Pilot Project Teams Up St. John Ambulance Reading Education Assistance Dogs With St. Paul Catholic Elementary School Students

Kitchener – St. Paul Catholic Elementary School in Kitchener has entered into an innovative pilot project partnership with the St. John Ambulance Reading Education Assistance Dog (R.E.A.D.) Program.

In the pilot project, reluctant young readers build confidence and self-esteem by reading to attentive canines, rather than adults or peers. As one child remarked: “Dogs don’t mind if you make mistakes…and they don’t interrupt!”

The presence of a therapy dog helps reduce the anxiety of the child and helps ease the pressure on them to perform.

WHERE:
St. Paul Catholic Elementary School
45 Birchcliffe Ave., Kitchener (743-4401)

WHEN:
10:30 a.m. sharp -- Tuesday, March 28, 2006

WHO:
Grade 2 students from St. Paul’s and Therapy Dogs from St. John Ambulance

WATERLOO - The University of Waterloo welcomes the budget's tremendous announcement by the Ontario government of substantial investments in research and innovation in two Waterloo-based institutes.

At Queen's Park this afternoon, in the budget announcement, Finance Minister Dwight Duncan pledged $100 million in new support: $50 million for the Institute for Quantum Computing at UW; and $50 million for the neighboring Perimeter Institute Institute for Theoretical Physics.

UW President David Johnston voiced praise for the far-reaching announcement.

"The announcement of the $100-million commitment supporting Perimeter Institute, and the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, is a splendid, outstanding piece of province-building," said President Johnston. "In today's knowledge economy it is critical that we invest in fundamental research, and in the people who will take us to new frontiers of discovery. Premier McGuinty, as Minister of Research and Innovation, has shown superb leadership with this budget -- clearly understanding the importance of investment in research and innovation to Ontario's future."

Raymond Laflamme, Director of IQC, joined in commending the Ontario government initiative.

"This is tremendous news for our research program in the IQC. We are simply overwhelmed with this indication of faith in our research program into the fundamentals and laws of quantum physics," said Dr. Laflamme. "We have already been building a great team of international scholars. This funding will help us to ensure that our work will continue at a global level of excellence."

Support for the two institutes came as the province also announced substantial investment in other research and innovation projects: $17 million for 3 new awards to recognize new research and innovation talent; $25 million to establish the Premier Summit Awards to support excellence in medical research; $16.2 million for development of Phase II of MaRS Discovery Project; and $160 million for accelerating commercialization and growth of innovative startups.

The University of Waterloo Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) at UW, and the independent Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI), also in Waterloo, represent an emerging, highly focused cluster of international scientific research with transformative potential. Quantum theory has clearly demonstrated that quantum information processing - computing at the atomic and sub-atomic levels - will revolutionize cryptography. This holds profound implications for the security of IT systems including national defense, financial markets and healthcare systems. The scientific pursuit of the quantum computer will produce vital technological spin-offs. Early research findings indicate that quantum-based systems have the potential to produce powerful new technologies that will inevitably eclipse today's information processing devices. Waterloo Region is established as a magnet for top international talent in advanced physics research. This unique public-private partnership in this key strategic area ensures that Canada will lead the world in quantum technologies far into the future.

UW is getting ready to comply with Ontario law on freedom of information, which will apply to the province's universities starting later this spring, says a memo from the provost.

The memo notes that the Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection Act "was enacted in Ontario in the late 1980s and most private and public institutions were mandated to comply with it. Universities at that time made representation to the provincial government that, for a variety of reasons, they were different from other organizations and warranted exclusion. The provincial government was persuaded on the condition that universities put in place practices that were in the spirit of the legislation."

Lawyers for the Council of Ontario Universities prepared a "FIPPA template" which universities, including UW, put into effect. Waterloo's Privacy Protection and Freedom of Information Guidelines are part of the university's Policy 19. The university is also covered by the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.

However, provost Amit Chakma goes on, "A couple of years ago, following a freedom of information request made to universities, the response to which was deemed less than satisfactory, the provincial government renewed its interest in having universities under FIPPA legislation. Universities again, through COU, argued for a sector exclusion, but this time were unsuccessful and so, effective June 12, 2006, universities will come under FIPPA legislation.

"In the circumstance, COU has again done what it did in the 1990s: engage a couple of wise heads, with recognized expertise and experience in FIPPA compliance within the university sector, to work with a small task force to produce both documentation and an implementation plan which universities can use. . . . While there will be more prescriptive directions on how universities must deal with freedom of information and privacy protection matters, the principles on which all is based remain similar to those articulated in UW's Policy 19.

"In anticipation of preparing UW for FIPPA compliance, I have asked Lois Claxton (right) to chair a committee to address implementation. Bruce Mitchell, Jack Rehder, Catharine Scott, Susan Sykes, and Roger Watt have also agreed to serve. Terms of Reference for this small committee are straightforward: in concert with COU's work/recommendations on implementation of FIPPA, to recommend on documentation, implementation, training and resources which UW will require to ensure compliance with FIPPA and, to the extent possible, to harmonize them with PIPEDA requirements. The Committee will consult across campus, as necessary."

Claxton, the chair of the committee, is secretary of the university. Mitchell and Scott are associate provosts; Rehder is assistant to the dean of mathematics; Watt is in information systems and technology; and Sykes is director of research ethics and grants, and the key person in current freedom-of-information procedures.

A delegation headed by the presidents of UW and McMaster University appeared at last night's [Wednesday] meeting of Waterloo Regional Council to ask for a multi-million-dollar grant to help build a medical school on the planned downtown Kitchener health sciences campus.

Council agreed with a recommendation from Ken Seiling, the regional chair, to set up a special committee "to review the request and make a recommendation" following a public meeting to get input on whether the Region should spend money in that way. It's the same procedure followed when the Region was asked for -- and eventually approved -- $37 million in capital grants for local hospitals.

The Regional Municipality is the mid-level government that covers the cities of Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge as well as the four surrounding townships.

"A unique opportunity exists to build a satellite Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine" on the UW branch campus, university president David Johnston said in a letter to Seiling that was distributed with last night's agenda. The DeGroote School is McMaster University's medical faculty.

