$8.3 Million Capital Investment To Increase Capacity To Deliver Cardiac Care

OTTAWA - The Ontario government is investing $8.3 million to support planning and redevelopment at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) to further increase its capacity to deliver quality care for patients, Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman announced January 31, 2007.

"Our government is working to help ensure Ottawa-area patients who need cardiac services get the quality care they need closer to home," said Smitherman. "This funding represents a very promising first step towards a modern new facility that will provide greater access to care for local residents."

Today's announcement consists of a $4 million grant to go towards advance planning of the redevelopment of the Cardiac Life Support Services project. The project calls for the relocation and expansion of UOHI's Cardiac Life Support Services from its current location in the basement of the Heart Institute Building to a larger new facility on the Civic campus of The Ottawa Hospital.

The government is also providing an additional $4.3 million for infrastructure improvements to maintain UOHI's current location until the redevelopment is completed, bringing today's total investment to $8.3 million.

In its redevelopment plans the Heart Institute is proposing to add a new surgical suite, additional catheterization and electrophysiology laboratories and 12 surgical intensive care beds, all of which will help reduce wait times for cardiac patients.

"The cardiac care, education and research that we provide are essential to Ottawa-area residents and the citizens of Ontario," said University of Ottawa Heart Institute, President and CEO Dr. Robert Roberts. "This funding will help us lay the groundwork for the future expansion of the Heart Institute to meet the demands we face."

The UOHI is the provider of advanced cardiac services for the Champlain Local Health Integration Network as well as national and international communities. It offers four cardiac surgical suites, five laboratories, a 16-bed surgical intensive care unit and related support services.

This is just the latest example of how the McGuinty government is on the side of the residents of Ottawa when it comes to providing quality hospital care. Other initiatives include:

<< - Increasing operating grant funding to hospitals to $12.9 billion in 2006/07, growing to $14 billion in 2008/09

- Reducing wait times for five key health care services (hip and knee joint replacement, cataract surgeries, MRI exams, cancer surgeries and cardiac procedures) with a recent investment of $222.5 million

- Providing a total of $41 million in capital funding to hospitals to repair and upgrade their facilities. >>

Today's initiative is part of the McGuinty government's plan for innovation in public health care, building a system that delivers on three priorities - keeping Ontarians healthy, reducing wait times and providing better access to doctors and nurses.

Waterloo — Laurier BBA students placed first among Ontario business schools and third overall at this year’s Inter-Collegiate Business Competition (ICBC) finals held at Queen’s University January 11-14, 2007. The five student teams won a total of three medals in the final championships; one gold (Management Information Systems), one silver (Finance), and one bronze (Business Policy).

Additionally, the Laurier team won the Chairperson’s Award for best school spirit and sportsmanship.

"Laurier business students hold a legacy of outstanding achievement," said Ginny Dybenko, Dean of Business & Economics at Laurier. "We are thrilled that these students have continued in this tradition of excellence."

ICBC is Canada's oldest and largest undergraduate business case competition where over 30 universities compete in the first round written case component in order to be eligible for the finals. We would like to acknowledge the following teams who earned a podium position at this year’s event:

Gold - Management Information Systems: Samantha Kafato and Graham Edward

Silver - Finance: Greg Dean and Dave Gourley

Bronze - Business Policy: Sadhisha Ambagahawita, Jawad Addoum and Chris Bozek

Congratulations to the Debating and Ethics teams who also represented the Laurier at the competition.

WATERLOO - The co-founder of Greenpeace International and author of a major environmental book will discuss the key role a university can play in making the community a more sustainable place during a talk next week at the University of Waterloo.

The public lecture, entitled The Planetary University As A Catalyst For Local/Regional Sustainability, will be given by Michael M'Gonigle, author of Planet U: Sustaining the World, Reinventing the University. Co-sponsored by the faculties of arts and environmental studies, the talk takes place Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. in the festival room, south campus hall. For more information, call 519-888-4567 ext. 32440.

"We are delighted to have Michael M'Gonigle visit the University of Waterloo," says Ken Coates, dean of arts. "His commitment to environmental issues long-predates our current concerns about global warning and the dangers of rapid ecological change."

Coates says that in his latest book, M'Gonigle identifies crucial challenges and outlines clear and reasonable suggestions about how post-secondary institutions can -- and should -- take the lead in changing societal attitudes on climate change.

"In the era of global climate change and calls for urgent action, citizens need new strategies to help break the political and economic gridlock that prevents such action," says Ian Rowlands, a UW professor of environment and resource studies who will moderate a question-and-answer session after the lecture. "Universities have a critical role to play in meeting these challenges."

