Alberta Politics: Demetrios Nicolaides’ red-tape plan for post-secondaries is about dominating free speech on campus, not defending it

Notwithstanding the inevitable rhetoric about defending “free speech” on campus, it’s worth remembering that’s not the reason for Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides’ planned homework assignment for Alberta’s post-secondary institutions.  Burman University in Lacombe, the former Canadian University College, is exempt from the UCP requirement to sign the Chicago Principles

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Alberta Politics: Firing at Athabasca U suggests there are now two classes of public board members in Alberta – those appointed by the UCP and those not

Writing in The Tyee Thursday, Alberta-based investigative journalist Charles Rusnell reported that Athabasca University’s president was fired Wednesday without a vote of the institution’s entire board of governors. Athabasca University Board of Governors Chair Byron Nelson, a former candidate to lead the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta (Photo: Byron Nelson).

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Alberta Politics: Athabasca University President fired after long-running disagreement with UCP over institution’s role in Athabasca Town

After months of scrapping with the United Conservative Party government over the role Athabasca University should play in economic development for the Town of Athabasca, university president Peter Scott has been fired.  Athabasca University’s main building in the Town of Athabasca (Photo: Heather Stocking). In a statement emailed to AU

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Accidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Chinta Sidharthan discusses new research on COVID-19 reinfections, showing that subsequent infections tend to produce similar immediate effects to a first one but with earlier long COVID effects. Ellen Phiddian reports on Brendan Crabb’s observation that current immunity levels – through both vaccines

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Alberta Politics: Minister’s demand substantially unchanged on move of Athabasca University executives, many staff, to town 145 kilometres north of Edmonton

Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides indicated yesterday he hasn’t changed his mind about requiring Athabasca University’s nine top executives to move to the town of Athabasca.  The Town of Athabasca, as seen from the north side of the Athabasca River (Photo: David J. Climenhaga). He told a virtual meeting of

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Alberta Politics: Alberta is calling, again: Top-notch education at the U of A! (Never mind how we’re trying to bring it down a notch or two …)

The Alberta is Calling vanity advertising campaign featuring the voice of the province’s soon-to-be-retired premier continues to tout benefits for would-be newcomers to Alberta that Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party Government has striven to undermine. The Jason’s Calling vanity ad touting the University of Alberta (Image: Government of Alberta). This

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Alberta Politics: Athabasca University president rips UCP for ‘1980s thinking’ that puts institution on ‘path to ruin’

In a video message posted yesterday morning, Athabasca University President Peter Scott ripped the United Conservative Party Government’s plan to force the institution to dramatically increase its presence in its namesake town 145 kilometres north of Edmonton as “1980s thinking” that will put AU on “the path to ruin.” Advanced

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Alberta Politics: Funding threatened by advanced education minister, battle over Athabasca University’s future continues

What’s up with Athabasca University, where Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides has threatened to cut off much of the 52-year-old Alberta institution’s funding if it won’t drop plans to move most of its operations into cyberspace from the rural town that serves as its nominal home base?  Alberta Advanced Education

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Alberta Politics: Advanced Education Minister pushes back at Athabasca University president’s plans – how will they square this circle?

Happy Easter!  Alberta Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides (Photo: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr). On Monday we asked if Athabasca University’s administration had gone rogue and was defying the Kenney Government with plans to let faculty, administration and staff live where they pleased, or if the premier and members of his cabinet were

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Accidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading. – CBC News reports that Saskatchewan’s children’s hospital is among the health care facilities with an internal outbreak, while Laura Sciarpelletti talks to some of the parents begging the provincial government to limit transmission in schools. – Moira Wyton reports on British Columbia’s

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