Said Johnston: "The benefits to the community are substantial, particularly with respect to improved access to health care services. . . . We realize a request of this importance will need careful consideration by councillors and the community alike. . . . As students are to be enrolled in September 2007 an expeditious process leading to a decision prior to the end of April 2006 would be appreciated."

Johnston's letter didn't say how much money he'd like the Region to provide, but last night he and Peter George of Mac suggested $19 million. They said the total up-front cost of the medical school will be $34 million.

"I expect that the public will be behind it all the way," said one council member, the mayor of Wilmot Township west of Kitchener. Others were sceptical about the cost, as they discussed the request and agreed to schedule a public meeting for discussion.

Last night's meeting also dealt with regional property tax rates for 2006, bicycle lanes on University Avenue, and controversial restrictions on pesticide use.

The University’s Integrated Plan, which identifies priorities and decision frameworks aimed at helping the University meet its mission now and in the future, has been released.

A special website has been created that includes the overall University Integrated Plan, along with the plans put forward by the colleges and other campus academic units. Because the document is for internal use only, members of the U of G community will need to enter their central login account username and password to access the web page.

“This is the first step toward creating our initial five-year plan, which will begin in 2006/07,” says Maureen Mancuso, provost and vice-president (academic), who is overseeing Integrated Planning.

The plan is making its way through the University’s governance process, which will allow feedback to be obtained from faculty, staff and students. The plan will be presented to the Senate Committee on University Planning Monday, March 27, and to Senate Tuesday, April 4. Comments on the Integrated Plan may be sent to provost@uoguelph.ca.

Mancuso emphasizes that the Integrated Plan is an internal operational document and does not replace the University’s strategic plan, strategic directions or research plans. The initial plan is inherently transitional and covers only academic units. At its core is an identification of five areas of planning emphasis that will be highlighted over the next five years. Eventually, the process will encompass all components of the University.

“We will be focusing on these key areas in order to promote and advance the capabilities, capacities and reputation of the University,” Mancuso says, adding that the five areas emerged from the plans developed by the colleges, departments and units.

The overall plan that resulted from the campus-wide exercise reveals a continued depth of creativity and ingenuity at U of G, she adds. “The initiatives are innovative and novel and build on existing institutional strengths, and many of them are interdisciplinary and collaborative. We hope that Integrated Planning will ultimately provide the University with a more transparent, accountable and effective planning process as we move forward from an era of making change to one of making choices.”

WATERLOO - In celebrating National Co-operative Education Week, the University of Waterloo's Co-operative Education & Career Services announced that two of the UW's co-op students have been awarded prestigious national and provincial awards.

As well, the department presented six UW Co-op Student of the Year Awards to top representatives from each of the faculties: Applied Health Sciences, Arts, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Mathematics and Science.

Jit Seng Chen, a mathematics student, has received the 2005 Canadian Association for Co-operative Education (CAFCE) Co-op Student of the Year Award, while Kayan (Kayley) Ma, an engineering student, was given the 2005 Education at Work in Ontario (EWO) Co-op Student of the Year Award.

Both awards are based on the students' contributions to one or more of their 2005 work term employers, academic achievements, contributions to co-operative education and commitment to the community as demonstrated through volunteer and extracurricular activities.

* Jit Seng Chen, 3A actuarial science. By his own initiative, Chen, developed a system for analyzing insurance loss development data that his co-op employer used on a regular basis. The automation of this process saves the employer approximately 200 hours per period of data and therefore a substantial amount of money. Chen was also part of a crucial project involving an important international client and with his help it was successful.

* Kayan (Kayley) Ma, 4B systems design engineering. During her last work term, Ma elaborated on previous work researching manufacturing technologies to foster economic growth. She took the advancements in tracking human motions developed by the animation and movie industries, then applied them to the manufacturing industry. Ma achieved a major breakthrough that enabled the system to perform high quality real-time motion capture, thus earning her sixth and final "Outstanding" work term performance evaluation.

Also, as part of National Co-operative Education Week, one student from each of Waterloo's faculties was selected to receive UW Co-op Student of the Year Awards.

Apart from winning the national and provincial level awards, Chen and Ma also won the Co-op Student of the Year Award for Mathematics and Engineering, respectively. Other faculty recipients for the year are:

* Arts

Shaneika Bailey, 3B social development studies. Bailey spent her last work term with a charitable agency in Guyana where she was instrumental in acquiring funding for building renovations, as well as toy and clothing donations for children. The quest to aid orphans gave her the opportunity to form important relationships with government officials in the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Human Services, as well as in the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. Shaneika also assisted in a peer education program about HIV/AIDS awareness.

* Applied Health Sciences

Nicole Bradley, 4B health studies. In 2005, Bradley spent her two work terms continuing previous research for clinical trials on the effectiveness of palliative radiotherapy and quality of life for patients in the advanced stages of cancer. All aspects of research were experienced by Bradley including study design and proposal, ethics approval applications and publications of results. She has co-authored three published papers and has many more in the works.

* Environmental Studies

Heather O'Hagan, 4B environment and business. O'Hagan's initial responsibility during her previous work term involved applying and obtaining approval for a constructed wetland. However, she was also entrusted with managing shoreline surveillance crews after a malfunction with her employer's equipment caused 17,000 gallons of oil to escape into Lake Huron. Once the clean-up started, O'Hagan reported her findings to regulators, stakeholders and investigators.

* Science

Tasneem Nakhooda, 3B Science and Business. Nakhooda's last work term involved interfacing directly with leading clients from financial, wealth management and telecommunication companies in order to build customized financial statement solutions. Her technical expertise, along with her ability to multi-task and meet tight deadlines allowed Nakhooda to secure a major contract with a key client. She is also active on campus as an executive member of UW's SCRUBS (Science Committee of Revolutionary Undergraduate Business Students).

National Co-operative Education Week is coordinated by CAFCE, a national non-profit organization comprising more than 400 educators, employers and government officials. The organization is dedicated to ensuring the growth and quality of co-operative education programs across the country.

More information and selection criteria of the Co-op Student of the Year Award, visit www.cecs.uwaterloo.ca/students/news/awards.html

March 17 was Laurier Day, and hundreds of prospective students came from all over to take part in the open house and experience Wilfrid Laurier firsthand, some of the current students wanted to share their own experiences from their time here.