Rowlands, who researches energy issues and global climate change, adds that the public lecture will examine means of harnessing the power of the higher education industry, along with new emerging processes of social change.

"Universities are not only laboratories for new ideas, but they, themselves, are also large institutions," Rowlands says. "Consequently, they have the potential both to generate alternative strategies for application within society as a whole and also to lead by example."

Drawing on his book, M'Gonigle will consider the historic institution -- the university -- in terms of its potential to become a model of transformative change at the community level where people live.

M'Gonigle is the EcoResearch Professor in Environmental Law and Policy in the faculty of law at the University of Victoria. A lawyer and political ecologist, his work with Greenpeace in the 1970s led to the international moratorium on commercial whaling. During this time he co-founded Greenpeace International.

In the 1980s, he worked on wilderness conservation and forestry reform in British Columbia, including leading the successful struggle to protect the Stein River Valley from industrial logging.

As chair of the board of Greenpeace Canada, M'Gonigle launched its forests campaign in 1990. A co-founder in the late 1990s of SmartGrowth BC and Forest Futures (Dogwood Initiative), he recently founded the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance at the University of Victoria.

Paul Gillespie, former Police Officer and Vice Chair, Kids' Internet Safety Alliance, embarks on cross-Canada tour to talk to parents and kids about staying safe online

MISSISSAUGA - A new Internet Safety study conducted by Microsoft Canada and Ipsos Reid provides new insight into the way children use the Internet, how they perceive the risks of sharing personal information online and how much parents understand about their child's online behaviour. Issues relating to privacy are of particular concern as 70 per cent of children age 10 to 14 believe the information they put online and send to friends is private and 37 per cent of girls and 22 per cent of boys in this age range have emailed their picture to someone.

Internationally-renowned online safety expert and former Police Officer, Paul Gillespie, will bring these results and practical tips and tricks to parents and children in five Canadian cities starting February 7 in Calgary, AB.

"The Internet is an incredible resource and parents have done a great job discussing Internet safety with their children," said Paul Gillespie, former Police Officer and Vice Chair, Kids' Internet Safety Alliance. "To build on this progress it's essential parents are involved in their children's online activities and help them develop good judgment and critical thinking skills to deal with situations, information and people they encounter online."

Other important findings from the Microsoft Canada and Ipsos Reid survey relate to Internet use outside of the home. The study found that 85 per cent of children age 10 to 14 who have Internet access at home also have access to the Internet outside the home and that 15 per cent of these children visit websites that their parents consider off limits. These findings highlight the importance of open communication around Internet use, so that children can make informed decisions even when unsupervised.

"Microsoft's research with Ipsos Reid has consistently demonstrated that the key for safely navigating the Internet is greater communication between parents and their children," said Gavin Thompson, Director of Community Affairs, Microsoft Canada. "We believe that educating families plays a significant role in ensuring that children have a positive experience while online, with that, we are pleased to launch TAKE BACK THE NET, an Internet safety tour to help spread the word about best practices when using the Internet."

The Microsoft Canada-sponsored Internet safety tour called TAKE BACK THE NET will begin in Calgary on February 7 and will include stops in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa in March and April. The presentation will be delivered by Paul Gillespie, former Police Officer and Vice Chair of the Kids' Internet Safety Alliance (KINSA). Mr. Gillespie's presentation will draw on the Ipsos-Reid study results and his years of personal experience to teach parents and children the few key things they need to do to keep safe online. For more information about this tour please visit www.microsoft.ca/onlinesafety.

Highlights from the survey of children age 10-14 with Internet access at home include: <<

- 33 per cent of children age 10 to 14 spend 6-10 hours a week online while 26 per cent spend more than 10 hours a week online.
- 25 per cent of children would feel safe getting together with a person they have only met online and talked to for a long time online.
- 17 per cent of children say they have used the Internet in the middle of the night.
- 11 per cent have been asked by a stranger for personal information while online such as their full name, home address and phone number.
- One in 10 youth do not know all of the people on their friends/messaging list.
- Two in five 10 year olds always participate in instant messaging when online.
- 26 per cent of children age 10 to 14 have seen hateful messages.
- 96 per cent of parents have spoken with their children about dangers to be aware of online.

Microsoft Canada recommends communicating with your children as often as possible and following three simple tips to make their Internet experience a positive one:

1. Work as a Team: Know and talk to your child about his or her Internet use. Approach Internet use like any other parenting issue - open the dialogue, listen and ask lots of questions. Microsoft offers a contract that parents can fill out with their children to set ground rules about using the internet. It can be found at www.microsoft.com/athome/security/children/famwebrules.mspx.

