No Strike For Fleming College With Reached Agreement

The Ontario College strike has been called off and Fleming College has resumed classes after the College Employer Council and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) have agreed to enter binding interest arbitration announced Thursday night.

Fleming College last had a strike in late 2017 college strike that lasted from roughly five weeks. Roughly 500,000 Ontario students were affected by the provincial college strike. Photo courtesy of Fleming College.

"We are pleased to announce that the College Employer Council and the OPSEU academic union have agreed to enter binding interest arbitration and the strike that was scheduled to commence on Friday, March 18 is called off,” said Fleming College in a statement. “Classes will run as scheduled. We would like to thank everyone for their patience, understanding and professionalism during these negotiations.”

“We are pleased to advise that after 12 hours at the bargaining table, the parties have agreed to unconditional interest arbitration on both parties’ outstanding issues. Hearing dates mutually convenient to the parties will be scheduled soon,” said Dr. Laurie Rancourt, Chair of the Management bargaining team. “We remain committed to putting students and their education first”.

With the strike called off, Peterborough Transit has returned to regular routes serving Fleming College and the surrounding area.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Fleming College Faculty Strike To Begin on Friday

Fleming College announced they will begin a full strike this Friday unless management agrees to return to bargaining or accept final interest arbitration.

Fleming College last had a strike in late 2017 college strike that lasted from roughly five weeks. Roughly 500,000 Ontario students were affected by the provincial college strike. Photo courtesy of Fleming College.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) represents roughly 16,000 faculty staff at 24 Ontario colleges. They notified the College Employer Council of the deadline, gave an open letter to college presidents and asked them to agree to the union’s proposal.

"Our members are fighting for the best education for students," said JP Hornick, OPSEU bargaining team chair. "We haven't made any unreasonable demands, and everything we have asked for is easily achievable."

Union members rejected a final offer from the council last month.

If a strike occurs, all in-person, hybrid, and online classes at all Fleming College campuses will be suspended. This includes full-time and part-time classes, on-campus continuing education classes, dual credit classes and apprenticeships. Fleming has yet to address student placements.

All Fleming campuses remain open during the possible strike as College staff will be crossing picket lines.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Fleming College Offers Support to Ukraine By Selling Medical Kits

Fleming College is selling medical kit packages throughout Peterborough and the Kawarthas in support of Ukraine beginning this Saturday.

Photo courtesy of Fleming College.

The first event is at all Peterborough Shoppers Drug Mart stores where customers can purchase a medical supply kit for $10 (retail value worth $40) to send to Ukraine. The College has a goal of at least 500 packages to send overseas.

The College has issued a statement regarding the situation in Ukraine:

“So many of us are concerned and unnerved by the events currently unfolding in Ukraine. Canada is home to the second-largest Ukrainian population in the world outside of Ukraine itself and there is no doubt that this would include many of our fellow colleagues, friends, neighbours and students. The struggles faced by the Ukrainian community are certainly difficult to comprehend, as people worry for the safety and well-being of their loved ones back home. We join the international community in denouncing this hostile and illegal invasion of a sovereign country.”

Photo courtesy of Fleming College.

Fleming has given a list of places you can donate to online in case you cannot visit a local Shoppers Drug Mart:

• Canadian Red Cross: Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal

• Canada-Ukraine Foundation: Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal

• UNICEF: Emergency Response to Conflict in Eastern Ukraine

• United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR): Ukraine Emergency

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

YWCA Announces the Hazel Education Bursary Call for Applications Opens on International Women’s Day

YWCA Peterborough Haliburton Education Awards Committee has opened the applications for the 2022 Hazel Education Bursary, on Tuesday, International Women’s Day.

Photo courtesy of YWCA Peterborough Halliburton.

YWCA Hazel Education Bursary is intended to help women who have experienced gender-based violence reach their goals through education or training.

The Hazel Education Bursary was created by friends the friends and family of Hazel, a local woman who had a vision of helping women pursue their dreams and overcome barriers related to their experiences of violence and abuse.

“While battling the bout of cancer, she took us — my brother, sister, and I, from a life of domination and violence. We were faced with nothing, but what we were leaving behind posed such a threat that ‘nothing’ was better than how we had lived,” Hazel’s daughter noted on the YWCA website. “Alongside Mum, many have faced overwhelming battles and carried on. Rebuilding our lives through such hurdles as court, lawyers, house seeking, and remaining safe, she found ways to deal with her own pain on the side and showed us how to live this new life. These experiences she used later to give a chance to friends, colleagues and acquaintances.”