“The academic quality goes hand in hand with the small class sizes, where professors really get a chance to focus on the topics that interest the students,” says Sylvia Chan, a second-year Communications and English student.

Duany Diaz, another second-year student majoring in English and Medieval Studies, remembers some of the amazing and memorable professors she had in first year. “The profs make the class interesting – I actually look forward to their lectures. But the best thing about Laurier is how small the campus is. I like the idea of a smaller, close-knit community. There’s a better chance to get to know more people, and it’s nice when professors actually recognize you.”

Ian Martin, a first-year History major, is pleased with his decision to attend Laurier.

“I originally decided to attend Laurier because of its excellent reputation and, like everyone knows,” he says, “it has a great, small-campus vibe. The professors are very approachable and the classes are a good size range.

“But when I got here,” he adds, “there’s so much more to do beside academics.”

“The athletic complex is great, especially with the addition of the new gym which is easily accessible almost any time of day if you want to get in a little extra activity in between classes,” he says.

A second-year Kinesiology student, Heather Lyons, knows all about the great athletic activities Laurier has to offer.

“There’s lots of new cardio and weight-training equipment in the fitness room that’s accessible for everyone,” she says, “and the intramural sports teams range from dodgeball to waterpolo, there’s swimming, aerobics classes and everything in between – there’s an activity for everyone, it’s easy to join in actively at Laurier.”

Laurier offers many other ways to get involved in extracurricular activities that aren’t just athletic. Lenna Titizian, who is a third-year Communications Studies student and the Editor-in-Chief for Blueprint, Laurier’s magazine, says it was the ability to get involved that has made her years at Laurier great. During her first tour around campus, Lenna was shown the Student Publications’ (WLUSP) office. She wrote for Blueprint in first year and applied to be the Editor-in-Chief in second year.

“That experience has taught me so much,” she says. “My involvement has helped me develop professional skills through workshops and conferences, has taught me management skills and has allowed me to discover my strengths and weaknesses.

“When I went to Laurier Day with some of my high school friends, I felt totally comfortable walking around on campus, and as someone who was very involved in high school, Laurier had many clubs and organizations to offer. But in the end, what made my decision was the program. I felt it had the right amount of flexibility and variety, and adding to that the overall atmosphere at the school, the closeness, and the opportunities I saw to get involved overshadowed the other schools.”

Martin also notes how it has been really easy to get involved with campus clubs and volunteer opportunities.

“Radio Laurier and campus clubs like those go through a really easy-to-follow evaluation process and use the behaviour-based hiring S.T.A.R.R. (Situation, Task, Action, Result, Relate) technique, which helped me develop interview skills that will prove to be valuable in the years to come,” says Martin.

Also at Laurier there are lots of campus activities and events, like concerts and charity events, there’s something for everyone. There are also lots of volunteering opportunities such as ERT and Foot Patrol, a student-run organization that takes calls from students who would like escorted walks (or even rides) home at night.

Volunteering is a great way to get involved because you’re also contributing to a good cause. It’s great to be part of keeping our campus and students safe.

“Walking around campus late at night is never an issue,” says Diaz, “with Foot Patrol and Security always cruising around in their cars.”

With Laurier being such a great, close community, it’s easy to feel safe and right at home on campus. As a first-year Business student living in Residence, Christina Rooney has loved the experience.

“It has been wonderful living on campus. It only takes about five minutes to walk from one end of the campus to the other. I have more time to do other things like hang out with friends longer, grab something from Tim Horton’s, or actually hand in an assignment on time!”

Edmund Adderley is an international student who came to Canada to go to university. Like many, he decided to come to Laurier because of its size.

“It’s easy to stay in contact with everyone because, chances are, you’ll run into them on campus,” he says. He also explains how, as an international student, he is limited to working jobs on campus.

“Career Services is great to me,” says Adderly, “All the student jobs are figured out around your own schedule, so you never have to worry about conflicts.”

Off-campus life is great too.

“I chose to attend Laurier because of the community the University resides in,” says Chan, “With two universities and a college in the town of Waterloo – this is literally a university town where everything caters to the students – what more can one ask for?”

Waterloo is a city that can gratify any type of person. Laurier sits in the heart of downtown Waterloo, where there’s unique clothing stores, diverse restaurants and excellent bars. There are also art galleries, playhouses, and the Princess Twin Cinemas, which show independent and foreign films.

Waterloo Park and Columbia Lake are only a short jump away, and Waterloo is also home to the Laurelwood Conservation area, which offers great bike trails, camping, and swimming. Also close by there’s the Chicopee Ski Resort, for those who enjoy skiing or snowboarding in the winter.

The city of Waterloo itself is central to many of the exciting hotspots of Southern Ontario. Toronto is only an hour away, great beaches such as Grand Bend and Sauble, or the tourist attraction Niagara Falls are close enough for a day trip, and Stratford, home to the famous Stratford Festival, is also close by.

Recently, Waterloo was short-listed as one of the top seven intelligent communities in the world. And it's no wonder with RIM, the makers of the BlackBerry, the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and two universities in town.

The two universities in town also work together. Students at Laurier can take courses at the University of Waterloo. Students at Waterloo often take courses at Laurier as well. It is clear though that Laurier is the school for those who like to stand out and get involved.

Laurier Day will feature walking tours, offer sessions on academics, admissions, financial aid and co-op, as well as allowing prospective students to tour the residences and speak to Laurier faculty, staff and students.

Tours of the brand new athletic facilities and talks with athletes and coaches will also be available all day, as well as the ability to experience Laurier’s music program with a free concert, and speak to international exchange students on opportunities to study abroad.

“You feel like someone here,” says Diaz. “It’s like you’re part of a big family. It’s a wonderful feeling. Laurier’s spirit is huge and infectious.”

For more information on Laurier or Laurier Day visit www.chooselaurier.ca.

WATERLOO - With participation rising by 25 per cent over last year, some of Ontario's top high school students will once again gather at the University of Waterloo next week for the Waterloo Regional FIRST Robotics Competition.

This year, the 33 FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics regional competitions involve almost 30,000 high school students around the world. The Waterloo regional will take place March 23-25 at UW's Physical Activities Complex (PAC). The event will be open to the public throughout the competition.