2. Start Early: Start talking to your kids about the Internet as they approach school age, as this is when they will be exposed to computers in school. Do your children know what you consider to be appropriate and inappropriate content? Have you spoken with them about resources to turn to in the event that they feel uncomfortable or threatened while online?

3. Talk to your friends: Talk to your friends and neighbors about Internet Safety. Get their feedback and share your insights. By getting people talking about online safety we reduce the risks considerably. >>

The Microsoft Canada and Ipsos Reid report surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,000 children from age 10 to 14 who have Internet access at home, and 600 parents of children age 10 to 14 who have Internet access at home. The study focused on Canadian children's access to the Internet and their behaviours and experiences while online including stranger danger, cyber bullying and privacy issues.

University participation rates rose substantially among young people in seven Canadian cities after new universities opened up in the localities during the 1980s and 1990s, according to a new study.

Between 1981 and 2001, universities opened in Prince George, Kamloops, Kelowna, Chilliwack and Nanaimo (British Columbia), and in Corner Brook (Newfoundland and Labrador) and Sydney (Nova Scotia). Afterwards, the proportion of local young people attending university classes increased substantially in all seven.

The study suggests that the new universities may have helped close the "distance gap" for many students wishing to attend classes. Students who grow up far away from a university perform about as well on standardized tests scores as other students, yet they are far less likely to go on to university. This is particular so for youth from lower income families.

One reason for this gap may be the cost of living away from home, which exceeds $5,000 each academic year on average.

However, the study also found that this increase in the university participation rate was offset by a decline in college participation. This decline in the proportion of students attending college almost fully counterbalanced the gain in university participation.

In addition, some local youth benefited more than others. For example, university participation rates rose more among those from lower income families. Aboriginal youth, on the other hand, saw virtually no increase.

The study used census data from 1981 to 2001, to relate postsecondary participation rates among youth aged 20 to 24, to the presence or absence of a university in the city they lived in five years earlier when they were aged 15 to 19. The data do not distinguish between students who attended university or college in their hometown or elsewhere.

Overall, university participation rates rose from 24% to 31% as the new universities opened, once student and city characteristics were taken into account.

A new university was defined as an institution that began offering a wide range of university degree programs. In many instances, these consisted of university colleges or colleges that offered university degree programs on behalf of a nearby university.

Participation rose in all cities in which a university opened

University attendance among local youth in each community increased far more than in other parts of the country, the study showed.

For example, the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) opened its doors in Prince George in 1994. Among 15 to 19 year old youth living in Prince George in 1991, 18% had attended university within the next five years. In 1996, following the creation of UNBC, this figure rose to 27%.

In contrast, the university participation rate among youth who grew up in cities that did not acquire a new university remained relatively stable.

The other six cities in the study saw the creation of university colleges, or their local college began offering a wide range of university degree programs on behalf of a nearby university. Nevertheless, they also saw large increases in university participation.

For example, Cariboo College in Kamloops received university degree-granting status in 1989. In 1986, 21% of youth aged 15 to 19 who lived in Kamloops had attended university within the next five years. Five years later, this proportion had increased to 36%.

Increase in university participation offset by declines in college participation

The large increase in university participation among local youth following the opening of a new university was almost fully offset by a decline in college participation. This was the case in most cities with a new university.

On average, university participation rates rose from 24% to 31% as the new universities opened, once student and city characteristics were taken into account.

In contrast, college participation rates went from 31% to 25% as the new universities opened, once student and city characteristics were taken into account.

On balance, the overall postsecondary participation rate remained relatively stable in cities where a new university opened.

Students from lower income families benefited most from new universities

Students from lower income families saw the largest increase in university participation following the creation of a local university.

Students from the lowest income group, those in families whose incomes were below $25,000, saw their university participation rate rise from 16% prior to the new university to 27% afterwards, once student and city characteristics were taken into account.

In contrast, the university participation rate among students from the highest income group, those in families with incomes of more than $100,000, rose from 41% prior to creation of a new university to 48% afterwards. Again, this was after other factors were taken into account.

Aboriginal youth saw almost no gain in university participation

The university participation rate among Aboriginal youth who grew up in cities in which a university opened rose only slightly following the creation of a local university.

Their university participation rate edged up from 8.5% prior to the new university to 9.1% afterwards, once factors such as student and city characteristics were taken into account.

In contrast, the university participation rate among non-aboriginal youth rose from 27% prior to the new university to 34% afterwards, after taking into account the other factors.

