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Canadore College-Great Things Happen Here!
This time last year the 2019-2020 school year was in chaos. The COVID-19 pandemic had just hit, and everything was flipped on its end -- suddenly everything that was familiar became anything but.
As the pandemic continued to spread around the world, we at Canadore concentrated our efforts on shifting from primarily working on-campus to working mostly from home; from teaching and delivering services to our students in-person to engaging with them in hybrid and remote delivery. Those staff who were required to be on campus quickly, efficiently and effectively adapted to the challenges brought about by the new work environment.
You can be very proud of how well -- and how quickly -- you have pivoted from all that we knew to everything we did not. You continue to meet the challenges brought on by our new reality, all the while keeping our students’ success front and center staying true to our 5 Pillars:
- Student Success
- Program and Service Excellence
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Connection to Community
- Sustainability (fiscal and environmental)
What follows my message is a look back at the year that was, as well as what lies ahead. It would be impossible to highlight all of the good work done by everyone to ensure a smooth transition during these challenging times, but this is a snapshot of how much has been accomplished.
While COVID-19 still limits our ability to meet and work together, it does not hamper our ability to cooperate together for the good of the students and to build a strong future for Canadore. And that’s the direction we’re moving in -- on to new challenges, experiences and innovations; keeping the best of what we’ve learned and using it to guide us moving forward.
2021 is starting out strong, and we have no reason to think that won’t continue -- after all, we are Canadore and great things happen here!
Happy Spring!
George Burton, President and CEO
Strategic Enrolment Roadmap 2020-23
Canadore College looks to the post-pandemic future
If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything it’s that we must continue to innovate and evolve in order to adapt to the unknown, and that we will encounter circumstances we have yet to even imagine. Canadore’s Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) Roadmap will guide the College in its recruitment, service and academic experience, retention and enrolment activities for the next three years. The plan aims to base these activities on our shared success both inside and outside of the classroom, while building on our strong foundation.
Canadore’s students are at the centre of our plan. We will continue to be innovative in determining how we advance and adjust to emerging student needs, even those that are yet to be known.
The Roadmap supports the Canadore College Strategic Plan and the 5 Pillars: student success, program and service excellence, innovation and entrepreneurship, connection to community, and fiscal and environmental sustainability. It provides a wholistic approach to academic planning and student retention as well as mental, physical, emotional and spiritual wellness.
Canadore College is committed to experiential learning through our focus on student success and experience, and our strong ties to industry. The academic and service professionals at Canadore are human-centric educators who are second to none. Celebrating and telling their story will play a large part in getting the word about Canadore out to prospective students. The College has focused on maintaining and expanding our enrolment stability throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Collectively, we have accomplished this through focused marketing, recruitment and student engagement activities in parallel with incredible academic innovation in program delivery.
We are guided by data-informed campaigns and targeted initiatives, and Canadore has adjusted its short- to long-term strategies to connect with students. The College will continue to develop innovative approaches to marketing and recruitment, including a strong digital strategy, to reach prospective students post COVID-19.
Canadore will communicate early, often, and across all channels to make sure students and families are kept up to date with the most recent decisions being contemplated by the College to ensure learning continues in a safe and supportive environment. We are committed to incorporating student voices and leadership in all that we do, and our success will reflect supporting their needs and goals.
Enrolment and Budget
The global pandemic created unheard-of challenges for business and industry, and Canadore College was no exception. However, the College has fared quite well.
Thanks to the ongoing efforts of our incredible program and service teams, and commitment of our learners, Canadore’s enrolment numbers are strong. Driven by COVID-19, a catalyst for evolution, our teams have done their best to embrace the change, to adjust program and enrolment plans accordingly, and to realize enrolment stability and growth.
Canadore has surpassed the domestic winter enrolment target, and our students remain at the heart of our plans to support and develop the communities we serve.