At UW, approximately 700 students will compete in 30 teams representing schools in Southwestern Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area as well as Michigan, Missouri and West Virginia.

The contest involves short games played by remote-controlled robots. The robots are designed and built within six weeks out of a common set of basic parts by a team of 15 to 25 students and a handful of engineer-mentors. The students pilot the robots on the field.

Next Thursday (March 23), teams will arrive at UW to uncrate their robots from 7:45 a.m. to 10 a.m. Pre-event photos and live video can be taken at this time. Practice rounds will take place Thursday and students can be interviewed in the pit area throughout the day. Media can sign in at the event registration table located in the blue north entrance foyer of the PAC and receive media packages.

"Through FIRST, kids realize that building a robot can be fun and cool," said Robert Gorbet, professor of electrical and computer engineering, who helped bring the regionals to the Waterloo campus. "It gives them very real role models, from outside the worlds of professional sports and entertainment. It's about opening their eyes to careers in math, engineering, science and technology -- and it works."

UW is one of two Canadian venues hosting a regional FIRST competition. The other Canadian regional takes place at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, March 30-April 1.

The annual competition now reaches more than 28,000 students on 1,100 teams in 33 regional competitions. The final championship will be held in Atlanta on April 27-29. The teams come from Canada, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Great Britain, Israel and almost every U.S. state.

The event is described as "an exciting, multinational competition that teams professionals and young people to solve an engineering design problem in an intense and competitive way."

The regional competitions are high-tech spectator sporting events, the result of focused brainstorming, real-world teamwork, dedicated mentoring, project timelines and deadlines. FIRST competitions are open to the public and free to attend.

Regional competitions are often held at universities and involve teams cheered by thousands of fans over two-and-a-half days. A championship event caps the season. Referees oversee the competition and judges present awards to teams for design, technology, sportsmanship and commitment.

The contest had its start in 1989 in New Hampshire. The championship now is held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta and expects to attract some 13,000 participants and 340 teams.

Universities, colleges, corporations, businesses and individuals provide $8 million US in scholarships to the student participants. Many of the awards are full four-year tuition scholarships. UW is the only Canadian university with a scholarship: $5,000 Cdn for a FIRST student accepted to the mechatronics engineering program.

The competition shows students that technological fields hold many opportunities and the basic concepts of science, math, engineering and invention are exciting and interesting. Involved engineers experience again many of the reasons they chose engineering as a profession and their companies contribute to the community while creating their future workforces.

Mark Breadner, a teacher at Woburn Collegiate Institute in Toronto, helped prepare the first Canadian team for the 2001 championship at Disney World. He felt that Canada should have its own regional event, in addition to the 16 regionals south of the border.

In 2002, as a result of his efforts, there were 22 teams and the first Canadian regional was held at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga. Two years ago, Breadner approached Gorbet at UW to discuss the possibility of the university becoming a second Canadian regional location. The idea received strong support and FIRST organizers named Waterloo an expansion site.

For information on the competition, how to volunteer at or sponsor the event, visit www.firstrobotics.uwaterloo.ca and www.usfirst.org

This year, the Government of Ontario has renewed its Silver sponsorship of the competition with a three-year commitment of $25,000 a year for 2006-2008.

Official sponsors for the 2006 FIRST Robotics Waterloo Regional Competition include: Gold Sponsor -- Research In Motion Ltd., $50,000; Silver Sponsors -- Government of Ontario, $25,000; Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC), $25,000; and UW, $25,000.

WATERLOO -- The University of Waterloo opened a new exciting chapter in its history today with the official groundbreaking for its School of Pharmacy and Downtown Kitchener Health Sciences Campus.

The event was held at the future site of the latest UW expansion project: the northwest corner of King Street West and Victoria Street in Kitchener's core. George Smitherman, Ontario's Minister of Health and Long-term Care, was among the officials attending the ceremony.

"Today marks the realization of an important dream for both the University of Waterloo and the City of Kitchener," said Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr. "And this wouldn't be happening without a unique collaboration between two organizations with vision. We're very proud of this project, it's an absolutely remarkable investment in the future of our city."

"It is truly a historic day for our university and for Waterloo Region as we embark on this innovative development," said UW President David Johnston. "We are so fortunate to have a committed partner like the City of Kitchener, that believes in this project as passionately as we do. The School of Pharmacy will mean great things for Kitchener, for UW, and for the future of health care."

"After so many months of hard work, it is incredibly gratifying to see our new facility begin to take shape," said Jake Thiessen, Hallman Director of the School of Pharmacy.

"We have the privilege of starting from a blank slate, at a world-class University, and we have been embraced by this community in an unprecedented way. Our building will reflect our desire to be a fundamental part of the community, and to expand the horizons for Pharmacy in Canada."

The school will welcome 120 undergraduate students in September 2007. It will be the only co-op pharmacy program in Canada and will focus on developing breadth and diversity in the student experience. At full completion, the pharmacy school is expected to be home to 480 undergraduate students, 70 graduate students, 30 faculty members and 20 administrative staff.

The innovative project builds on Kitchener's $30-million commitment and gift of land to the University of Waterloo. The School of Pharmacy's dynamic teaching, research and commercial collaboration will bring new and vibrant dimensions to meet the health-care needs of area residents and advance health care in Ontario.

Anchored by the new School of Pharmacy, the UW Health Sciences Campus will ultimately include a satellite of McMaster University's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, an optometry clinic and the Centre for Family Medicine, a residency program for students wishing to specialize in family medicine.

The Health Sciences Campus will attract a wide range of health professionals and address the need for expertise in health technology, health informatics, biosciences, population studies and biomedical engineering, while filling the urgent demand for more pharmacists and doctors in Ontario.

Excavation into the still-frosty ground just west of the central plant has begun in preparation for construction of the new Centre for Advanced Photovoltaic Devices and Systems.

Described by Siva Sivoththaman, an electrical and computer engineering professor, as "a comprehensive research and development centre," the facility will bring together researchers in materials, microelectronics and back-end electronics from both engineering and science. Their mission: "To make an impact in terms of affordable technology, as opposed to performance at any cost."