Laurier’s proposed new graduate programs for Fall 2007 include:

• Master’s in International Public Policy (which already has OCGS approval to commence)

• MA in Cultural Analysis and Social Theory

• MA in Philosophy

• MA in Sociology

• MSc in Integrative Biology

• PhD in Global Governance, offered jointly with the University of Waterloo

Proposed new graduate programs for Fall 2008 include:

• MA in Communications Studies

• Master of Finance

• MSc in Management

• Another four programs are in the development stage and may be added to the slate of new programs expected for Fall 2008.

On March 2, 2007, the faculty of graduate studies invites prospective graduate students to experience graduate studies first-hand at the first annual graduate open house. Students will be able to meet with program representatives to discuss research opportunities, funding and admission requirements for all of Laurier’s graduate degree programs. Additionally, on March 2 and March 12, the research office will be holding “research days” to showcase faculty and student research activity.

WATERLOO - The University of Waterloo's Elliott Avedon Museum and Archive of Games -- a unique Canadian resource dedicated to researching, collecting, preserving and exhibiting games and game-related objects -- is celebrating UW's 50th anniversary with an exhibit called The Spirit of "Why Not?" -- Games of 1957.

The new exhibit, open to the public until the end of the year, features 50 artifacts including 39 games and such related information as magazines and books from the period when UW began. Visitors will have the opportunity to play games that were popular in 1957, while listening to some of the hit records of the year.

"While the world was busy with the space race, driving Edsels, listening to Elvis, as well as inventing Velcro, AA batteries and Tang, the game industry was also hard at work," says Jinhee Chung, museum technician and a graduate student in recreation and leisure studies.

"Wham-o bought the rights to the Frisbee. Board game manufacturers capitalized on the baby boom with Bridge Bingo and Stork Bingo. They popularized games based on the new medium, television, with games such as Name That Tune."

Chung says that games based on movies such as Around the World in 80 Days were produced, along with games based on popular icons of the day, such as Nancy Drew and the Bobbsey Twins. Other games and nostalgia from the era will also be on display.

"Through the study of games, we can learn a great deal about human behaviour," says Ron Johnson, a professor of recreation and leisure studies who co-directs the museum. "Games reflect the cultures in which they were developed and played, as well as illustrating the diffusion and interaction of people throughout human history."

The museum's public gallery is located in the B. C. Matthews Hall, at the Columbia Street entrance to the south campus. It is open Mondays to Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. To book an individual visit or group tour, call 519-888-4424.

The museum collection includes more than 5,000 physical objects -- many of which have been exhibited in the public gallery since 1971. Private, public and corporate donations have supported the acquisition of artifacts from around the world.

The museum's website (www.gamesmuseum.uwaterloo.ca) features photographs and documentary text about many individual items in the collection. Each web page in the virtual exhibit includes one or more illustration of objects in the collection.

The museum is operated by the recreation and leisure studies department, staffed by graduate students and co-op students, and administered by UW's faculty of applied health sciences as part of the Waterloo Heritage Collections Association. It receives funding support from the Ontario Ministry of Culture.

The University of Waterloo, which opened July 1, 1957, will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a series of events throughout 2007. UW has adopted the Spirit of Why Not? as its anniversary theme. Based on a line by George Bernard Shaw, the theme reflects the spirit of aspiration that has propelled UW to date and will continue to drive the university in the coming decade.

Resources

Contacts:

Jinhee Chung, 519-888-4567 ext. 84424 or j23chung@uwaterloo.ca

Christine Wong, 519-888-4567 ext. 84424 or c37wong@uwaterloo.ca

Ron Johnson, 519-888-4567 ext. 32519 or johnson@uwaterloo.ca

John Morris, UW media relations, 519-888-4435

UW news release no. 9

2007-01-24 11:04:20

Construction 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Lunch 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 a.m.
Speed & Weight Challenge 12:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Awards 2:25 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

WATERLOO - The University of Waterloo will launch a special public lecture series next week aimed at encouraging future scholars to benefit society by sharing the results of their research work.

As part of an interdisciplinary graduate student seminar officially called Knowledge Mobilisation to Serve Society, the faculty of arts will host the first lecture next Wednesday, featuring David Moorman, senior policy adviser for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

He will give a talk entitled Building a Knowledge Council: Policy Imperatives and Realistic Possibilities. The public lecture begins at 7 p.m. in the Alice Bast conference room (PAS 3026), located in the psychology, anthropology and sociology building.