YWCA Peterborough Haliburton Board of Directors, through the Education Awards Committee, and with the generosity of donors in our community, offers bursaries of $1,500 or $2,500 to women who: 

• have experienced barriers related to the impact of violence and abuse; 

• have a dream to strengthen their economic security;

• are a resident of Peterborough or Haliburton County;

• seek to further their formal or informal education, or develop skills.

Women from rural areas will be given special consideration for this award, as per Hazel’s request.

Application must be submitted by email to Yvonne Porter by May 8.

two references (non-family members preferred) must submit a completed 2022 Reference Form by email to Yvonne Porter by May 16.

Application forms can be found here.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

$1.5 Million Funding Boost For University-Led Consortium To Address Ontario’s Ongoing Demand for Registered Nurses

A $1.5 million funding boost from the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development, will support the University-led Ontario Internationally Educated Nurses Course Consortium (OIENCC) in updating its successful competency-bridging program of study for internationally educated nurses to help address the Province’s demand for registered nurses.

Stock photo.

Trent University is a key partner with OIENCC, which aims to support internationally educated nurses (IENs) in their journey to become registered nurses in Ontario. The Consortium consists of partners and expertise from Trent University, the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University, the Health Leadership and Learning Network at York University, and Continuing Education at the University of Windsor.

“The Trent/Fleming School of Nursing participated in the creation of this Consortium in 2014, to address the need for a pathway for internationally educated nurses to utilize the credentials and experience earned in other countries, and support these nurses to become registered in order to practice their professions in Ontario,” said Dr. Kirsten Woodend, associate professor in the Trent/Fleming School of Nursing. “This collaboration and the additional funding will allow us to play a key role in addressing the demand for nurses across the province.”

A statement from the consortium Program Management Working Group explains “COVID-19 has compounded the challenges IENs face in becoming Registered Nurses in Ontario. It has also increased the demand for IENs to work in our healthcare system to meet the diverse needs of our population. This funding for a flexible program is a timely response by the Government as the need to address these challenges becomes more pressing.”

IENs are essential to create a diverse workforce responsive to the expanding healthcare needs of Canada’s multicultural population. The competency-bridging program of study, supported by Careerspace at Trent University, is designed to help IENs meet the College of Nurses of Ontario's nursing education requirement, the College of Nurses of Ontario's evidence of recent practice requirement, and become eligible to write the National Council Licensing Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). The components of the program of study will include: an orientation to the program of study; two English language, communication, and culture of nursing in Canada courses; seven competency-based courses; three simulation lab courses; two clinical placement courses; and a transition to professional practice course that includes employment supports.

“The Ontario Internationally Educated Nurses Course Consortium is thrilled to continue to support IENs through a flexible program that helps them transition to practice in Ontario. IENs provide valuable skills and expertise for Ontarian’s healthcare,” said Ayesha Bhatti, program manager of the OIENCC.

For more information about the competency-bridging program of study visit rncompetencies.ca. Applications will be accepted through the website until April 3, 2022.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Trent University Joins Rare Winter Sampling Of The Great Lakes

Trent University is joining Winter Grab, a first-of-its-kind coordinated winter research effort to collect and analyze ice and water samples from all five of the Great Lakes in order to paint a picture of water quality and life in and under the ice

Dr. Marguerite Xenopoulos, Canada Research Chair of Global Change of Freshwater Ecosystems and professor of Biology at Trent University, looks out over the ice-covered Lake Superior. Photo courtesy of Dr. Marguerite Xenopoulos

As one of 16 research institutions from Canada and the United states—and one of only three Canadian universities—Trent will venture onto the ice to support the largest coordinated winter sampling effort for these globally significant ecosystems.

“Not much winter research is done on lakes because the prevailing thought has been that everything is cold and frozen so there must not be much going on,” said Dr. Marguerite Xenopoulos, Canada Research Chair of Global Change of Freshwater Ecosystems and professor of Biology at Trent University. “However, several recent studies have now shown that life under the ice is abundant and diverse, and large lakes are increasingly vulnerable to climate change. No one is exactly sure what the consequences will be with ice cover losses and increasing air and water temperatures. The need for winter research has never been greater, particularly to help inform management decisions.”

