Labour and education in the news
Below are recent news stories on labour and education related issues. Click the headline to be taken to the article. Some may require a subscription. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for article text.
October 16, 2026
Drop in international students leads to job, program cuts at Providence University College
CBC
Providence University College is cutting staff and programs after international student enrolment dropped 80 per cent over the last two years.
Academic freedom in danger, scholar cautions
NB Media Coop
There is an increasing disparity between university’s academic freedom statements and its actions. These comments were made during a talk held October 8 titled “Strengthening academic freedom in the corporatized university” by James Turk.
Former student says someone hid a webcam in her Royal Military College dorm. No one was ever charged
CBC
Kelly Stewart was plugging in her phone in her dorm room, planning to let it charge while she was in class at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), when she found a cord she didn't recognize — one she would later trace to a web camera hidden inside the heater in her wall.
Convicted killer attending McGill law school divides students over safety, 2nd chances
CBC
Students in McGill University’s law faculty say they are concerned about the presence of a convicted murderer on campus and at faculty events.
N.S. schools warn parents of possible strike action by support staff
CBC
Nova Scotia's schools are warning parents of a potential strike action by support staff later this month that could have major impacts for some students.
Canada’s Best Large Universities for 2027
Maclean's
With more than 30,000 students, these schools offer a wide range of programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels
Canada’s Best Mid-Size Universities for 2027
Maclean's
These schools serve between 10,000 and 30,000 students and offer a well-rounded university experience
Canada’s Best Small Universities for 2027
Maclean's
At under 10,000 students, these institutions offer a close-knit environment
Academic trade unions worry about growing threats to academic freedom, shrinking public investment, and increasing commercialisation
ETUCE
On 14-15 October, Higher Education and Research Standing Committee of ETUCE was hosted by SNCS-FSU in CNRS Regional Office in Villejuif/Paris, France.
Canadians divided over how government should end labour strikes
Financial Post
Most Canadians believe the federal government should be able to end a labour strike but are divided over how it should be done, as Prime Minister Mark Carney seeks to entrench a controversial power used by the labour minister to intervene in some disputes.
Six degrees of legislation
Globe and Mail
The Building Canada Strong Act, Bill C-39, is what Prime Minister Mark Carney calls the most consequential economic legislation of this Parliament. Ottawa says it will get major projects built faster without lowering standards.
Ready to challenge Canadian labour reform Bill C-39 when time is right: unions
CityNews
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) says it is prepared to “take all measures at its disposal,” including legal action, to challenge federal Bill C-39 if it is passed as is.
'In a perfect world,' federal government would nationalize Stelco, says Hamilton union leader
CBC
Stelco's Hamilton union president says he would support a federal government takeover of the steelmaker, which is implementing layoffs expected to cost hundreds of jobs.
Layoffs Tracker: Kroger, Pfizer, Netflix and Amazon Hit This Week
Newsweek
A new round of layoffs is hitting American workers, with major companies across the retail, technology and pharmaceutical sectors preparing to reduce their workforces.
Gavin Newsom administration moves to block planned California state worker strike
Abridged
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is working to halt a planned one-day strike by state workers, arguing the union didn’t exempt health and safety workers from striking and is therefore endangering Californians.
October 15, 2026
Lakehead University reaches tentative contract deal with faculty
TBNewsWatch.com
A tentative collective agreement appears to have headed off the possibility of a strike or a lockout at Lakehead University.
Number of foreign university students in Atlantic Canada drops to half of 2024 level
Globe and Mail
The number of foreign students studying at universities in Atlantic Canada has dropped by nearly 48 per cent since 2024, a steeper decline than the federal government intended and a reflection of the body blow Canada’s reputation has suffered on the international education market.
‘Pretty shoddy’: Prof says N.B. education plan attributes to him an article that doesn’t seem to exist
CBC
Vincent Geiger wasn’t especially surprised to learn his work had been misattributed in New Brunswick’s 12-year education plan for the anglophone schools sector.