Earlier in the same location, Rick Haldenby, director of UW's school of architecture in Cambridge, will deliver a presentation, entitled New Public Space, from 6 to 6:45 p.m. Haldenby will demonstrate the mobilization of knowledge through community-university partnerships.

Knowledge mobilization -- which involves sharing university research findings with the wider community in order to influence policy, practice and everyday life -- has become an increasingly important part of scholarship, says Ken Coates, UW's dean of arts.

"Researchers in the arts disciplines produce work of incalculable value to society at large," he adds. "We have, however, often fallen into the practice of leaving the work of mobilization of our ideas to others and have largely kept our research and insights to ourselves."

The graduate seminar, offered Wednesday nights during the winter term, seeks to equip students with the background and tools needed for such socially responsive knowledge transfer. UW's strategic research plan points out that academic excellence includes "service to society through the transfer of knowledge."

Coates says the course is part of a broader initiative to take greater responsibility for "moving the fruits of our research out of the academy and to engage more directly with those seeking to create societal change."

The for-credit course is led by psychology professor Kathleen Bloom, who also directs the Canadian Centre for Knowledge Mobilisation as well as an SSHRC community-university research alliance for child literacy called Research Works!

"Effective mobilization of knowledge is a two-way process," Bloom says. "It's built on partnerships between those who produce new knowledge and those who can use it. This is how decisions about social issues extend beyond opinions and beliefs. This is how researchers make their knowledge count."

The seminar covers discussion of conceptual issues as well as hands-on learning from the perspective of the students' own research interests. They are given opportunities to work together in teams and to meet with community stakeholders both face-to-face and online.

Bloom augments her own extensive knowledge and experience by inviting policy-makers, practitioners, journalists and SSHRC representatives to give public guest lectures on topics related to knowledge mobilization.

The public lecture series will also feature Wayne Kondro, an Ottawa-based free-lance journalist, whose talk is planned for February, and Benjamin Levin, Ontario deputy minister for education, who is scheduled to deliver the final guest lecture on March 8.

WATERLOO - The University of Waterloo is proving to be a destination of choice among Ontario high-school students selecting their top universities.

Preliminary figures released by the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC) show that applications to UW's established programs are, in most cases, equal to or above last year's applications. Applications to newer programs and those that include a business component have left UW with the second highest increase in overall applications in Ontario.

The number of Ontario high-school students applying to UW has grown by more than 14 per cent since last year. The number of students who have so far listed UW as their first choice grew from 6,001 in 2006 to 6,861 this year, increasing by 14.3 per cent, while students listing UW as one of their choices grew from 22,318 to 25,585, or 14.6 per cent.

That places UW well ahead of the provincial average, which is seeing an increase of 5.2 per cent for first choice applications and 5.9 per cent for total applications.

"These numbers, coming so very early in the application process, give us good reason to be confident about our enrolment next fall," said Nancy Weiner, associate registrar, admissions. "We're seeing solid interest in our established, core programs, and our more recent innovations are attracting a great deal of interest."

The faculty of environmental studies is enjoying a 50.5-per-cent increase in first-choice applications and 41.5 per cent overall, largely due to two new offerings. A new program in geography and aviation has so far generated 51 first-choice applications and 104 applications overall. A new program in geomatics (which combines computing with geographic and environmental analysis) produced 16 first-choice applications and 57 overall.

Applications to the faculty of science, both first choice and overall, have increased by almost 27 per cent, largely because of new programs. The first offering of science and aviation has so far drawn 30 first-choice and 118 overall applications. First-choice and total applications to honours science and life sciences programs -- considered the best undergraduate program for anyone interested in applying to pharmacy -- have grown by close to 26 per cent.

The faculties of mathematics and engineering join environmental studies and science in benefiting from an interest in majors that include a business component. Applications to a number of business-related programs in mathematics, particularly math and business administration, are helping the faculty achieve first-choice and total increases of almost 13 per cent.

A new program in management engineering has drawn 160 applications, with 61 of those first-choice applications. First-choice applications to all engineering programs have so far risen by 16.9 per cent and the overall applications by 14.2 per cent.

Business-related programs are also proving popular in other faculties. Science and business programs increased by 20.8 per cent in first-choice applications and 32.5 per cent overall. First-choice applications to environment and business climbed by 45 per cent, while the program's overall applications rose by 47.9 per cent.

The faculty of arts, with a 6.5-per-cent increase in first-choice and 6.9 per cent in all applications, is seeing an increase near 4.3 per cent for its first-choice and 10 per cent overall applications to honours arts and business. Two accounting and financial management programs, one emphasizing accounting and other finance, are experiencing double-digit increases in first-choice and overall applications.