Professor Xenopoulos, one of two Canada Research Chairs involved in the project, will be leading the analyses of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) for ice and water samples from every site of the Winter Grab collaboration. DOC is a major component of the Earth’s carbon cycle and an important player in the functioning of aquatic systems. Prof. Xenopoulos has spent the last 20 years studying this sentinel variable in lakes and rivers across Ontario and the Great Lakes.

“Among its many functions, dissolved organic carbon fuels aquatic food webs and microbes respire it into carbon dioxide,” said Prof. Xenopoulos. “But knowledge of this in winter is virtually unknown.”

Upwards of 30 locations are expected to be sampled by research teams across all five of the lakes during the week of Feb. 14 – the date that has historically marked peak ice cover extent on the Great Lakes. Trent University researchers will sample Lake Ontario’s Bay of Quinte and the southern part of Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay on the Canadian side.

Each research team will collect a large piece of ice and several litres of water for analyses of nutrients, carbon, phytoplankton and algae, and zooplankton. Teams will also submerge sensors to take on-site readings of water temperature, oxygen, chlorophyll and conductivity levels.

“Just looking at the number of sites that are being sampled, the distances being travelled, and analyses being completed, it is evident how significant this collaboration is,” said Dr. Nolan Pearce, a post-doctoral fellow working with Prof. Xenopoulos. “You need these partnerships to build a comprehensive understanding of what is happening across the Great Lakes because of the scale of area, but also because it brings together scientists with their own areas of expertise.”

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Trent University to Hold 46th Annual Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering Virtually

A virtual gathering for the 46th annual Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering for reconciliation through storytelling held by the First Peoples House of Learning (FPHL) and the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies at Trent University from Friday to Sunday.

Photo courtesy of Trent University.

“The Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering is an important annual event that connects students, community members and Elders,” says Dr. Dawn Lavell-Harvard, FPHL director. “This year’s theme focuses on Reconciliation through Restor(y)ing Our Truth, which seeks to honour the voices, histories, and narratives of all our nations through sharing stories and teachings from Elders and knowledge holders.”

Each year, the Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering offers an opportunity for attendees to share in Indigenous knowledge through workshops, presentations, and performances.

This year’s gathering features keynote addresses from National Chief RoseAnne Archibald, Dr. Niigan Sinclair, Sylvia Maracle and Rick Hill, as well as an inspiring line-up of Elders and traditional knowledge keepers sharing their stories throughout the event.

Special for 2022, the three-day conference features an all-new Youth Panel featuring Shina Novalinga, Notorious Cree, Kendra Jessie, Zhaawnong Webb, and Autumn Cooper discussing how Reconciliation through Restor(y)ing Our Truth and social change are possible through education via digital and social media content creation.

Indigenous Insights, the Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering pre-conference will be held virtually on Fri. at 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. in collaboration with the Trent Centre for Aging & Society. T

his year’s event, Aging with Grace, is sponsored by the Provost’s Lecture Series for Reconciliation, featuring keynote speaker Cliff Whetung from Curve Lake First Nation and a panel discussion with Professor Emeritus Shirley Williams, Dr. Dan Longboat, and M.A. candidate Janette Corston to discuss their experiences combined with Cliff’s research.

Admission is free and all are welcome. Advanced registration for Indigenous Insights and the Elders Gathering is required.

Highlights of this year’s virtual events are listed below. Visit the Elders Gathering website to register and view the full schedule of speakers, workshops and presentations.

Pre-conference Indigenous Insights: Aging with Grace
Fri., Feb. 11, 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

• Keynote Address: Cliff Whetung, New York University’s Silver School of Social Work

• Panel featuring: Dan Longboat, Shirley Williams, Janette Corston and Cliff Whetung

Day One: Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering
Fri., Feb. 11, 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

• Elders Opening Prayer: Elder Doug Williams and Elder Shirley Williams

• Chief Welcome Addresses: Hiawatha, Curve Lake and Alderville First Nations

• Open Comments: Metis Nation Ontario, Trent University, City of Peterborough, County of Peterborough, House of Commons and the Provincial Parliament of Ontario

• Keynote Address: National Chief RoseAnne Archibald

• Keynote Presentation: Dr. Niigaan Sinclair

• Simultaneous Panels: Two Spirit and Women in Leadership Panel

• Words of Wisdom: Elders Panel

Day Two: Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering
Sat. Feb. 12, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

• Keynote Address: Sylvia Maracle

• Simultaneous Workshops:

  • Metis Finger Weaving and Inuit Throat Singing & Cultural Reclamation Urban Settings

  • Language & Drumming and Native Women’s Association

• Youth Panel: Notorious Cree, Shina Novalinga, Kendra Jessie, Zhaawnong Webb and Autumn Cooper

• Words of Wisdom: Elders Panel

Day Three: Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering
Sun., Feb. 13, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

• Keynote Address: Rick Hill

• Closing Words, Gratitude and Prayers: Elders, Chanie Wenjack School of Indigenous Studies and FPHL

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Trent University Students Hold Walk Out And Online Petition In Reaction To Return To In-Person Learning

Trent students gathered on the Faryon Bridge Monday morning at 10 a.m. in an act of protest against the University’s decision to return to in-person learning.

Small group of students begin to gather on The Faryon Bridge at Trent University on Monday morning. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

On Dec. 17, Trent University announced that effective Dec. 20, exams would be moved online and the first week of classes would be online. The date of return to in-person was scheduled for Jan. 17, then got pushed to Jan. 31.

Students were informed Jan. 24 that they will be required to return to class on the following Monday (Jan. 31), at which point seminars and lectures will not be recorded or posted online.

“Some professors are offering online, but that’s just out of the kindness of their own heart,” said Ellie Wilson, a second year Trent student participating in Monday’s walk-out.

Wilson raised the issue that any student that comes into contact with COVID-19 and then has to isolate will potentially have no option to ‘attend’ class if an online option is not offered.

“They basically sent an email that said ‘if you have COVID, that kind of sucks because we’re not going to give you the option to learn online, if you are sick and can’t come to class - that sucks.”

Wilson noted that there are other Ontario Universities are offering a hybrid option, and she thinks that would be the best option.

“We’re not saying keep school fully online, because in-person classes work best for a lot of people. We’re just saying that the chance to learn online or in-person would be great,” she said.

The online petition, which had over 3,300 signatures as of Monday morning, raises a multitude of issues that may come with a return to fully in-person learning.

“Many students have expressed concerns over the return to in-person such as the lack of distancing in many classrooms, difficulty finding housing for 3 months, rising cases, long commutes to campus due to going back home and safety concerns among others,” the organizer stated online.

Students that attended Monday’s walk-out, and signed the online petition hope that Trent University will offer a hybris option to students. So those wanting to learn in-person have the option to do so, but those that prefer to learn online can continue to do so.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Fleming College Joins Canada’s National Design Network

Fleming College announced on Friday that they will join CMC Microsystems, Canada’s leading hardware technology facilitator and manager of Canada’s National Design Network (CNDN).

File Photo.

As a member of CNDN, Fleming students, faculty, and researchers gain access to CMC Microsystems’ extensive offering of world-class platforms to design, make, and test their technology ideas.

These resources, as well as access to CMC’s ecosystem of researchers, start-ups and entrepreneurs will help students develop skills they need to thrive in the competitive, advanced technology marketplace.

Fleming College has a proven track record in applied science and research, tackling practical problems and developing innovative solutions to real-world challenges. For example, The Centre for Advancement in Mechatronics and Industrial Internet of Things (CAMIIT), that was established in 2020.

“Joining CNDN and CMC Microsystems provides us with a complete innovation ecosystem. From accessing state of the art design and fabrication services, to partnering with a national community of businesses, organizations, and entrepreneurs, this is an important step for our students, researchers and start-ups at Fleming College,” said Dr. Fereydoon Diba, Lead Research Scientist at CAMIIT.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Phoney Sale of St. Peter's Secondary School Posted on Kijiji Taken Down

A fake listing of the St. Peter’s Catholic Secondary School property for $1.7 million on Kijiji was taken down on Wednesday.

Screenshot.

The Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board (PVNCCDSB) was successful in having the post removed after issuing a complaint. The $1.7 million cost of the property was highly undervalued according to a PVNCCDSB Tweet.

An open house was listed in the description scheduled for next week.

The board urged the public not to call about the sale despite only receiving one call from a local realtor.

The unknown Kijiji account has been suspended as a result of the fake listing.

In case you were wondering, @StPeterCSS is not for sale.

Somebody thought it would be a funny idea to list the school on Kijiji, and for far below market value. We are not entertaining offers, so please stop calling the school. pic.twitter.com/HXEQPKQk6A

— PVNCCDSB (@PVNCCDSB) January 26, 2022

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.