I am pleased to announce that The College Employer Council and OPSEU/SEFPO have reached an agreement to enter binding interest arbitration, and that the strike that was scheduled to commence at 12:01am on Friday March 18, 2022, is called off. This also includes all work-to-rule activities.
I am grateful to all those who contributed to this resolution. Our entire College community – every employee and learner – has made many sacrifices during the last two years, and we have overcome many obstacles together. The news of this agreement is another example of the commitment we all share for providing quality education for our learners.
Please see the full joint statement from The College Employer Council and OPSEU/SEFPO at this link.
Given recent changes to Provincial guidelines on COVID-19 restrictions, I want to provide an update on the College’s requirements going forward.
The College’s active screening requirements at campus entry points will remain in place until at least the end of the Winter term.
All those required to attend our campuses in-person must wear a mask until at least the end of the Winter term.
Any changes to our policy will be communicated directly with employees and learners.
A reminder, that with consideration for the ongoing health and safety of those required to attend our campuses – and in line with Ontario’s 24 Colleges – Algonquin College is maintaining its vaccine policy until at least the end of 2022 Winter term.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the health, safety and wellbeing of our college community, and please stay safe.
OTTAWA – (March 2, 2022) – Syntax Strategic, a marketing, public affairs, and government relations firm, has announced a five-year $50,000 award in partnership with Algonquin College. The goal of this award is to create a pipeline of talent from programs such as communications, marketing, and design and cast the broadest net possible with preference going to Black, Indigenous, (and) People of Colour (BIPOC) students to encourage more diversity in the public relations field. The Syntax Strategic Award will be awarded annually to two students in their final year of studies. Each student will receive $5,000 plus a paid summer internship opportunity.
This new award comes in the wake of companies publicly struggling to find talent and diverse candidates due to the mass exodus of people from the workforce due to COVID-19. CEO and founder of Syntax Strategic Jennifer Stewart decided it was time for a fresh approach to finding new talent and ideas: “If we want diversity in agencies, we need to invest in it. We can no longer sit back and hope that the right candidate with the right skills and background falls into our laps. We are building the future workforce we need, and we hope other businesses do the same.”
Algonquin College has more than 50 years of experience educating, training, upskilling and reskilling students and workers for the careers of today and tomorrow. The College works with employers to understand their staffing needs, challenges, and timelines – and prepare workers with the right skills at the right time.
With careful consideration for the ongoing health and safety of those required to attend our campuses – and in line with Ontario’s 24 Colleges – Algonquin College will be maintaining its vaccine policy until at least the end of Winter term 2022. This includes maintaining our proof of vaccination requirement.
This decision comes after thorough discussions with local public health officials and the Chief Medical Officer of Health over the past week. As the Province lifted capacity limits in all remaining indoor public settings and discontinued vaccine passports as of March 1, it also provided businesses and other settings the choice to continue to require proof of vaccination.
Until further notice, our vaccination policy will remain unchanged – this includes providing proof of vaccination (two approved doses) or a valid exemption (as set out in our policy) and continued screening before being permitted entrance to our campuses. Masks also continue to be required until further notice. Please see this link for details on our policy and its requirements.
OTTAWA (February 28, 2022) – Algonquin College has formed a new partnership with CDI College. The partnership licenses CDI College to deliver select Algonquin College programs to students at its four campuses in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, beginning in Mississauga in the fall of 2022.
CDI College, a private career college, opened its first campus in Toronto in 1969 and operates campuses across Canada with over 14,000 students. “We change lives through education” has remained its founding principle after over 50 years delivering hands-on, applied learning programs in the fields of business, technology, education, health care, legal studies, and arts and design.
“We are excited to be entering this agreement with CDI College, a partner with a commitment to educational excellence and sharing the same core values of caring and respecting learners that we adhere to at Algonquin College. The potential for positive outcomes with this agreement is significant and includes collaboration in recruitment and innovative program delivery,” said Claude Brulé, Algonquin College President and CEO.
The news and images coming from Ukraine are devastating and I want to reach out to all those in our College Community who may be affected by this unfolding tragedy.
We have learners from both Ukraine and Russia currently enrolled and registered at the College. I know that some of our learners and employees also have friends and/or family directly affected by these events. I can confirm that our International Education Centre has directly connected by email with all of our students from Ukraine and Russia, and has offered them support.
If you or someone you know needs assistance – counselling services and supports are available. Please reach out to this link to find College supports for both learners and employees and the Government of Canada information page. AC Resources and Supports | Student Support Services (algonquincollege.com)
February 24, 2022 OTTAWA PEMBROKE and PERTH, ON –Claude Brulé, President and CEO, Algonquin College, announced today five names of Ottawa community leaders who will be awarded honorary degrees at the College’s Spring Convocation.
“We are proud to recognize and celebrate this accomplished group of community leaders”, said Mr. Brulé. “Their contributions to their individual fields have enriched the lives of many and we are pleased to recognize their incredible achievements.”