Our enrolment numbers remain strong which will ensure that we continue to graduate the next generation of professionals in the numbers needed to keep our communities safe, functional and open. We will be introducing additional opportunities to increase international enrolment in North Bay and Parry Sound in the coming months, deepening our commitment to Indigenous learners and broadening face-to-face and virtual student supports to additional stakeholders.
The words Thank You only begin to express our gratitude to the program and service teams for their guidance, support and dedication during these challenging times.
Canadore has faced head-on the budgetary challenges brought on by a combination of flat-lined government funding, the negative impacts of COVID-19 on program enrolment, and associated declines in ancillary revenues.
Semester one of the fiscal year (April to August 31, 2020) traditionally represents a time of fewer course offerings and lower enrolment. It is not part of the core academic year, so it will continue to face budget pressures. Canadore has realized a $4.8M deficit for the semester one period of fiscal 2021. This is a significant figure; however, the deficit was $1.8M lower than what was expected as the College continued to seek alternative sources of revenue and the Senior Executive Team implemented more stringent spending review and approval protocols.
Heading into semester two 2021, Canadore achieved a surplus well in excess of budget. There are two significant factors being attributed to this outcome:
- The first is the significant hard work with respect to the recruitment of domestic and international students during unprecedented times considering student deferrals and student intake limits as a result of the province wide COVID-19 mandated protocols; and
- The cost saving measures resulting in cost-effective program delivery being achieved and realized even with COVID-19 protocols in place.
On March 19, Canadore President and CEO George Burton participated in a news conference with Nipissing MPP, and Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Vic Fedeli. Minister Fedeli announced $5.5 million for Canadore to help the College address the financial impacts of COVID-19.
The Canadore First Peoples’ Centre
In May, Canadore College received national recognition as the gold recipient of the CICan Indigenous Education Excellence Award. Formed in 1972, Colleges and Institutes Canada (CiCan) is a national association representing the interests of its member institutions to government and industry. The award recognized the programs created by the Canadore College First Peoples’ Centre.
As well, First Peoples’ Centre programs were recognized in the Top 10 and Top 20 of Higher Education in Academica (academica.ca). Kikandaaswiwin Mookiisin and Indigenous Poverty Reduction Education Program (IPREP) were both acknowledged during COVID-19 three times in one year!
The First Peoples’ Centre was named a winner of the 2020 Actua Experience Award-InSTEM -- a well-deserved recognition of all the Centre’s work in engaging Indigenous Youth in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.
Innovative Wrap-Around Supports for Indigenous Learners Reduce Barriers
Canadore College’s Indigenous Poverty Reduction Education Program (IPREP) is the only one of its kind in Ontario. Funded by the Trillium/Poverty Reduction Fund, IPREP offers specialized support services geared towards Indigenous Ontario Works recipients or their families to reduce barriers to a post-secondary education.
Indigenous STEAM Education and Leadership Inspire
Canadore’s Kikandaaswiwin Mookiisin STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math), is a pathways program offered through the School of Indigenous Studies and the First Peoples’ Centre. It is a land-based experiential learning program grounded in Indigenous educational practices and draws on the rich languages, histories, and cultural traditions of Indigenous peoples.
During COVID-19, the Kikandaaswiwin Mookiisin team worked diligently to respond to the unique needs and goals of Indigenous learners and communities. Through its ongoing partnership with Actua, the team turned its entire instructor and education training programs into remote delivery, training 28 post-secondary instructors and 33 educators from across Canada. Actua is Canada’s leading science and technology, engineering and math youth outreach network, made up of 40 universities and colleges.
The team also launched a virtual secondary school mentorship program and the Kikandaaswiwin Mookiisin STEAMwebsite.
Through a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the team is working to expand its community partnerships in STEAM content development; create an accessible online/offline Indigenous STEAM library for learners in grades K-12; and expand its mentorship program to inspire young STEAM leaders.