The advantages of photovoltaic technology -- which converts sunlight directly into electricity -- are that it's "clean, very green, renewable energy that doesn't burn any fuel, frees you from the power grid, decentralizes power generation, has no moving parts, almost no wear and tear, and requires minimal maintenance," Sivoththaman explains. "It's one of the best renewable energy technologies.

"One quite serious problem: it is expensive. Photovoltaic now costs three to five times more than standard electricity." Pushing the price up is the cost of base materials and fabrication. More than 90 per cent of PV technology now uses crystalline silicon. "We need lower-cost silicon-based and other materials. We need new processing technology compatible with the new low-cost materials. And we need to move away from the classical microelectronic culture for materials and processing technology." He's optimistic that research at Waterloo can uncover a way to bring the cost down to a level comparable to the grid -- making PV technology cheap enough to use in his own home. "So far, some labs have concentrated on materials, some on processing, some on systems. The new centre is certainly unique in Canada and North America in that it encompasses all aspects of photovoltaic research. It's the only way to go if we want to make an impact." He expects short-term research will focus on reducing costs, with longer-term studies aimed at developing new materials and technology, such as organic semiconductors, thin film materials and lower-cost silicon technologies.

The project has participants from UW (Sivoththaman, Roydon Fraser, Tong Leung, Arokia Nathan and Andrei Sazonov) as well as the University of Toronto, York, Western and Saskatchewan, plus Natural Resources Canada and other agencies. "Having a physical space with the right infrastructure will really make a difference, says Sivoththaman. "We need to have materials, fabrication, et cetera, all in one spot. We don't currently have such a facility."

The 15,000-square-foot building -- a little bigger than the University Club -- has a total budget of around $12 million. That includes $3.2 million in construction costs, with the rest going for research equipment. It's being financed by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Innovation Trust, plus a strong in-kind donation from Spheral Solar Power (ATS-SSP) that will provide crystal growth facilities, thin film facilities, a full range of device fabrication facilities for solar cells, a full range of testing and measurement facilities, rooftop real-time testing, module design and fabrication, and a demonstration room.

Expected to be operational in 2007, the venture will have high energy requirements. "The building is technically-driven, but we are installing solar panels on the roof to supplement energy needs," Sivoththaman says. Waterloo was the obvious site for the centre, he adds, with its proximity to ATS-SSP, "the biggest fabrication facility in Canada. Industry feedback is very important."

As the world hits peak oil production, there is keen interest in finding the next great fuel source. Many hope that hydrogen can be harnessed and that by the end of the 21st century we will all be driving hydrogen-powered cars.

Ironically, that's not the hope of Xianguo Li, a UW professor of mechanical engineering and a hydrogen fuel cell researcher. Though his research is focused on improving hydrogen fuel cells so they could be used in everybody's car, he doesn't want them to be the sole option. Instead, he espouses the notion of diversity. "The second law of thermodynamics, in essence, states that every energy process has an impact," said Li. "Biomass, solar, wind, hydrogen, if any of these took a dominant position in the market they would have major disadvantages."

Li cites London or Paris 100 years ago: everyone used carriages pulled by horses to get around, and that meant there were horse droppings everywhere. At a time of poor sanitation and street infrastructure, that led to a lot of disease, not to mention the smell.

Then, a novel device known as the automobile came along. It ran on oil, which was in vast supply throughout the world, and the only thing it released was a little smoke that vanished into the air. Perfect solution, right? Only a few decades later we learned in a hard way -- like the Los Angeles smog -- that it was not perfect, after all.

Li believes the same would be true if hydrogen dominated the energy market. "Often, in history, we hail a new technology as a major step forward, only to realize its horrible side effects later, and we had to spend tremendous effort to eradicate those effects. It all comes back to the principle that you can't get something for nothing." Instead of one energy source dominating, Li believes the answer is energy diversity and that hydrogen fuel cells can play a large part, such as for automobiles in urban areas.

The mechanical engineering researcher has been working to make fuel cells less expensive, more reliable and more user friendly. "The real world is not kind to cars like labs are, so we have to design better and robust engines that can be easily made and maintained."

One of the ways that the life and reliability of hydrogen fuel cells could be improved is through optimizing how many fuel cells are in operation at any given moment. Not as much power is needed for idling at a red light as for cruising at 100km/h, so Li's research team is developing a technique that can determine how many cells need to be activated.

As hydrogen technology develops and gains acceptance, Li hopes that people will temper the desire to use it everywhere with the knowledge that all energy systems have negative impacts. "If we use any energy on a worldwide scale, there can be lots of problems, but if we use it on a small scale we should be okay."

TORONTO, March 10 - In bargaining negotiations with Ontario colleges that went for more than one year, it would appear the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) wasn't focused on the issue of class sizes in the colleges.

In fact, in more than one year of bargaining, OPSEU only tabled a specific proposal on class size once - on March 6, 2006, the final day of bargaining.

The record at the bargaining table would appear to contradict the public assertions by OPSEU's leadership that class size is an issue in the OPSEU strike at Ontario's 24 colleges.

Perhaps Ted Montgomery, the lead negotiator for OPSEU, can clear up this confusion when he speaks with the media this morning.

------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ontario's colleges maintain the OPSEU strike is unnecessary and that OPSEU's actions are unfair to students.

On the key issues, the colleges have provided a good offer to OPSEU that includes:

- A 12.6-per-cent increase in salary over four years, which would move the new maximum salary to $94,277 by April 2009
- An increase over four years for two-step coordinators (faculty who have additional coordinating duties) that would move their new maximum salary to $99,303
- No increase to workload, which would maintain the average teaching time in the classroom at 14 hours per week.

Currently, the average class size in Ontario colleges is 28. The colleges have been hiring full-time faculty and will continue to hire full-time faculty.

We know everyone is concerned about the impact of the work stoppage on our students. We are very disappointed that OPSEU has chosen to strike.

We expect you are hearing many rumours about what happened in the bargaining, what the management team was proposing and what OPSEU was proposing. We think it's important that everyone is clear about the issues. This letter is intended to explain the major positions on the table and why we are unable to accept the Union's demands.

The Council has posted the last management position tabled and the last position tabled by OPSEU on the Council's website so that you may verify the accuracy of this information (www.TheCouncil.on.ca).

Cost of Union's Proposals

We were unable to agree with the Union's last position, which contained higher salary demands than management's offer of 12.6% over four years, costly changes to workload (which we will explain in greater detail), and across-the-board limits on class size.