AI In Education Is Forcing Schools To Explain Why Learning Matters
Forbes
As AI agents become ever more capable of doing intellectual work, the awkward question students inevitably face is “Why bother doing anything at all, when I can just have the machine do it for me?” Machines can lift far more than any person, and people still pay to go to the gym to lift weights. They do this because the weights are a means to an end, and what matters about lifting is what happens to the person doing the lifting. Nobody serious about gains asks a friend to do their workouts for them.
Argentine University Community Marches Against Government
TeleSUR
Under the slogan Without funding, there is no science or education, the university community is calling for the immediate implementation of regulations that mandate the adjustment of operating funds, salaries, and scholarships in line with inflation. The protest was organized by the National Interuniversity Council (CIN), the Argentine University Federation (FUA), and the National Universities Trade Union Front.
Ottawa giving province $6M to hire up to 90 family doctors for rural, northern communities
Winnipeg Free Press
As health ministers from across Canada gather in Winnipeg this week to discuss funding, the federal health minister arrived early Wednesday, promising Manitoba $6 million toward the goal of hiring as many as 90 more family doctors over the next three years.
Joly warns Stelco owner of forced divestment if Ontario layoffs go ahead
Globe and Mail
U.S. steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs, owner of Stelco Inc., could face financial penalties or be forced to divest its Canadian operations if it proceeds with hundreds of layoffs in Ontario, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said Wednesday.
Labour stability is an economic imperative. Parliament must strengthen Bill C-39
Globe and Mail
As a trading nation, Canada’s prosperity depends on the reliable movement of goods on our transportation networks. Unfortunately, over the last several years, repeated work stoppages in multiple industries have threatened that prosperity and made uncertainty a defining feature of Canada’s supply chains.
Ottawa announces $430M for skilled trades worker training, recruitment
CBC
The federal government plans to help fund new infrastructure, equipment and recruitment efforts by unions and other organizations to train workers as part of a major funding announcement.
Library union hijacks candidate forum under looming strike deadline
TBNewsWatch.com
Union representatives disrupted a candidate meet-and-greet demanding the library's CEO leave the event and get back to the bargaining table.
Self-employed workers deserve a tax system that recognizes their risks
Rabble
When a self-employed person loses a client, there is no EI support. When they take a week off, no employer pays for their vacation. When they spend a day finding their next contract, they are working, but those hours aren’t billable.
Unions Are the Key to America’s Cost of Living Crisis
Time
Ask an everyday working American, and they’ll likely tell you there’s something fundamentally wrong with our economy. Across industries, big cities, and small towns, working people are struggling. Their paychecks aren’t stretching far enough. They stress over every expense and struggle to cover rent and electric bills, let alone take their families to dinner once in a while. Meanwhile, our research shows that top CEOs gave themselves massive raises in 2025 and now make well over 300 times what typical workers are paid.
Teens Have Always Been on the Front Lines of the Labor Movement
Teen Vogue
The first factory strike in U.S. history began on May 26th, 1824. The New England factory system itself was still finding its footing, and its legions of poorly paid young workers were at constant risk of illness, injury, or worse during the long hours they spent wrangling its roaring machinery. When the mill owners of Pawtucket, RI collectively announced that they’d be reducing weavers’ wages and tacking on an extra hour to everyone’s 14-hour workday, the workers revolted. That day, 102 workers walked out of the mills and into the streets. The tactic was so new, so novel, and so revolutionary that those leading the charge hadn’t even settled on a name for it yet. At that point, they called it a “turn-out.” The strikers weren’t the only ones who had suffered at the mill owners’ greedy hands, either, and they were joined by supporters from across the community. It was no mere protest; workers barricaded the mill entrances and marched directly to the bosses’ homes, where they pelted the grand houses with rocks. After an “incendiary device” was thrown into Walcott’s Mill on June 1st, the flames sent the rest of the mill bosses scrambling to negotiate. By June 3rd, a “compromise” had been reached.