Health studies is proving to be the most popular program in the faculty of applied health sciences, with a seven-per-cent increase in first-choice and 9.9 per cent for overall applications to the program. First-choice applications to the faculty barely dipped by 0.4 per cent, while total applications are up by 6.8 per cent.

Tina Roberts, director of marketing and undergraduate recruiting, believes students are attracted by all that UW has to offer, though they regularly list five factors.

"Our reputation for quality, the career success our graduates enjoy, our world-leading co-op program, the outstanding reputation of our student leaders and a strong sense of community -- these are the things," said Roberts, "that our students consistently tell us impacted their decision to attend."

The university will now review the applications to gauge the quality of the candidates. The goal over the next eight months will be to admit as many promising students as possible without jeopardizing the quality of the education and experience they receive.

Creating More Opportunities For Youth To Succeed

TORONTO - The Ontario government is giving youth who left high school without a diploma a chance at success by expanding the OPS Learn and Work Pilot Program, Government Services Minister Gerry Phillips announced January 16, 2007.

"Our government is committed to providing the youth of this province with every opportunity possible for success in the future," said Phillips. "The OPS Learn and Work Program offers a positive, innovative approach to helping young people stay in school, complete their education and gain real-life work experience."

The expanded OPS Learn and Work Program is designed for youth between the ages of 16 and 19 who have left high school without a diploma. Upon completion of the program, participants will have earned up to 10 academic credits toward their high school diploma and up to 27 weeks of meaningful work experience in the Ontario Public Service and its Crown agencies.

Mary Anne Chambers, Minister of Children and Youth Services, and Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Education, joined Phillips for today's announcement at Centennial College in Toronto, where successful participants from the initial pilot are now completing their education in a similar program run by the Ministry of Education.

"Our government believes that young people can deal with their challenges and achieve personal success, with the right supports," said Chambers. "By working with our many partners to provide these young people with valuable learning opportunities along with work experience, this program is offering youth another chance to find success and achieve their full potential."

"This is another example of how our government is transforming the high school experience to reach every student," said Wynne. "Ontario's graduation rate will continue to rise because students can customize their education with more relevant learning opportunities that match their skills, goals and interests."

The initial pilot was an 18-week program at Lester B. Pearson Collegiate Institute in Scarborough's Malvern community, with participants earning up to five credits toward their high school diploma. The expanded program is being delivered at: <<

- Lester B. Pearson Collegiate Institute in Scarborough
- Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School in the northwest area of Toronto
- JL Forster Secondary School in Windsor and
- St. Pius X Catholic Secondary School in Ottawa.

The OPS Learn and Work Program is part of the McGuinty government's $28.5-million Youth Opportunities Strategy, a broad plan to help young people faced with significant challenges achieve individual success and promote stronger and safer communities.

This is just one example of what the government has done to support students and young people in this province. Other initiatives include:

- A $1.3 billion Student Success Strategy that is providing more students with new programs and support to help them customize their education to match their own skills and interests.
- Creating 1,000 skilled trades training spaces
- Bringing back grants for students who need help the most: 60,000 students will get grants this coming year
- Doubling student aid so families can afford higher education
- Introducing an anti-bullying strategy and school safety audits.

"This is a positive, innovative approach to helping these young people stay in school, complete their education and gain real-life work experience," said Phillips. "When I saw how successful the pilot program was, I knew we had to open up this opportunity for more students."

Researchers comprised nearly two-thirds of all personnel involved in research and development (R&D) in 2004, and the overwhelming majority of them were natural science researchers.

Researchers also formed the largest category of R&D personnel in business enterprises, higher education institutions and federal and provincial governments.

Just over 199,000 full-time equivalent personnel were engaged in R&D activities in 2004, up 5.0% from 189,520 in 2003. These included researchers, technicians and other support staff.

This level represented an increase of more than one-third between 1995 and 2004. Much of this growth was the result of a gradual increase in R&D spending by business enterprises after a slump in 2002.

About 63%, or 125,330 of the R&D personnel were researchers, a 5.4% increase from 2003. This gain accounted for two-thirds (68%) of the total increase in R&D personnel.

About 64% of R&D personnel were employed in business enterprises in 2004, compared with 28% in universities, and 7% in the federal government sector.

The higher education sector employed about 54,730 R&D personnel, up 5.5% from 2003. Since 2002, the number of R&D personnel in higher education institutions in Canada has grown slightly faster than in many Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development countries.

Ontario accounted for 45% of all R&D personnel in the country, followed by Quebec, with 31% of the total. British Columbia was a distant third with 10%, and Alberta fourth with 7%. This reflects the pattern of spending on R&D in Canada.

