Good morning! This is Queen Street Analytics' weekly roundup of regulatory developments, legislative discussions, political announcements and other government-related news concerning colleges, universities, campuses, research initiatives and funding, and the tri-council (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) agencies. Every Monday, we break down the most important updates in this space in under five minutes.

Want to see GR activities in areas of the economy related to the Higher Ed channel? Don’t miss this week’s updates in Social Issues and BioPharma.

Dates: 2025-07-27 to 2025-08-02

📋 In This Week's Newsletter

• 🇨🇦 Canadian Federal GR News
• 🇺🇸 US Federal GR News
• 🗺️ Canadian Provincial GR News
• 📚 What We're Reading This Week

Canadian Federal GR News

NSERC and CSE to Fund $5.6 Million Multi-University Research Project on Unstructured Data Analysis

The Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSE) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) have announced a four-year, $5.6 million research grant to Professor Benjamin Fung at McGill University and his collaborative team from 10 Canadian institutions. The project, titled "ZenithVector: Advanced Vectorization, Embedding, and Cybersecurity Analytics Toolkit for Scalable Intelligence," focuses on exploratory analysis methods for large quantities of unstructured data, including text, code, and images. It is part of the NSERC-CSE Research Communities Grants and targets capability development in scalable intelligence, advancing both cybersecurity and data science infrastructure in Canada’s research ecosystem.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

Canada Partners with United Kingdom on AI Alignment Research

The Government of Canada, through the Canadian AI Safety Institute via the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, is contributing $1 million to the UK AI Security Institute’s Alignment Project. This international initiative, backed by CAN$29 million in funding from both public and private sector sources, is dedicated to research ensuring advanced AI systems act in reliable and predictable ways. The project will allocate up to $1.8 million in grants for cross-disciplinary research, provide extensive compute resources, and draw on venture capital to accelerate commercial alignment solutions. A world-class advisory board, including Canadian AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio, will oversee the effort.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

StatsCan: University Revenues Rose Faster than Expenditures in 2023/24

Statistics Canada reported that in the 2023/24 academic year, total revenues at Canadian universities increased by $3.5 billion, reaching $52.4 billion. Expenditures also rose but at a slower rate, up $2.3 billion to $48.7 billion. This shift follows several years of volatility caused by enrollment changes and fluctuating public funding models.

Sources: Open Government Data Set: www.statcan.gc.ca

CRTC Leadership Addresses Student Connectivity and Telecommunications Regulation

CRTC Chairperson Vicky Eatrides and General Counsel Rachelle Frenette spoke at the CIPPIC Summer Speaker Series, outlining CRTC’s current mandate within Canada’s telecommunications landscape. Eatrides cited ongoing barriers to universal, high-speed internet—including an estimated 750,000 households lacking basic connectivity. The CRTC has allocated over $750 million to the Broadband Fund, aiming to improve both internet and cellphone access in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. Eatrides emphasized the link between connectivity and educational opportunity, referencing students in the North who rely on high-speed internet for online learning. Recent frameworks provide temporary network access to smaller internet and mobile providers, designed to foster competition while keeping incentives for infrastructure investment.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

Polar Knowledge Canada Awards $95,000 to Ten Emerging Northern Researchers

Polar Knowledge Canada has distributed $95,000 through its annual scholarships and awards to 10 students, supporting research in Arctic and Antarctic science, health, engineering, and humanities. Recipients across undergraduate, master's, and PhD levels include both northern residents and students from across Canada. Funded projects span permafrost-groundwater interactions, food security in Inuvialuit regions, Atlantic walrus ecology, and the biogeochemistry of Antarctic lakes. This total includes four main scholarship and award streams, each targeting either northern residents or Arctic research topics.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

Sheridan College Secures Federal Support for Active Transportation Infrastructure

The Government of Canada is providing $600,000 to Sheridan College in Brampton, Ontario, for campus transportation improvements. The project will widen sidewalks, add bicycle paths, install new lighting and benches, and create three enhanced outdoor bike shelters. These upgrades promote safer and more accessible pedestrian and cyclist routes on campus.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

Governments Announce Over $77 Million for High-Speed Internet Expansion in British Columbia

Federal and provincial funding totaling more than $77 million will support 15 projects to bring high-speed internet to more than 6,900 rural and remote households across British Columbia, including over 1,200 Indigenous homes. In addition, the federal government is investing $7 million in three projects to extend service to 727 households in Spallumcheen (Splatsin First Nation) and Hullcar, and to deliver cellular coverage over more than 120 kilometres of road. These latest commitments are part of the broader Connecting Communities BC program.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

Minister Chartrand Announces $600,000 for Cambridge Bay Housing Project and Trades Apprenticeships

The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) will allocate up to $600,000 to Qillaq Innovations to pilot an affordable homeownership model in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. The pilot features four small homes built around a central shared utility building and will employ at least three new apprentices, offering practical training and work for local Inuit interested in the construction trades. The project receives additional financial backing from the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation and Kitikmeot Community Futures Inc.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

Canada at G20: International Education, Skills and Youth Development Initiatives

Employment Minister Patty Hajdu took part in the G20 Labour and Employment Ministerial Meeting in South Africa, where she detailed Canadian initiatives including the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy, student grants and loans expansion, and federal pay transparency measures. Hajdu also announced the 'Green Growth – Empowering Youth for a Green Future' partnership, a $7 million overseas project with SOS Children’s Village Canada in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Somalia, targeting skills development and employability for disadvantaged youth.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

