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UPDATE: RDC scrambling to help students after University of Calgary suspends admission to collaborative degrees

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Red Deer College

From Red Deer College Communications

UPDATE:   While new students are not being accepted by U of C to begin classes at RDC in fall 2020, more than 100 current students who are attending RDC will be able to complete their degree at the College.

University of Calgary suspends admission to its collaborative degrees at Red Deer College

Students in Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science affected

The University of Calgary (U of C) has informed its partners at Red Deer College (RDC) of a decision to cancel admission to its collaborative degree offerings. This decision affects U of C students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts (majoring in Sociology and Psychology) and Bachelor of Science (majoring in Psychology) who attend RDC.

“We are very disappointed with the University of Calgary’s decision,” says Dr. Peter Nunoda, Red Deer College President. “Under these difficult circumstances, we are committed to working with the U of C and with our current students in the affected programs to ensure all students can successfully complete their degrees.”

At this time, the University of Calgary has committed to offering courses at RDC until April 2021.   While new students are not being accepted by U of C to begin classes at RDC in fall 2020, more than 100 current students who are attending RDC will be able to complete their degree at the College.

Red Deer College will continue to accept applications from new students who are able to complete the first two years of a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees and then complete their degrees by transferring to another post-secondary institution.

For the last two decades, collaborative degrees have provided RDC students the opportunity to complete their studies in Red Deer, while receiving their degree from a partner institution, such as the University of Calgary. Students enrolled in other collaborative degrees at RDC are unaffected.

“We know there is a demand for degree programs to be offered in central Alberta. We look forward to creating more opportunities for students as we begin to offer our own degrees as Red Deer University,” says Dr. Nunoda.

Red Deer College is moving swiftly to complete proposals to offer its first bachelor degrees in Arts, Education, Science (majoring in Biological Sciences) and Business Administration. Pending government approvals, students could begin classes in these degrees at Red Deer University as early as September 2021.

After 15 years as a TV reporter with Global and CBC and as news director of RDTV in Red Deer, Duane set out on his own 2008 as a visual storyteller. During this period, he became fascinated with a burgeoning online world and how it could better serve local communities. This fascination led to Todayville, launched in 2016.

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Alberta

So Alberta, what’s next?

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Albertans, not Ottawa, should shape Alberta’s future. The Alberta Next Panel is hitting the road to engage directly with Albertans and chart a path forward for the province.

Albertans are frustrated after 10 years of punitive policies, enacted by the federal government, attacking Alberta’s economy and targeting its core industries.

Chaired by Premier Danielle Smith, the Alberta Next panel will bring together a broad mix of leaders, experts, and community voices to gather input, discuss solutions, and provide feedback to government on how Alberta can better protect its interests, defend its economy, and assert its place in Confederation.

The panel will consult across the province over the summer and early fall to ensure that those living, working, doing business and raising families are the ones to drive Alberta’s future forward. The work will include identifying solutions advanced by Albertans on how to make Alberta stronger and more sovereign within a united Canada that respects and empowers the province to achieve its full potential. It will also include making recommendations to the government on potential referendum questions for Albertans to vote on in 2026.

It will consider and hear from Albertans on the risks and benefits of ideas like a establishing an Alberta Pension Plan, using an Alberta Provincial Police Service rather than the RCMP for community policing, whether Albertans should consider pursuing constitutional changes, which (if any) changes to federal transfer payments and equalization Albertans should demand of the federal government, potential immigration reform that would give the provincial government more oversight into who comes to the province, and changes to how Alberta collects personal income tax. Albertans will also have the opportunity to put forward their own ideas for discussion.

“This isn’t just about talk. It’s about action. The Alberta Next Panel is giving everyday Albertans a direct say in the direction of our province. It’s time to stand up to Ottawa’s overreach and make sure decisions about Alberta’s future are made here, by the people who live and work here.”

Danielle Smith, Premier

“Right now, there is a need to restore fairness and functionality in the country. Years of problematic policy and decisions from Ottawa have hurt Albertan and Canadian prosperity. I am honoured to be asked by Premier Smith to participate in the Alberta Next Panel. This panel is about listening to Albertans on how we build a stronger Alberta within a united Canada, to which I, and the Business Council of Alberta, are firmly committed.”

Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta

Chaired by Premier Danielle Smith, the panel includes 13 additional members, including elected officials, academics, business leaders and community advocates:

  • Honourable Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas of Alberta
  • Brandon Lunty, MLA for Leduc-Beaumont
  • Glenn van Dijken, MLA for Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock
  • Tara Sawyer, MLA-elect for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills
  • Bruce McDonald, former justice, Court of Appeal of Alberta
  • Trevor Tombe, director of fiscal and economic policy, the University of Calgary School of Public Policy
  • Adam Legge, president, Business Council of Alberta
  • Andrew Judson, vice chairman (prairies), Fraser Institute
  • Sumita Anand, vice president, Above and Beyond Care Services
  • Melody Garner-Skiba, business and agricultural advocate
  • Grant Fagerheim, president and CEO, Whitecap Resources Inc.
  • Dr. Akin Osakuade, physician and section chief, Didsbury Hospital
  • Dr. Benny Xu, community health expert
  • Michael Binnion, president, Questerre Energy

Albertans have a choice: let Ottawa continue calling the shots—or come together to chart our own course. What’s next? You decide.

Key facts:

  • Town hall dates and sites, along with other opportunities to participate in this engagement, are available online at Alberta.ca/Next. Exact locations will be posted in the weeks ahead of the event, and Albertans will be asked to RSVP online.
  • The panel’s recommendations will be submitted to government by Dec. 31, 2025.
  • It is anticipated that the panel will add additional members in the coming weeks.

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Alberta

Alberta poll shows strong resistance to pornographic material in school libraries

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From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

A government survey revealed strong public support, particularly among parents, for restricting or banning sexually explicit books.

Albertans are largely opposed to their children viewing pornography in school libraries, according to government polling.

In a June 20 press release, the Government of Alberta announced that their public engagement survey, launched after the discovery of sexually explicit books in school libraries, found that Albertans strongly support removing or limiting such content.

“Parents, educators and Albertans in general want action to ensure children don’t have access to age-inappropriate materials in school libraries,” Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education and Childcare, said.

“We will use this valuable input to guide the creation of a province-wide standard to ensure the policy reflects the priorities and values of Albertans,” he continued.

READ: Support for traditional family values surges in Alberta

The survey, conducted between May 28 to June 6, received nearly 80,000 responses, revealing a widespread interest in the issue.

While 61 percent of respondents said that they had never previously been concerned about children viewing sexually explicit content in libraries, most were opposed to young children viewing it. 34 percent said children should never be able to access sexually explicit content in school libraries, while 23 percent believed it should be restricted to those aged 15 and up.

Similarly, 44 percent of parents of school-aged children were supportive of government regulations to control content in school libraries. Additionally, 62 percent of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that “parents and guardians should play a role in reporting or challenging the availability of materials with sexually explicit content in school libraries.”

READ: Alberta Conservatives seeking to ban sexually graphic books from school libraries

At the time, Nicolaides revealed that it was “extremely concerning” to discover that sexually explicit books were available in school libraries.

The books in question, found at multiple school locations, are Gender Queer, a graphic novel by Maia Kobabe; Flamer, a graphic novel by Mike Curato; Blankets, a graphic novel by Craig Thompson; and Fun Home, a graphic novel by Alison Bechdel.

 

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