We estimated that this new proposal would cost upwards of $200 million annually. In fact, OPSEU's last position on March 6 was more expensive than its previous position.

To put this $200 million in perspective, we have explained to OPSEU that the recent government funding announcements for 2005-06, as welcome as they are, only add up to $100 million in new money for the system. This represents approximately a 4.5% increase in college funding. Of the $100 million, about $87 million was dedicated to Quality Improvement.

Each College decided how to address its students' most critical needs. This means a variety of new investments were made such as hiring new full-time faculty, improving student services and upgrading library and technical resources. Improving quality cannot solely be about reducing existing faculty's student contact time.

As you know, the government has announced a tuition fee increase. If every College Board implemented the full tuition fee increase for every college student, it would still only pay 10% of the Union's demands.

We explained to the Union that no settlement could be reached so long as these demands remained on the table.

Management's Monetary Offer

To reiterate our position, management's offer is 12.6% over four years with no increase to workload. Those individuals who move up the grid during the course of this agreement will receive even larger percentage increases. The new maximum salary will be $94,277. In addition, two-step coordinators will have their maximum salary moved to $99,303.

This percentage increase is consistent with the settlement reached with our Support Staff and with other public sector settlements. It also ensures that Ontario's college faculty remains the best paid among all ten provinces, although we are the lowest funded system per student in the country. The differential between the salaries of high school teachers and college faculty will continue to positively increase for our faculty. In 2002, faculty salaries were $1,189 above the most highly paid secondary school teachers. By 2008, that will have risen to $4,793.

Union's Workload Demands

A lot of time has been spent discussing workload issues. The Union continues to demand that the Colleges accept significant across-the-board changes to the existing workload formula. Apart from the costs of these proposals, which we will explain below, we are very reluctant to make broad changes to the existing formula because of the current difficulty with using a single formula to measure the effort needed to properly prepare, deliver and effectively evaluate the thousands of different courses delivered within the Colleges.

We have acknowledged that it is important that the formula be adjusted to more equitably distribute workload amongst our faculty. We believe that the Union's across-the-board proposals would exaggerate these inequities. A "one size fits all" solution does not meet the diversity of our academic programming. Different programs might require different solutions.

OPSEU's specific workload proposal requires the Colleges, when assigning workload to each faculty member, to increase the time attributed for preparation by 100% and to increase the hours attributed for evaluation by 40%. We estimated this would require the Colleges to hire approximately 1,500 more faculty to deliver the same number of programs to the same number of students. A very conservative estimate of the cost of this demand is $135 million. This across-the-board solution would not address specific inequitable situations or allocate money efficiently to correct problems with particular programs.

On Monday, March 6, before talks broke down, the Union provided an optional workload proposal that was as costly and unworkable as the first proposal. Currently, each faculty member is credited with 5 hours of time for complementary functions prior to course assignments being made. Management had proposed 1 additional hour be credited for further out-of-class assistance to students. In addition to the hour, the Union proposed that each faculty be credited with an additional 3 complementary hours, and an additional 2 hours per week for any teacher who uses electronic delivery in his/her courses. In this day and age, almost all teachers are using computers to enhance their students' learning outcomes. These provisions when taken together would result in 11 hours of work being credited prior to any teaching assignment being determined for a teacher.

Also on March 6, the Union for the first time also proposed to place across-the-board limits on class size. Our difficulty with uniform limits is that the appropriate class size is dependant on the nature of the course and the teaching methods utilized.

The Union included many other limits on a College's ability to assign work. These proposals can be seen under Option B in the Union's Offer dated March 6 which is posted on the Council's website at www.TheCouncil.on.ca.

Management's Workload Proposals

We have explained to OPSEU that none of management's proposals increase the workload of our faculty. To assist in addressing some of the issues raised by the Workload Task Force, we have made a number of proposals that are outlined below.

Pilot Projects

In order to explore alternative methods of workload allocation and build a consensus around appropriate changes we proposed that pilot workload projects be undertaken in Colleges. A Joint Union/Management Steering Committee would be set up to oversee the research needed for the pilot projects. While certain models have been proposed, departments would be able to determine their own projects. A maximum of 10% of faculty would be able to participate in the pilots.

To ensure that these initiatives are endorsed by the teachers and management, the emphasis has been placed on consensus. Where two-thirds of the teachers in a department or program and their manager agree, they will be able to implement a pilot project of their choice. Teachers who choose not to participate will continue to have their workload allocated in accordance with the existing formula.

The teachers and management team at the program level will find the best solutions for delivering their programs more effectively, fulfilling their needs as teachers and crafting a better quality experience for their students. We believe this will foster collegial decision making, which is consistent with a more professional approach to the distribution of work.

Averaging Workload Hours

Our offer also included a proposal to allow averaging of workload. A lot of misunderstanding has risen with regards to this averaging proposal.

The Management Workload Task Force Report recommended that teachers be allowed to voluntarily average their workload over the full academic year without increasing their average annual workload. This proposal is very different from the rolling average provisions which were in place over 20 years ago.

Our proposal includes significant protections for the teacher:

• Averaging is voluntary and can only be implemented if the teacher and the supervisor agree. It cannot be imposed. No teacher can be forced to average his/her workload.

• The teacher's average weekly workload cannot exceed the average weekly workload assigned to the teacher in the prior year. Averaging does not result in more work.

• The teacher cannot teach a greater number of weeks than they did in the prior year.

• The average number of teaching contact hours and workload hours cannot exceed the weekly limits in the existing formula.

• If as a result of averaging the prior year's workload, the teacher is not scheduled to work as many weeks during the school year, then this time is free time off for the teacher.

With these protections, the teacher can be assured that his/her workload will not increase as a result of averaging. The teacher's preferences, and the needs of the program, could thereby be better accommodated.

Sections

We have proposed that the limit on six sections be removed. The limit on the number of different courses that can be assigned remains at four. Workload is already accounted for in preparation and evaluation factors. A teacher will continue to be given credit for additional preparation time for each class assigned. A teacher also already gets evaluation credit for each student in classes regardless of the section.

