Latest news with #Tec-VocHighSchool
Winnipeg Free Press
14 hours ago
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg finding favour as destination for school-aged international students
Manitoba's largest school division is preparing to welcome a record number of international students in a couple of weeks. 'When I first started doing this, I thought to myself that Winnipeg would be a difficult place to promote,' said Aaron Benarroch, director of recruitment and international education for the Winnipeg School Division. The longtime Winnipegger said that he's learned over the last three years that is not the case. SUPPLIED Jaered Bacolod, who is originally from Manila, graduated from Tec-Voc High School in 2024. It turns out parents across the globe — in Spain, Germany, Italy, Brazil and Vietnam, in particular — are keen to have their children experience an authentic Canadian winter, he said. The kindergarten-to-Grade 12 system has largely been shielded from the fallout of Ottawa's cap on international student enrolment, allowing high schoolers from abroad to apply for extensions to continue their studies in Canada. Benarroch said he thinks many families simply want to send their children away on a temporary basis to practise English. WSD launched its international education program with 33 registrants in 2017-2018. This year, its school communities and homestay families are expecting upwards of 185 foreign students. The St. James-Assiniboia School Division has seen similar growth in its 27-year-old program. Senior administration is anticipating 120 registrants this year — 13 times the size of the original intake. 'I would like to try to take a risk and step outside my comfort zone,' Jaered Bacolod said, as he recalled his decision to pack his bags and move across the world in January 2023. The now-19-year-old said he traded 40 C in Manila for -40 C in Winnipeg and has no regrets. He lived with a Winnipeg relative who had told Bacolod's family in the Philippines that schools here were accepting international students. 2017-2018: 33 2022-2023: 133 2023-2024: 105 2024-2025: 165 2025-26: 185 registrants (to date) Bacolod said the local cost of living and a diverse list of elective courses — he studied aerospace technology at Tec-Voc High School — appealed to him. 'After experiencing it first-hand, I can say Winnipeg is easy-going and it's pretty cool learning about people with different backgrounds,' he said. Benarroch identified Canada's reputation for being safe, welcoming and home to a strong English-language public school system as selling points for parents. Winnipeg's relative affordability, compared with tuition rates elsewhere, and diverse extracurricular options are also attractive to exchange students, he said, adding he expects the inner-city program to continue growing through word of mouth. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. Benarroch noted recruiters have recently started to say potential clients are thinking twice about sending their children to the United States because of the prevalence of school shootings and the divisive political climate. St. James-Assiniboia's program fosters 'important cross-cultural connections and lifelong friendships,' director Alexandra Humphries said in a statement. The programs also provide revenue for city school divisions and the families across the city the students live with. Depending on the division, an entire academic year's worth of international student tuition ranges from $8,500 to $13,750 in Winnipeg. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Global News
23-06-2025
- Business
- Global News
‘Full of life': Winnipeg launches pedestrian reimagining of busy Graham Avenue
Winnipeg has kicked off its reimagining of a busy downtown street. Graham Avenue is set to become the site of a 'pedestrian placemaking pilot' over the next few weeks, coinciding with the launch of the city's new bus network on Sunday. Previously a busy transit route, Graham will see buses diverted off a large stretch of the street, so instead of opening it up to cars again, the city is opting for pedestrian-friendly amenities and protected bike lanes. 'This is a great opportunity to change how people experience this part of our downtown,' Mayor Scott Gillingham said in a statement Monday. 'We're turning Graham into a street full of life and local creativity. This transformation will bring more people and energy downtown – and it complements re-opening Portage and Main, launching our new transit network, and investing in new residential and commercial developments.' Story continues below advertisement The changes are part of an ongoing plan to further develop the street in future to make it even more community- and pedestrian-friendly. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Today is an opportunity to envision the short and long-term vision for a reimagined Graham Avenue,' said Rochelle Squires of CentreVenture Development Corp. 'Where we see empty storefronts, surface parking lots, and underutilized street spaces, we are collaborating with our many downtown partners to create vibrant activity and opportunities for Winnipeg's premier pedestrian street.' The new amenities set to be installed as part of the pilot projects include street furniture built by students at Tec-Voc High School, benches, lighting, art installations, access ramps, picnic tables, ping-pong tables and new landscaping. Street murals painted by local artists, through Cool Streets Winnipeg, are also part of the pilot project, thanks to a $100,000 grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art Initiative — making Winnipeg one of only two Canadian cities and one of 10 in North America to receive the funding.