Canada Announces $25 Million to Support TVET in Africa During G20 Development Ministers' Meeting

Secretary of State Randeep Sarai concluded visits to Ethiopia and Tanzania, where he announced a combined $25 million in support for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) across several East African countries. The BLOOM Africa project, in partnership with World Vision Canada, will provide skills training for over 25,000 marginalized youth, while a $5 million project with FINCA Canada is set to reach 41,000 young people in Uganda and Tanzania with skills, financial, and entrepreneurship programs. At the G20, Sarai also participated in bilateral meetings focused on education and economic cooperation.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

US Federal GR News

White House and Brown University Reach Settlement Over Admissions Policies, Federal Funding Restored

President Trump’s administration finalized a settlement with Brown University to resolve allegations of unlawful race-based discrimination in admissions and programming. Under the agreement, Brown reinstates merit-based admissions standards, adopts Executive Order 14168 definitions of “male” and “female” for institutional policy, and will pay $50 million over ten years to state workforce development groups. The settlement also requires the university to end gender reassignment treatments for minors and adopt new measures related to campus climate and anti-Semitism. Federal HHS grants have been reinstated, pending investigations are closed, and monitoring will persist for three years.

Sources: White House Announcements: www.whitehouse.gov

Department of Veterans Affairs Proposes New School Liability Rules for Overpayments

The Department of Veterans Affairs has proposed amendments to regulations governing waiver or recovery of overpayments to educational institutions through GI Bill programs. The proposed rule specifies that schools, rather than veterans, may be held solely liable for benefit overpayments received directly, without the need for a prior finding of willful or negligent conduct. The changes align with the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 (Isakson Roe Act), section 1019. The VA notes that, in recent years, very few schools (under 0.1% of eligible institutions) have been affected by administrative reviews regarding overpayments, and clarifies that new procedures will be effective for all debts established after January 5, 2021.

Sources: U.S. Federal Announcements: www.federalregister.gov

Education Department Seeks Emergency OMB Approval for the 2026-2027 FAFSA Update

The U.S. Department of Education is requesting emergency clearance from the Office of Management and Budget for a revised 2026-2027 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) following the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). The department intends to beta test and launch the updated FAFSA by October 1, 2025. These changes are necessary to ensure compliance with statutory amendments and to preserve student eligibility for Title IV programs and institutional financial aid packaging. The estimated impact is almost 32 million annual responses and more than 20 million burden hours.

Sources: U.S. Federal Announcements: www.federalregister.gov

Labor Department Solicits Comments on Community College Grant Program Evaluation

The U.S. Department of Labor has announced an information collection request related to the Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants Program Round 4 (SCC4) Evaluation. The assessment will examine the effectiveness of comprehensive support services and core program components contributing to participant success and economic mobility, with a particular focus on career pathways for community college students. The proposed collection anticipates approximately 11,000 respondents, with 69,759 expected responses and a cumulative annual burden of 4,220 hours. Public comments are being taken through September 2, 2025.

Sources: U.S. Federal Announcements: www.federalregister.gov

Education Department: Extension of the Strengthening Institutions Program Application Process

The Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) at the Department of Education is seeking an extension of the currently approved information collection for the Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) under Title III, Part A of the Higher Education Act. SIP grants target postsecondary institutions serving large populations of financially disadvantaged students. The agency invites public comment on ways to improve or streamline the data collection process, and estimates 590 responding institutions per year. The extension process follows regulatory requirements and comment submissions are open until August 27, 2025.

Sources: U.S. Federal Announcements: www.federalregister.gov

Canadian Provincial GR News

Alberta Grants $8.4 Million for Research Lab Equipment

Alberta is awarding over $8.4 million through the Research Capacity Program’s Small Equipment Grant to 35 research labs at the University of Calgary and University of Alberta, supporting health innovation, manufacturing, AI, and quantum research.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: www.alberta.ca

Ontario Launches $260 Million Skills Development Fund Round

Ontario began a new $260 million round of the Skills Development Fund Training Stream to finance hiring, training, and upskilling for workers across manufacturing, health care, construction, automotive, and other trades.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: news.ontario.ca

Nova Scotia Opens New Student Housing at NSCC Ivany Campus

A new residence at Nova Scotia Community College's Ivany campus in Dartmouth will provide accommodations for 200 students, as part of the province’s five-year strategy to improve student housing availability.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: news.novascotia.ca

B.C. Celebrates Five Years of Upfront Access Grant

British Columbia marks five years of the B.C. Access Grant, a program providing non-repayable aid of up to $4,000 for eligible full-time postsecondary students and $1,000 for part-time students at any of the province’s 25 public institutions.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: news.gov.bc.ca

Saskatchewan Funds Union-Led Electrician Apprenticeship Training

The Saskatchewan Crown Investments Corporation committed $560,000 for union-led construction electrician apprenticeship training, supporting the province’s future skilled trades workforce.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: www.saskatchewan.ca

What We're Reading This Week

• Brown University strikes agreement with Trump administration to restore lost federal funding: Brown University reached an agreement on discrimination complaints, regaining access to federal funding.
• A look at colleges with federal money targeted by the Trump administration: Overview of U.S. colleges impacted by new federal scrutiny and funding decisions.
• College isn’t in the plans for many rural students despite stepped-up recruiting efforts: Reporting on continuing barriers to higher education for rural American students.
• Ontario launching $260-million round of funding for skills development: Coverage of Ontario's rollout of its renewed skills development funding program.

.