Next Steps

It is very difficult to have a comprehensive discussion about mutual solutions when the parties remain hundreds of millions of dollars apart. We hope that OPSEU will find a way to engage in a dialogue that will result in a solution. We hope you have found this information useful. Please visit the Council's website to review the complete proposals (www.TheCouncil.on.ca).

TORONTO, March 8 - The McGuinty government's tuition fee increases will tax working families and increase pressure on student workers, especially graduate students, says the union representing most university workers in Ontario.

"Just weeks ago, Dalton McGuinty was standing in the legislature to proclaim his government as the most labour-friendly in years," said CUPE Ontario President Sid Ryan. "With friends like that - who bring in tuition increases far greater than any income increases anyone has had - working families don't need enemies."

CUPE represents about 20,000 university workers, including students who work as teaching assistants, graders and lecturers.

"Universities are going to be paying with one hand and taking away with the other," said Janice Folk-Dawson, chair of the CUPE Ontario university workers coordinating committee. "We need a real plan for, and commitment to, improving post-secondary education, not just shifting funding from the public purse to private pocketbooks."

Instead, she noted, the McGuinty government is looking at using its new-found $1 billion revenue windfall to build a subway line to a university that students from working families won't be able to attend.

"Instead of undoing the damage of chronic underfunding and restoring access to post-secondary education, this government is choosing to continue the damage," Ryan said. "Over the past several weeks, the provincial Liberal government has been steamrolling its regressive policies over Ontarians. Everything from childcare to health care, pensions, and now tuition fees, is on the agenda.

"The end result is that Ontario families are going to suffer."

TORONTO, March 8 - Ontario college students were shocked today by the snap announcement of a tuition fee increase of up to eight percent in one year by the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, Christopher Bentley.

"After participating in many stakeholder consultations, and after 26,000 college students across Ontario asked the government to cap tuition increases at the rate of inflation, the government ignored students plea," stated Matt Jackson, President of the College Student Alliance (CSA).

Prior to the announcement of the tuition freeze by the McGuinty government in 2003, annual tuition fee increases for all college programs were capped at 1.9 per cent. This meant an annual increase of $34 per year for most college students. Under the new McGuinty tuition framework, tuition fees will increase up to 4.5 per cent or $100 in the first year, and up to 4 per cent in the second and third year for students in most programs.

First year students in high cost or as more commonly known, deregulated tuition fee programs will see a maximum increase of 8 per cent in 2006-2007 until 2009-10. This will result in a one-year increase as high as $880 for students enrolled in the Computer Animation program at Sheridan College, earning the honour of Ontario's most expensive community college program of $11,000 per academic year.

"Students in high cost programs will be the hardest hit. While the government has maintained the cap on the number of programs institutions can class as "high cost", they have put already expensive programs further out of the reach for most working class Ontario families," added Jackson.

While news regarding next year's tuition fees was disappointing, the provincial government softened the blow to students by announcing improvements to up front grants for students from middle income families and a commitment to a new financial aid framework that makes costs, grants and loan amounts known prior to the start of the school year the 2007-2008 academic year.

"Although we are very disappointed in today's tuition fee announcement, this government has finally begun to improve the administration of our student financial aid and grants system. This will correct a major, systemic problem that no previous government has adequately addressed," said Tyler Charlebois, Director of Advocacy for the College Student Alliance.

TORONTO, March 8 - Students say that Premier Dalton McGuinty has taken a page from Mike Harris by allowing tuition fees to increase by as much as 20% for some programmes. In today's announcement, the Ontario government set out its plan to increase tuition fees by 4.5 to 8 percent per year for college and university students. With today's announcement, students in professional programmes such as law, medicine, and dentistry could see tuition fee hikes of over 20 percent if they complete their programmes over four years.

Under McGuinty's changes, tuition fees will increase by over 4% in their first year of studies and will steadily rise by 5% in each year of their programme - a potential 20% increase over four years. Those in professional programmes will see their first year fees increase by as much at 8% followed by 4% annual increases.

Although today's announcement will make more families eligible for up-front grants, changes to student financial assistance will mean less than ten percent of families will qualify for the grants. Moreover, most graduate students and professional students will not qualify for grants since they are not in their first or second year of studies.

"Medical students are already paying $16,000 per year," said Greener. "If tuition fees increase as set out by this proposal, these students could well be paying an additional $3,400 over the course of their programme.

"The government is attempting to deflect anger over tuition fee increases by pointing to changes in student assistance," said Greener. "But the fact is a 5% annual tuition fee increase over the next four years will effectively wipe-out more than the student financial assistance investment to be phased in over the same period. In fact, for every dollar invested in student aid more than a dollar will be clawed back through tuition fee increases."

"This is a bad day for Ontario families who are already struggling to pay high tuition fees. At a time when the Ontario government could well be sitting on a $1 billion surplus, today's announcement is shameful," said Greener. "Other provinces, with fewer resources than Ontario, have taken the lead by freezing and reducing tuition fees."

"The money allocated to colleges and universities through McGuinty's "Reaching Higher" plan last year was barely enough to bring Ontario funding up to the national average and only after five years," said Greener. "These tuition fee hikes are a huge step backward, both for this government and for working families."

Student Access Guarantee for Working Families

TORONTO - The McGuinty government is providing a student access guarantee that means no qualified Ontario student will be prevented from attending Ontario's public colleges and universities due to lack of financial support programs, said Chris Bentley, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities on March 8.

"As part of our plan to improve quality and access, our government is making it easier for students from working families to attend postsecondary education - Ontario students will have access to postsecondary education based on their ability to learn and not their ability to pay," Bentley said. The student access guarantee means that students in need will have access to the resources they need for their tuition, books and mandatory fees. Under the guarantee, the government will provide assistance to almost 200,000 students from lower- and middle-income families. Institutions that want to increase fees may do so only if two conditions are met: they participate in the student access guarantee, and any fee increases improve the quality of programs.

"We aim to give students the best postsecondary education possible," said Bentley. "Through our Reaching Higher Plan, our government is investing in more spaces, increased student aid and improved quality.

"But more needs to be done to enhance quality," the minister added. "To achieve our goal, we need an additional contribution from students. For every $3 extra Ontario invests under Reaching Higher in postsecondary education, we are asking students to contribute $1."