About 64% of R&D personnel in Newfoundland and Labrador were employed in the higher education and private non-profit sectors, as were 51% in Nova Scotia and 50% in New Brunswick. This is related to the dominant role universities in these provinces play in R&D.

On the other hand, the vast majority of R&D personnel in other provinces were employed in the business sector, for example, 70% in Quebec, 67% in Ontario and 62% in British Columbia.

Demand for university education keeps growing

TORONTO - It is another year of extraordinary growth in applications to Ontario universities. As of January 11, 2007 - the deadline for submission of university applications - 79,568 secondary school students have applied for first-year admission to Ontario universities for fall 2007. This is an increase of 3,908 applicants or 5.2% over 2006.

This significant growth comes on top of major increases in applications in recent years, even after the double-cohort had been accommodated. This year's applications represent an increase of 9.0% over 2005 levels and 11.7% over 2004.

The number of applicants exceeded projections, as they had in 2006 and 2005. This aspiration and commitment to university education is good for Ontario - university graduates contribute immensely to Ontario's social and economic development, to the health and well-being of its citizens, and to its competitive position in the global knowledge economy. But the increased demand poses significant challenges for the university sector.

This positive trend in applications can be attributed in no small part to the province's Reaching Higher plan, introduced in 2005 to enhance quality, accountability and accessibility in postsecondary education in Ontario. The Reaching Higher plan improved financial support for students and allocated $2.8 billion over 5 years in new funding to universities.

The province and the universities anticipated that the increased investment would fund quality improvements on campus, including improved student-faculty ratios to enhance the student experience. However, as documented in COU's November paper, Progress Report: University Access, Accountability and Quality in the Reaching Higher Plan, higher-than-anticipated enrolments have constrained the universities' capacity to make quality improvements.

The report showed that these enrolments, which this year are 14,000 higher than planned for in the Reaching Higher projections, have created a funding shortfall of about $100 million in 2006-07, a figure that will grow to at least $300 million annually by 2009-10. Funding these additional students requires new expenditure by the province - funds announced in the Reaching Higher plan for graduate enrolment expansion and quality improvement must not be diverted for this purpose.

Ontario universities want the 2007 applicants to have at least the same prospect of acceptance as previous years' applicants, but need the province's help in funding the unanticipated enrolment growth. The quality improvements sought by government and universities will be undermined without additional funding to meet the demands of additional students. In fact, universities are still waiting for the province to flow funding for the growth experienced in 2006-07.

This year, each Ontario university entered into a multi-year accountability agreement with the Minister of Training, College and Universities. The agreements bind the universities to substantial quality improvements on campus, improvements that will be at risk if the province does not commit new funds to meet the demands of additional students.

"Different universities are in different positions to respond to these enrolment pressures but all universities want to see these new applicants accommodated, without compromising the commitment to quality," said Dr. Ian Clark, President of the Council of Ontario Universities. "We look forward to working with the government on these funding issues to ensure that the province's success in improving access to quality postsecondary education can be sustained."

Over the past decade, the universities and the Government of Ontario have done an extraordinary job of accommodating massive growth in demand for a university education. The current 2006-07 enrolment of 357,300 students represents an increase of over 40% since 2000-01. Detailed institutional figures will be posted on the Ontario Universities' Application Centre web site (www.ouac.on.ca) on January 17, 2007.

The University of Guelph is the first university in Canada to support a new initiative that allows employees to volunteer their knowledge and skills overseas during short assignments in developing countries.

President Alastair Summerlee unveiled details about the Leave for Change program and U of G’s involvement today during a speech at the Empire Club, one of Canada's oldest and largest speakers' forums, whose members include some of Canada's most influential leaders. Summerlee was speaking as both U of G president and chair of World University Service of Canada (WUSC), a network of people and post-secondary institutions whose mission is to foster human development and global understanding through education and training.

U of G is piloting its involvement in Leave for Change, which is being offered through Uniterra, a joint initiative of WUSC and the Centre for International Studies and Co-operation (CECI). The centre mobilizes people and organizations in Canada and the developing world to reduce poverty by achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals.

Leave for Change allows qualified employees from participating organizations to transform their holidays into short international assignments with well-defined tasks and the support of development professionals in the host country. Their employers also make a contribution to WUSC.

Employees selected for the program receive pre-departure training, insurance coverage, vaccinations, airfare, lodging and daily stipends. Canadian volunteers are assigned overseas for two to three weeks.