Community-Based Learning Continues to Flourish…
Community-Based Learning program delivery ensures Indigenous learners can study in their communities with their support networks. Expanding community-based delivery was a natural step for the Centre’s team, especially during COVID-19.
Indigenous Research & Innovation Inspire
The Indigenous Research Hub, through the School of Indigenous Studies and First Peoples’ Centre, formally launched the Transforming Indigenous Peoples. Inquiry (TIPI) research framework. This, along with our Indigenous Research Policy and Procedures, will support the ongoing growth of Indigenous research and evaluation.
The Centre operationalized Biigiiweyan (which means Coming Home), training hundreds of health and justice professionals in an inter-professional Indigenous Cultural Safety program. This was built on the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) seed grant on cultural safety.
The Indigenous Physical Wellness research has been completed and a land-based Indigenous Physical Wellness Model was created, also thanks to a CIHR.
Ahead in 2021….
In June, the third intake of General Carpentry Pre-Apprenticeship Training for Indigenous Women -- funded by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services -- will start at the Commerce Court campus.
The First Peoples’ Centre continues to partner with the Wanaki Centre in Maniwaki, Quebec, for a second cohort of students entering in year one of the Indigenous Wellness and Addictions Prevention program.
For more information visit canadorecollege.ca/fpc-home
Students
2020 started out like any other school year.
Canadore College hosted the OCAA Women’s Volleyball Championships in February. Teams from eight colleges across Ontario converged on the College Drive campus to compete. The Panthers Women’s Volleyball team placed third with a 15-3 record. The Fanshawe Falcons moved on to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Women’s Volleyball National Championship.
Also in February, Canadore’s Commerce Court hosted the Ontario Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton as he announced $600,000 to help the College train more than 60 North Bay workers for local high-demand careers including machine operators, general carpenters and electricians. The funding helps to further Canadore’s efforts to prepare students to be job-ready and to fill the demand for skilled workers province-wide.
Within a few weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were in place and we were forced to switch to remote program delivery. Our employees remained dedicated to student success by embracing new technology platforms to provide effective learning opportunities and support students in the transition.
Canadore’s Student Experience and Success team has been working diligently to help our students to meet the challenges associated with learning during a pandemic. In May, to help students express what’s helping them to cope, the team ran its first photo contest -- Images of Hope. The contest was so successful, a second challenge was offered in October.
The completion of Canadore’s first formal research strategy was announced in July, setting a firm direction for the College’s applied research initiatives that will enhance student learning opportunities and bolster the College’s research culture. The Research Strategy 2020-2022 sets the direction of our actions for the next two years while building capacity and providing support.
The Strategy will see Canadore work with its community partners to help them solve real-world problems, while providing our students with experiential learning to develop the skillsets needed for future career success. For more information visit the 2020-2022 Research Strategy
In August, Canadore launched the iCent app geared to the College’s international students. The app links international students to the information they require, including financial and support services, and important communications from the College. These are just some of the student highlights for 2020.
The Personal Support Worker (PSW) program at our West Parry Sound Campus enjoyed a banner year. More than a dozen students were enrolled in the program at the campus last fall, with eight students graduating earlier in the year. Care administrators in Parry Sound welcome the program, saying there is a critical shortage of PSWs in the region and across Ontario. The program continues as Parry Sound students were welcomed into the North Bay online cohort in January. The program is another example of how Canadore is keeping post-secondary education local, and meeting the needs of the communities we serve. Canadore’s North Bay and West Parry Sound campuses will offer the accelerated PSW program.
In November, details about Canadore’s microcredential policy and framework were shared with the College community. Already a leader in providing innovative and flexible educational opportunities that meet the needs of learners, and local, regional and global partners, Canadore has expanded its programming to include accelerated, convenient, and competency-based learning opportunities that reflect employment market needs.
Microcredentials provide learners with educational opportunities to gain specific skills necessary to compete in a global job market. A strategy for implementation is underway, and includes an examination of the College’s existing program content, as well as consultation with regional industries.
