Canadian Foundation Donates $12 Million to Indigenous Education
According to the Globe and Mail, the Slaight Family Foundation committed money to 15 non-profit organizations over the next five years. Those non-profits engaged with “First Nations, Inuit and Métis,” especially related to cultural activities, education, health, and the prevention of violence against Indigenous women.
The Slaight Family Foundation was formed by former media executive Allan Slaight in 2008. The “gift” is “one of the largest of its kind ever directed at the Indigenous communities in this country.”
Gary Slaight, Allan Slaight’s son, is the president and chief executive of the Slaight Family Foundation. He said, “What better year to be doing this, given all the issues facing our country, and the people in our country, and the new focus from the [federal] government?”
Syrian Women Come to Canada for Education
CBC News in Toronto stated that Syrian women are coming to Canada to continue their education. The continuing conflict in Syria prevented some women from the continuance of their educations. Canada was the answer to the dilemma.
For example, five women who landed at Pearson International Airport on Thursday will begin their new education journey in Canada. They will study English at the International Language Academy of Canada (ILAC).
Communications manager for ILAC, Nelson Tome, said, “These were very promising women in their own fields. They had to stop their studies because of the conflict. We’re giving them the opportunity to continue their education.”
Women “Slipping Down” Canadian University Career Ladders
Times Higher Education reported that “while recruitment of new deans at Canadian universities largely reflects the overall gender balance of its academic sector, a University of Toronto researcher has found that women were far less likely to be reappointed once their five-year office had concluded.”
In an analysis of about 300 announcements of appoint and reappointment from University Affairs between 2011-2016, a PhD student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Eric Lavigne, it was found that 42% of dean appointments were women and 58% were men.
Furthermore, 29% of the reappointments were women and 71% were men. Lavigne is a former associate dean at the University of Toronto, too. Women have a higher attrition or dropout rate than men as well. Women may not “see the point” in continuing middle management roles.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen is an AUSU Councillor. He works with various organizations, and runs In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal, and In-Sight Publishing.