The honorees are:
Faculty of Arts, Media and Design
Catherine Clark, Co-Founder, The Honest Talk
AC Online
Goldy Hyder, President & CEO, Business Council of Canada
Faculty of Health, Community Studies and Public Safety (Health)
Alex Munter, President and CEO, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO)
Faculty of Health, Community Studies and Public Safety (Community Studies)
This week, the Province of Ontario announced that it is moving forward with its next step in their reopening plan to cautiously lift some public health measures a few days earlier than expected, with additional restrictions being removed effective today (February 17, 2022).
The changes include increasing social gathering limits to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors, and increasing organized public event limits to 50 people indoors, with no limit outdoors. The Provincial announcement can be found at this link.
The Province has indicated that its decision is based on COVID-19 positivity rates falling and new admissions to hospitals and Intensive Care Units declining week over week.
The Province also announced this week – that if indicators continue to improve – it intends to take additional steps to ease public health measures effective March 1, 2022. This includes lifting capacity limits in all remaining indoor public settings. Ontario also plans to lift proof of vaccination requirements for all settings at that time. Should that be the case, this means that as of March 1 – as per Provincial direction – vaccine passports at the College will be discontinued. However, all screening requirements will remain in place for those who need to attend our campuses.
Like many of you, I have been monitoring the situation in downtown Ottawa as it continues to unfold and affect the City.
Last week, the College issued a post over social media to encourage all of our learners and employees who may be adversely impacted by the situation to reach out. I want to reiterate and extend that message today – to ensure that the entire College community is aware that we understand that the circumstances downtown can be distressing for some and we are here to help.
Learners, including those on work placements, should contact their faculty/placement support officers regarding any issues they may be experiencing. I urge faculty to show understanding and compassion to learners whose ability to engage in their studies is being limited by the protests.
If any employee or learner needs support, or simply needs to connect, please see the list of resources available at this link.
OTTAWA (FEB. 8, 2022) – Algonquin College is announcing the launch of two new bursaries that will be available to students in the Practical Nursing and Personal Support Worker (PSW) programs.
The new bursaries — established by a generous gift of more than $50,000 from longtime community volunteer and philanthropist Susan Prior — support and encourage student enrolment in the PSW program and support health care workers who wish to upgrade their education to become a Registered Practical Nurse (RPN).
The “Semira Saba Kifle Practical Nursing Bursary” honours Semira Saba Kifle, who, after 18 years working as a PSW and with four children at home, returned to school to advance her education. She graduated from the Algonquin College Practical Nursing diploma program in 2018. The bursary will be awarded annually to a student in financial need who is a health care worker and enrolled in the first semester of the Practical Nursing program.
A second bursary, the “Thank You PSW Bursary,” will be awarded to a student with a financial need registered in the second semester of the Personal Support Worker program.
“Susan’s service in the community is impressive and makes a difference not only for our community members, but also for our learners. Her generosity and keen support for effective health care, the need of which she has long recognized, will transform the lives of many students for years to come,” said Algonquin College President and CEO, Claude Brulé. “In honouring one of our graduates and PSW workers everywhere, Susan makes the important connection between our students’ learning and the health of our communities. This has become especially important over the past two years as we cope with effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Susan’s own experience with health challenges and that of her late husband, Jack, a pioneer in the computer software industry, as well as witnessing the care her 99-year-old mother receives at her retirement home, drives her commitment to health care. She also recognizes that supporting student practical nurses and PSWs means more care in retirement homes, long-term care facilities, home care agencies and hospitals.
“These health care workers are phenomenal. They don’t have much time right now because of pandemic protocols, but they’re always really good to my mother,” she said. “We need more of them and providing bursaries will help them get the training they need.”
These new bursaries come at a time when the province is facing a critical shortage of RPNs and PSWs, especially in home and long-term care. The Ontario government recently announced an investment of up to $100 million to train an additional 2,000 nurses, RPNs and PSWs by 2024-2025.
The Personal Support Worker Ontario College Certificate program prepares students for work in a range of healthcare settings. Students develop the ability to engage with persons and families of various ages and health-related needs while deliver person-centred care, encouraging independence and improving the quality of their clients’ lives.
About the Registered Practical Nursing Program:
The Practical Nursing Ontario College Diploma program prepares students for work in the health care system, providing nursing care to those of all ages. Students learn through theory and applied experiences, lab work, and independent study. They gain hands-on experience in school and through placements in community settings such as retirement homes, long-term care homes and hospitals.
About Algonquin College:
The mission of Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is to transform hopes and dreams into lifelong success. Algonquin College, an Ontario public sector community college, does this by offering hands-on, digitally connected, experiential learning in more than 185 programs. Based in the Ottawa Valley, Algonquin College is the largest polytechnic institute in Eastern Ontario.
OTTAWA – (March 2, 2022) – Syntax Strategic, a marketing, public affairs, and government relations firm, has announced a five-year $50,000 award in partnership with Algonquin College. The goal of this award is to create a pipeline of talent from programs such as communications, marketing, and design and cast the broadest net possible with preference going to Black, Indigenous, (and) People of Colour (BIPOC) students to encourage more diversity in the public relations field. The Syntax Strategic Award will be awarded annually to two students in their final year of studies. Each student will receive $5,000 plus a paid summer internship opportunity.