Already in 2021…
Canadore College made it to the international stage in early February, at the IHM International Young Chef Olympiad (YCO), finishing in the top 10 among post-secondary schools from 50 countries. Canadore was the only Canadian institution to participate in the event which was billed as the world’s biggest Olympiad for culinary students. The team consisted of second-year Culinary Management student Jenna Bono, first-year Culinary Management student Mya Hilts, and Professor Chef Fintan Flynn. Faculty and students from the Television Broadcasting Program were set up to show the competition from different angles so the judges could view it in real time.
Canadore College, Lakehead University, and Confederation College are working together to encourage and facilitate educational opportunities for Indigenous transfer students. A five-year memorandum of understanding was signed in February to enhance wrap-around supports for Indigenous transfer students.
Congratulations to our School of Health Science for their work in obtaining program approval from the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) for the Practical Nursing Program.
The Nursing Education Program Approval is the CNO’s new evaluation and monitoring process for approving all entry-level nursing education programs. It is one of the ways the CNO meets its mandate of protecting the public.
This is the first year Practical Nursing programs across the province have been subjected to the new approval process. Programs will be monitored on a yearly basis in addition to a comprehensive review every seven years.
Canadore is the only college in Ontario participating in the ONCoV Coalition, a world-leading research team brought together by Ontario Genomics to sequence and characterize coronavirus strains affecting people in the province. Our students will be participating in the sequencing of positive patient samples in northern Ontario, the results of which will be sent to ONCoV partners to determine whether variants of concern are circulating in our communities.
For more information on these and other achievements from the past year visit the Canadore Story.
The Village
Research shows that social isolation is as detrimental as smoking up to fifteen cigarettes per day, and seniors living in the community, in care and assisted-living facilities are among the most vulnerable. While ICAMP was helping to fill more physical demands of COVID-19, The Village turned its attention to mental health supports for older adults through three programs.
The Village C.A.R.E.S. – Reassurance Calls Program
C.A.R.E.S stands for: Compassion Calls; Assistance; Respect; Exchange; Supports.
The Reassurance Calls centre on developing a social connection between the students and seniors, where they discuss topics of interest. To date, the students have supported more than 60 seniors, and provided more than 800 hours of community support. More than 75% of the students reported the seniors’ moods are positive and relaxed by the end of their call.
Seniors’ Centre Without Walls Program – Regional Intergenerational Hub
The Seniors’ Centre Without Walls (SCWW) is a telephone-based program offered in collaboration with the Older Adult Centres’ Association of Ontario and the Club Action 50+ East Ferris Club. SCWW provides the opportunity for participants to join health and wellness seminars, educational lectures, and recreational activities, listen to musical entertainment, join in on general conversations, and make new friendships – all from the comfort of their home! Students from Canadore’s Recreation Leadership and Therapy, Dental Hygiene, Mental Health and Addictions and Social Service Worker programs are participating.
DISCO Hub – Digital Literacy Program with YMCA
Digital Inclusion Senior Connections Opportunities Hub is an in-person digital literacy program that teaches older adults how to use technology safely through a series of one-hour workshops over four weeks. The program is run in various locations including the YMCA sites, Canadore campuses and municipal buildings. The one-hour sessions begin with a wellness/fitness component, a tutorial on a specific platform and, finally, the use of a device with coaches available for assistance.
PHOTOVOICE – Aging Unfiltered
Photovoice participants express themselves through photography, sharing their experiences in our region. The photos and accompanying narratives are used as messages to change community perception and reach policy makers, giving a voice to people who may be marginalized.
COVID-19 Resiliency Webinars
In November, Canadore and The Village launched a three-session webinar series to virtually support Northerners as they cope with COVID-19. Each session was aimed at a different segment of the population -- essential workers, families and caregivers, older adults. Personal stories of resiliency in the face of the pandemic were well received. More than 900 people registered for the series that wrapped up in January.