Bangladesh Garment Workers Take to Streets Over Wages, Unpaid Salaries: Reports
Deccan Chronicle
Garment workers in Bangladesh have been protesting over higher wages and unpaid salaries, blocking a major highway in capital city Dhaka, according to local media reports.
October 14, 2026
Universities are making different choices about AI. How will they fit with their public missions?
The Conversation
Artificial intelligence has moved quickly from being an emerging technology to one that is rapidly forcing universities to make consequential choices.
Steven Galloway accuses UBC of making up excuses to fire him to protect its reputation
Globe and Mail
Bestselling author Steven Galloway accused the administration of the University of British Columbia of making up excuses to fire him in order to protect the school’s reputation after a former student accused him of sexual assault and harassment.
Columbia navigates ‘chaos’ as Trump ramps up higher education orders before midterms
Columbia Spectator
Columbia notified its international students Thursday of a new Department of Homeland Security proposal that seeks to implement a $70,000 fee for a work authorization program for those looking to work in the United States after graduation. The proposal is the latest in a two-year-long federal push to increase Washington’s control over universities.
Cornell Can Do a Lot More Than Pause Frat Parties
Mother Jones
All parties and other social events held in fraternity houses on the campus of Cornell University will be cancelled for the remainder of the 2026-27 school year as the university’s administration contends with a lawsuit alleging a horrific 2024 gang rape in the Chi Phi fraternity house, which has sparked weeks of protest on and off its Ithaca, New York, campus. Michael Kotlikoff, the institution’s president, announced the frat party ban in an email Tuesday afternoon.
Over A Third Of Students Are Ruling Out Colleges Because Of State Politics
Forbes
One in three school seniors ruled out applying to a prospective college because of the political environment where it was located, according to a new poll by the Art & Science Group, a higher education consulting firm.
France’s students are angry about more than crumbling classrooms and missing teachers
The Guardian
Say what you will about France’s high schools, they still produce world-class slogan writers. Here’s a brief selection spotted during three weeks of blockades and marches over chronic teacher shortages, overcrowded classes and crumbling buildings:
As Stelco rejects demand to halt layoffs, NDP leaders call on Carney to nationalize steelmaker
CBC
Federal NDP Leader Avi Lewis and Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles are calling on the federal government to nationalize Hamilton-based steelmaker Stelco, amid layoffs Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says violate the company's agreement under the Investment Canada Act.
Travel nurses filling gaps in rural hospitals say they haven’t been paid for months
CBC
A group of travel nurses say they haven't been paid in months and that the agency that employs them has gone "radio silent."
Is Doug Ford’s Government Really Working For Workers?
The Maple
Since coming to power in 2018, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has worked to fashion himself as a champion of working people. Despite leading a Progressive Conservative government with a decidedly pro-business agenda, Ford has often adopted populist language and presented himself as a defender of blue-collar jobs, manufacturing investment, and workers struggling with the rising cost of living.
Quebec government lawyers challenge union governance law making dues optional
CityNews
Another union is challenging the union governance law—enacted under the CAQ government—in Superior Court. This time, it is a lawyers’ union.
Montreal-based software firm Lightspeed cuts 250 roles
Globe and Mail
Lightspeed Commerce Inc. LSPD-T says 250 roles will be impacted as the company lays off staff and opts to not fill some vacancies.
Hundreds of doctors would leave if Alberta became an independent country, survey shows
Globe and Mail
Hundreds of physicians would not practise in Alberta if the province leaves Confederation, a survey by the organization that represents doctors in the province indicates.
Netflix reported to cut about 6% of work force
Globe and Mail
Netflix NFLX-Q is cutting about 6 per cent of its work force, or roughly 1,000 jobs, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing an e-mail sent to employees.
As Artificial Intelligence ‘Threatens’ Workers, Union Leaders & Whistleblowers Testify At A Hearing As New York City ‘Moves Towards Regulation & Protections’
WNYLaborToday
New York City is moving from warning about the disruptive potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to building a more concrete strategy for regulating how the technology affects Workers and consumers.