The student contribution will come from a regulated tuition framework. Increases will be capped, predictable and linked to improvements in quality and access. Institutions will have more flexibility to set fees, but only within this capped, regulated and predictable framework.

Under the plan, average tuition increases for the coming year will be limited to about $100 for almost 90 per cent of college students and about $200 for almost 70 per cent of university students. Increases in tuition fees may vary, but the majority of undergraduate students will see increases below 4.5 per cent. Tuition will be allowed to increase by a maximum average of up to five per cent at each institution.

For professional, graduate and certain other programs, institutions may increase fees up to a maximum of eight per cent in the first year of study, but only if the institutional average is five per cent or less, the student access guarantee is in place, and the money buys improvement in quality. Increases will be limited to four per cent in subsequent years of study. "As part of the government's commitment to students and to ensure Ontarians get the best value for their investment in postsecondary education, our government is also creating the Higher Education Quality Council to monitor quality and access," said Bentley. "The council is an independent body that will help us ensure continued improvement of the postsecondary education system by monitoring quality in the sector, access to postsecondary education and the accountability of institutions."

Quality improvements and access for students will also be ensured through multi-year accountability agreements that every institution is required to sign. The agreement sets out the institutions' commitments to quality, access, affordability and will include the student access guarantee.

Improving the quality and accessibility of higher education are two goals of Reaching Higher, the McGuinty Government Plan for Postsecondary Education. Through the plan, the government is investing $6.2 billion more in the province's postsecondary system over five years - the single largest infusion of funds in the sector in 40 years. This includes $1.5 billion more for student aid. The McGuinty government has also created almost 75,000 more spaces since 2002-03 and is aiming to increase participation further. New government investments at colleges and universities are already improving quality through more faculty, better student services, and access to the best libraries, laboratories and equipment for hands-on learning.

"We need to invest in our people. Our province's future depends on it," said Bentley. "This plan will deliver the investments, results and quality needed to ensure Ontarians have access to the best possible postsecondary system, and will finish their education capable of competing with anyone, anywhere in the world."

"History, Politics, and Public Life"
Date: Mar 8/06
Time: 18:00 - 20:30
Location: Senate and Board Chamber in Paul Martin Centre
Cost: none

Few people have the breadth of Rae’s experience in public life—former Premier of Ontario and Member of Parliament, international mediator, author of the Ontario government’s recent report on the future of post-secondary education, and Chair of the Institute for Research on Public Policy. Fewer still are in as good a position as Chancellor Rae to reflect on politics and public life from a historical perspective.

A former student of history and political science, Rae lectures on these subjects at the University of Toronto and has written two books—From Protest to Power, a reflection on his time in Ottawa and at Queen’s Park, and The Three Questions, an essay on approaches to politics.

Rae’s talk, which is sponsored by the Laurier History Students’ Association, will be followed by a question and answer session.

Two professors in UW's faculty of engineering are heading a project to study the process that matches some 3,000 Waterloo co-op students with jobs each term.

Peggy Jarvie, director of co-op education and career services, says the complicated online and face-to-face activity of her department was "a process that really was screaming for in-depth comprehensive analysis". It's enormously complicated, she says, citing the mixture of senior and junior students in six faculties and dozens of academic programs, the range of large and small employers looking for students with various qualifications, timetable variations, and so on.

She says she visited the dean of engineering, Adel Sedra, in December and "proposed a joint project with engineering to look at the process . . . an excellent quality review with implementable results." What emerged was a study that's being headed by Kenneth McKay and Miguel Anjos, both of the management sciences department.

"We are doing something typical of a management sciences approach to the problem," says McKay, "doing a systematic and very detailed study of the tactical and operational parts of the CECS employment process. We are looking for both strengths and weaknesses -- policies, procedures, and practices that affect the efficiency and effectiveness of the system, focusing on the services provided to the main client groups: employers and students."

The project began with focus groups of CECS staff -- the people who know the process best -- and is moving on to gather data from students and employers. "We expect the first phase of the project to be complete by the end of the summer," says Jarvie.

She calls the co-op job match "an elegantly simple process, until you start peeling off the layers", and describes it as "an optimization problem . . . there's no perfect solution." At a minimum, she says, the new study will result in a better understanding of just how complex the process of applying, interviewing and job-matching is. Almost certainly, some small improvements will become obvious. "And it's more likely that there are some substantial changes that could be made -- practical, down-to-earth business solutions."

Best of all, she says, the project can be shown off to employers as an example of academic knowledge applied to business needs: exactly what co-operative education is supposed to be about. "We'll be able to go to employers and say, we have used our internal expertise, to do here what our students learn to do!"

TORONTO - Education quality is the central issue as 9,100 Ontario college faculty, members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, prepare for a strike set to start at midnight tonight (The release was issued 29 minutes after midnight).

Talks broke off after union negotiators tried without success to bargain changes to the collective agreement that would reverse the decline in education quality in the colleges, providing for smaller classes and more faculty so every college student would get more time, more attention, and more feedback.

Unfortunately, the employer's bargaining team wouldn't agree to OPSEU's demands on quality education issues, and even tabled last-minute concessions that moved the two-sides further apart. "The union will be going on strike to get exactly what Premier McGuinty says he wants for our students - higher quality education," said OPSEU president Leah Casselman.

"Over five days of negotiations, management did not table a proposal until 9:30 p.m. Monday, March 6. Incredibly, that last-minute proposal moves backwards from the offer that management had in place at the time of the strike vote," said Ted Montgomery, chair of the OPSEU bargaining team. "The management team's complete failure to bargain in good faith is shocking and deplorable. Management has wasted five days and never put an offer on the table until the last minute. Not one of the issues of quality has been addressed in their offer," he added.

Ontario's 24 community colleges are represented in bargaining by the College Compensation and Appointments Council. The faculty have been without a contract since Aug. 31, 2005.

TORONTO - Ontario colleges are disappointed that the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) has chosen to turn down a good offer and unnecessarily disrupt the school year for 150,000 full-time students.

"The colleges have provided a good offer to OPSEU that increases the maximum salary for faculty to more than $94,000, with no increase to workload," said Dr. Rick Miner, chair of the colleges' committee of presidents. "There is no reason for a strike and we are disappointed that OPSEU has chosen to unnecessarily disrupt the students' school year."