks by The Honourable Nolan Quinn When: Friday, June 13, 2025 Time: 1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Where: Augustus I Room Location: Caesars Windsor Hotel, 377 Riverside Dr E, Windsor, ON Media are invited to attend. Journalists, photographers and cameramen are required to register at
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Honourable Nolan Quinn to deliver opening remarks at OACETT Conference
WINDSOR, ON, June 11, 2025 /CNW/ - The Honourable Nolan Quinn, Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security, will deliver opening remarks at the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT) Conference on Friday, June 13, 2025, at Caesars Windsor Hotel. This year's conference focuses on the future of infrastructure and the built environment in Ontario. As the province continues to grow and evolve, so too does the need for innovative, forward-looking solutions to meet emerging challenges and seize new opportunities. The event will convene industry leaders, professionals from academic institutions and companies, association executives, and subject matter experts for insightful discussions on Ontario's rapidly changing infrastructure landscape. Event Details: What: Opening Remarks by The Honourable Nolan Quinn When: Friday, June 13, 2025 Time: 1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Where: Augustus I Room Location: Caesars Windsor Hotel, 377 Riverside Dr E, Windsor, ON Media are invited to attend. Journalists, photographers and cameramen are required to register at SOURCE Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians & Technologists (OACETT) View original content to download multimedia: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Globe and Mail
23-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Ontario to add 2,600 teacher candidate spaces amid shortage
Ontario is adding 2,600 spaces to teachers colleges across the province as it stares down a worsening teacher shortage, a move unions say is welcome though will not in isolation solve the problem. The budget tabled last week by Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy contained a brief reference to spending $55.8-million over two years to train those new teachers by 2027. Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn said the money will go toward adding new spaces at all schools offering a bachelor of education program and will start to be available as early as this September. 'There's obviously a growth in the elementary and secondary school population with some of the immigration and asylum that has come to Canada, but recognizing that we do have a shortage of teachers into the future, this will provide about 2,600 new teaching seats,' Quinn said in an interview. There is also a particular focus on northern and rural areas, technological education and French, which are all areas of heightened need, Quinn said. As well, some priority is being given to schools such as Queen's University, Western University and Ontario Tech, which offer compressed programs. Teachers college in Ontario is largely a two-year program, but some schools offer it in 16 months with no summer breaks. The government is also looking at shortening the length of teachers college, documents previously obtained by The Canadian Press suggest. This funding for 2,600 new teachers is separate from those considerations, Quinn said. 'But we know that Ontario needs more teachers, and we're going to continue to explore all avenues to getting more teachers into the classroom,' he said. 'Recognizing that going from a two-year to a one-year (program), there's some complexities. We've had some additions to the curriculum that need to be looked at.' Teachers college used to be one year in Ontario, but a decade ago the province was dealing with a teacher surplus, and the Liberal government at the time made teachers college two years. Now there is a widely acknowledged shortage of teachers, with ministry officials predicting it will worsen starting in 2027. Teachers union presidents say adding 2,600 new teacher education spots is a good start toward addressing the shortage but the government needs to work on not just recruitment, but retention. '(The funding of new seats) is a good thing,' said René Jansen in de Wal, president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association. 'The problem is it ignores the real issues. So many teachers that are coming through the teachers colleges decide they're not going to start teaching. They get to it and they look at teaching and go, 'I'm going elsewhere.'' The Ontario Teachers' Federation estimates there are about 48,000 teachers who are certified but not currently working in the province's education system. Karen Littlewood, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, said the government should look more closely at improving working conditions. 'There's 40,000 people who are fully qualified, who aren't working in education right now, and that's because of the working conditions – the crumbling buildings, the overcrowding, the violence in the classroom,' she said. 'You can put more bodies in, but are they going to stay?' Steve Orsini, the president and CEO of the Council of Ontario Universities, said universities welcome the funding for educating 2,600 new teachers and $150-million a year for STEM education. However, Orsini said, the government is not providing the needed amounts of operating funding. 'Without it, institutions will continue to face significant financial pressures that threaten their ability to support Ontario's growing demand for highly skilled talent,' Orsini wrote in a statement. Ontario's colleges and universities have been increasingly struggling with finances in the face of low provincial funding, frozen tuition fees and federal cuts to international student permits. They say an additional $1.3-billion in funding over three years announced last year by the province does not come close to sustaining the sector.