“We can all take great pride in knowing that Guelph is the first Canadian university to offer support for this exciting new initiative,” Summerlee said, adding that everyone benefits from Leave for Change.

“Canadian organizations act as good corporate citizens locally and internationally. The employees who participate gain new skills and awareness while having an amazing personal and professional experience. Employers and employees support a worthy humanitarian cause and express their social concern at an international level. And partner organizations in developing countries acquire more valuable skills and know-how,” he said.

It is expected that 30 employees will be assisted by their employers to participate in WUSC and CECI’s development projects on short-term volunteer assignments. The program is expected to grow to over 100 placements in coming months.

WATERLOO - Students graduating from the University of Waterloo's electrical and computer engineering program this year will exhibit innovative projects at the seventh annual design project symposium on Wednesday, Jan. 17.

They will present projects covering technological developments in such diverse areas as entertainment, personal computing, communications, information technology, medical systems, power systems, robotics and transportation systems.

The event will be held at the William G. Davis Computer Research Centre on the UW campus, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Visitors are welcome to browse the interactive displays and meet with students during the symposium.

"This is an exceptional opportunity for interested parties to see these exciting projects first-hand and speak with our students," says Bill Bishop, fourth-year design project coordinator and a lecturer in the department.

"The symposium showcases the talent and innovation of our outstanding students in the electrical and computer engineering program."

The more than 260 students participating in the event will present 64 projects in seminar format at the symposium to guests from industry and the academic community. They will also display design project prototypes at a poster presentation session running the entire day.

The design projects include:

* Voice-Controlled Personal Music Device. The project develops a prototype voice-controlled system allowing users to communicate with personal music devices, such as an iPod, without operating a keypad-based control interface. The application receives input commands through the microphone, using a voice recognition engine to decode the verbal data. The prototype provides an alternative method of operation for personal music devices by increasing their usability as well as making them more available for people with physical impairments.

* Wireless Remote Access Pacemaker. Pacemakers are implanted inside the bodies of patients with cardiac conditions to monitor and facilitate heart functions. The project presents the design of a wireless interface for the pacemaker to communicate to a wireless-capable external device, such as a personal digital assistant. The design, when integrated with a network infrastructure, will enable real-time streaming of vital health information from the patient's pacemaker to a monitoring agency.

* Efficient Driveway Snow Melting System. The project offers a convenient alternative to the task of shoveling snow. A network of resistive coils is used to melt snow accumulated during a storm. To conserve excessive energy usually consumed in the winter months, the snow melting system will use a combination of alternating current (AC) and solar energy. It will also automatically activate and deactivate according to environmental conditions.

Bishop says the students have completed an intensive design project course sequence, which challenges them in their final year of study to work in groups to identify and address specific design problems.

WATERLOO - The University of Waterloo will mark a half century at the forefront of Canada's post-secondary sector this year, beginning with a 50s-style celebration for its on-campus community.

The UW community will help launch a full year of 50th anniversary events on Thursday, Jan. 11, by travelling back in time to its founding decade. The mid-day event will include 50s music, entertainment and activities.

"We thought the appropriate way to launch our 50th celebration was by taking our on-campus community -- students, staff, faculty and retirees -- back to our founding years," said event organizer Bonnie Oberle. "It's an opportunity for some of us to experience a bit of an era that we've only seen in pop culture and for others of us to relive the period of time when UW first opened its doors."

The event begins at 11:30 a.m. in UW's physical activities complex. Food and beverages will be available in the small gym. The large gym will feature a series of activity stations, where guests can make black and gold bracelets, sign a commemorative quilt, hula a hoop, have their photos taken with 50s impersonators or buy a raffle ticket.

A live band will perform music from the area on centre stage in the large gym until 11:45 a.m. That's when the UW cheerleaders kick off the official program at centre stage.

Residence students will show off the clothing that dominated the last five decades during the Fast Forward Fashion Show.

UW President David Johnston will then present the 50th-anniversary flag that will hang near the university's main entrance for most of the year.

The program officially ends with the first of four raffle draws that will take place over the year. This one is for 50 gift certificates for the arts. Each is worth $50 and there are 10 for each of the following venues: The Stratford Festival, Centre in the Square, Roy Thomson Hall, Four Seasons Opera House and Air Canada Centre.

"The organizing committee has just done a wonderful job of pulling together a great program to help launch our half-century celebrations," said 50th anniversary co-chair Bob Norman. "Bonnie and her entire team are to be commended for planning an event that so thoroughly captures that period of time."

Guests will receive a 50th-anniversary lapel pin or wristband as they leave. They can also later revisit the event as a vodcast.