Energy, gas costs push inflation higher. Paychecks are lagging behind
USA Today
For the third straight month, workers' paychecks did not keep pace with rising prices, the Labor Department's final inflation report ahead of the midterm elections revealed.
Public-sector strike by more than 300,000 workers set to go ahead
The Irish Times
The Government is increasingly resigned to Wednesday’s public-sector strike going ahead after an attempt by Jack Chambers to initiate talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) was swiftly rebuffed by union leaders on Monday.
Royal Mail on ‘brink of collapse’ as 400 staff quitting each week, union warns
The Independent
Royal Mail is losing around 400 postal staff members each week following the rollout of a new delivery system, according to the postal workers union.
October 13, 2026
Royal Winnipeg Ballet workers unionize
CBC
Royal Winnipeg Ballet workers, including teachers and administrative staff, have successfully unionized.
Person killed in workplace accident at Fairmont construction site
Winnipeg Free Press
Emergency responders were on scene and Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health is investigating after a worker died following an incident at a Winnipeg construction site Thursday.
Bill C-39 heads to special committee with Conservatives’ backing
iPolitics
Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, is heading to special committee for further study, after a second-reading vote Thursday which included support from the Conservatives. Those who were against included the Bloc, the NDP, and the Green Party.
Bill C-39 clears second reading, putting federal strike rules under review
HR Reporter
Federally regulated employers could face new rules for when Ottawa may end a strike or lockout after Bill C-39, which rewrites the federal jobs minister’s intervention powers, passed second reading in the House of Commons on Oct. 8.
Who Is Seeking Justice For Injured Workers?
The Maple
In 2024, more than 342,000 lost-time claims were made in Canada while roughly 1,046 workers died from workplace accidents or occupational diseases.
Why are so many trades apprentices struggling to complete their programs?
Globe and Mail
Justin Santos, a traffic signal electrician who lives in Kelowna, B.C., got his Red Seal electrician designation this spring. But completing the four-year program stretched him financially.
Stelco says it is proceeding with Ontario layoffs after Ottawa issues ultimatum
Globe and Mail
Stelco Inc. has informed Ottawa it is not in violation of its Investment Canada Act job commitments, and it is proceeding as planned with hundreds of layoffs in Canada.
AutoZone Workers Won a Union. Then the Company Fired Them.
Jacobin
Speaking with members of the newly formed AutoZone Workers Union, you would never guess that one of them had just been fired — and that another would be the next morning. That’s what happened to Nathan DuCongé and then David Valencia after they won their union election. On a Zoom call with Jacobin, though, their joy was contagious. DuCongé and his coworkers were all smiles and banter as they talked about their union campaign, how it feels to win, and the unexpected boost they received from filmmaker Boots Riley.
Manitoba Recognizes Yellowquill University College as First Degree-Granting Institution Owned and Operated by First Nations
Province of Manitoba
The Manitoba government has proclaimed legislation to make Yellowquill University College (YQUC) the first fully recognized First Nations-owned and operated post-secondary institution with degree-granting authority in the province, Advanced Education and Training Minister Renée Cable announced today.
B.C. universities and colleges in limbo as they await release of independent review
Globe and Mail
Carissa Wilson felt blindsided when she learned that the cabinetmaking certificate program she was supposed to start at North Island College this fall had been suspended.
Scientists push for creation of international body to regulate artificial intelligence
Globe and Mail
More than 260 scientists from around the world are calling for the creation of an international body to establish standards for developing safe artificial-intelligence models and for containing AI agents.
A year after historic strike, more teachers are in Alberta classrooms. Has it helped?
CBC
When Alberta students went back to class this fall, provincial politicians made a concerted push to promote the province's latest investments in schools.
Carleton University's Indigenous journalism program welcomes first Inuit students
CBC
Alanna Dean didn't realize journalism was an option until she found Carleton University's Certificate in Journalism in Indigenous Communities.