Looking ahead to 2021…
The Village Collective Impact Project
The immediate need for mental health supports for seniors in the wake of COVID-19 forced The Village Collective Impact Project team to launch these programs in advance of its common agenda. The Inter-Generational Community Summit on Decreasing the Risk of Social Isolation for Older Adults was held in March to develop the project’s common agenda for reducing social isolation among seniors in the Nipissing-Parry Sound districts. For more information visit https://www.canadorecollege.ca/the-village.
The Village Collective Impact Project receives funding from the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors program. By bringing the community together, with a shared vision for change, the project aims to change outcomes for seniors 55+, Indigenous seniors, their families and caregivers.
ICAMP
ICAMP (Innovation Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Prototyping)
In the early days of the pandemic, the governments of Canada and Ontario put calls out for help to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Canadore College and ICAMP (Innovation Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Prototyping) took the leap into the production of personal protective equipment (PPE).
First came the face shields offered for frontline workers free of charge. ICAMP’s 3D printing capabilities were put to good use forming the face shields.
Then it was hand sanitizer. ICAMP designed equipment to help New Ontario Brewery shift its production to hand sanitizer under the name of Pure North Medical. ICAMP created the preliminary designs for the necessary vapour distilling columns which were manufactured by G&P Welding and Ironworks.
Another project to develop out of the pandemic is ProtectON (protecton.ca), a collaboration between businesses across Ontario that came together to develop and market a reusable protective face shield. ICAMP brought the ProtectON partners together, including North Bay Plastic Molders Ltd. and Javelin, and supported them in the design, development and testing of the made-in-Ontario face shield.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created many economic challenges and opportunities. ICAMP’s purpose is to help businesses meet the needs of the marketplace, and it continued to help other companies to bring their ideas to reality.
ICAMP has several projects in development. One is a partnership with Canadore’s First Peoples’ Centre and the Timiskaming First Nation that has created a Mobile Harvesting Unit. The prototype was developed at the Commerce Court Campus and it will result in technological advances to support the First Nation’s current harvesting practices in in the very large Opasatika region, which where long-distance transports from harvest sites can pose challenges.
Induspec, a North Bay engineering firm is looking for help from Canadore College’s Innovation Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Prototyping (ICAMP) to expand its client offerings.
“I perceived a weakness in some of the traditional engineering service-providing models,” said Induspec partner Thorsten Brost. “I thought there may be a niche in the market to not just act in the role of advisor/consultant. We go out and determine the source of the problem and then we design the solution. We often get parts manufactured and then we act as the general contractor to actually install, train, and commission those things.”
Induspec, through its technology partner Deep Cryogenics International, has secured a large cryogenic tank that it intends to use to treat different materials to make them last longer for clients who want the service.
“Deep Cryogenics International has worked in this area for over 20 years doing research. They’ve done lots of research with large private and public sector institutions,” said Brost. “What they’ve done with heavy industry like the mining sector is figure out how to take some wear materials and make them last longer.”
“Part of the work we’re doing with this larger tank is supporting our technology partner DCI in being able to do larger scale research,” said Induspec partner David Smits. “The location of this large tank close to where the mining sector is located in Northern Ontario also allows us to work with DCI to move this technology from research to production.
According to the DCI website, deep cryogenics is a cold thermal process that has been confirmed to reduce wear, corrosion, fatigue and fractures on most steel, aluminum and cast iron alloys by 20 to 70%. The large tank will allow Induspec to treat large pieces of equipment. The tank will be located at Canadore College’s Commerce Court campus.
“It’s applied research to support growth for their business,” said Brad Gavan, Director of ICAMP. A lot of our clients are going to require the kind of service Induspec will be doing.”
“A company that is interested in the technology is not going to give us a contract to treat all of their material,” said Brost. “We start with one piece and then we’re going to work with ICAMP to verify the results. They’re going to trial it and we’re going to work on the financials around that. We have to show the company the return before they’re going to do business with us.”