October 9, 2026
On the eve of pro-Hamas vigils, universities finally seem ready to tackle campus antisemitism
Loonie Politics
The macabre spectacle of planned pro-Hamas vigils at universities across Canada on Wednesday “honouring our martyrs” may wipe away the last vestiges of public trust in our seats of higher learning.
Ex-Western University professor loses his appeal of sexual assault conviction
The London Free Press
A former Western University engineering professor convicted of sexually assaulting a colleague has lost his appeal to the province’s highest court.
Ontario Funding More Than 6,200 More Seats at the University of Guelph to Prepare Students for In-Demand Careers
Government of Ontario
The Ontario government has invested $176 million to fund 6,269 additional seats at the University of Guelph to connect more students to good-paying, in-demand careers. This allocation, which is part of a broader $1.7 billion investment to support a total of 70,000 new seats, supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario and build a more competitive economy by continuing to develop a world-class workforce. The high-demand areas that are receiving additional seats at the University of Guelph include programs in STEM and trades, with seats available for student enrollment as early as the fall 2026 academic year.
The AAUP vs. Academic Freedom
The Review - The Chronicle of Higher Education
In a fair-minded and informative article in the Boston University Law Review, the UC Davis law professor (and Chronicle Review contributor) Brian Soucek addresses the perennial tension in the law and theory of academic freedom between individual rights (the rights of a professor to say what she wants and research as she pleases) and group rights (the rights of an academic guild to decide what counts as good research, to decide whom to hire and tenure, and to make decisions about university policy). He comes at the topic in large part through three relatively recent statements by the American Association of University Professor’s Committee A on Academic Freedom — one on institutional neutrality, one on academic boycotts, and one on DEI criteria in faculty hiring and evaluation.
Trump administration freezes billions, files suits to press universities on antisemitism
KATV ABC 7
Three years after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, the treatment of Jewish students on American college campuses remains under intense scrutiny as the Trump administration uses civil rights investigations, lawsuits and federal funding to pressure universities over allegations of antisemitic harassment.
Vance Announces Investigation Into Harvard, Eight Other Universities Over Alleged Visa Fraud
The Harvard Crimson
Vice President JD Vance announced Thursday that the Trump administration is investigating Harvard and eight other universities for potential J-1 visa fraud, alleging that the institutions are using foreign researchers to undercut the wages of American graduate students and researchers.
Manitoba worker dead after fall from roof
Winnipeg Free Press
The province is investigating after a worker died on the job after falling off a roof last month.
Canada sheds 68,000 jobs, unemployment rate up to 6.5% in September
Winnipeg Free Press
Canada’s economy posted a second consecutive month of job losses in September, pushing up the unemployment rate and offsetting what had been a hot streak for the labour market earlier in the year.
RCMP union raises concerns Liberals' proposed financial crime agency will hurt Mounties
CBC
The head of the union representing thousands of Mounties says he's worried the Liberal plan to create a new financial crime enforcement agency will hurt the already strained RCMP.
Workers at 5 child care centres in Toronto locked out as both sides fail to reach deal
CBC
Workers at five unionized child-care centres in Toronto have been locked out in a move that has sent staff to the picket lines and hundreds of families scrambling.
How to train your robot - Startups are hiring low-paid gig workers to train robots on manual labour
Globe and Mail
Earlier this year, a woman in Nigeria named Omolara was commiserating with a friend about finding a job. At 25, she held a university degree and lived in a region with a growing manufacturing base, but steady work was elusive.
Chicago hotel workers strike ahead of Marathon weekend
Axios Chicago
Chicago hotel workers walked off the job Friday morning at six downtown hotels just days before the Chicago Marathon.
‘Dystopian’: Co-op becomes latest firm to put staff under AI surveillance
The Guardian
The Co-op has become the latest employer to place workers under AI surveillance with an automated listening technology that rates every phone call some of them make to customers.
