The weather has been all over the place and Canadians are wondering what’s happening? Is it a good thing or not?

Some spring and summer lovers might think so, but then there’s the avid skiers and snowboarders who are tired of the grassy, wet hills this season. Evan Fraser, associate professor of geography at the University of Guelph, gave his advice and a broader view as to how people are reacting.

“This year, one of the benefits is that municipalities... Read more

TORONTO (CUP) — Accelerated three-year degrees could eventually be seen at the University of Guelph, as a working group is currently in the early stages of studying their feasibility.

The potential three-year bachelor degrees would be equivalent to the current four-year degree, with an added possibility of adding another year to gain a master’s degree in four years. The research group looking into the idea, made up of members of faculty, students and administration, will study into the practicality of... Read more

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s recent trip to China has attracted a lot of national attention, raising numerous questions as to the future connections with this major world power. Talk of a free trade agreement, economic gain and diversified trade have been filling newspapers and generating heated discussion as to whether or not this new partnership is entirely profitable for Canada as a nation.

“I’ll start by saying the Prime Minister’s mission to China last week was a resounding success,” said... Read more

Lawful access legislation still in the works

The Conservative government is in the process of trying to push through the “Lawful access legislation.” The government has been working on this since 2009, and if the bill becomes law it will give the federal government the jurisdiction to access Canadians’ online usage data including: names, addresses and telephone numbers.

Presently this information is only available once a warrant has been issued by the court system. The law would impose monitoring software... Read more

Students nation-wide rose up in solidarity against rising tuition costs and barriers to educational access on Feb. 1 in accordance with the Canadian Federation of Students’ (CFS) National Day of Action.

For many in Ontario, concerns surrounding lack of access to the Liberal tuition grant were the driving motivation behind engagement in protest. “My opinion, certainly as a grad student, I’m a little disappointed because I don’t qualify for it and I’ve been paying the ever-increasing tuition fees every year,... Read more

Toronto lawyer could be son of John Diefenbaker

Toronto based legal consultant John Dryden could be the son of the late Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.

Dryden alleges that his mother had an affair with Diefenbaker some four decades ago. He has been approached by a Utah-based company that specialized in advanced DNA collection approaches after his attempts at securing DNA samples from some of Diefenbaker’s belongings were thwarted. Dryden also claims that he was approached by a medical professional... Read more

Sunday afternoon candidates for the NDP leadership race gathered in Halifax, N.S. for their second official debate of the year.

This all-candidate debate was an opportunity for NDP leadership hopefuls to separate themselves from the pack by outlining where they stand on relevant Canadian issues.

One of the many themes of the debate was the almost unanimous anti-Stephen Harper attacks that most of the candidates missed no opportunity to voice throughout the webcast.

“Stephen Harper’s vision of families is more... Read more

Though the sentiment that ‘the world is full of amazing opportunities if only you’re willing to grab them’ is cliché, it is also very true. The Otehsa project, created by Jocelyn Land-Murphy and Jessica Lax is one of those very opportunities.

That is, if you like cycling around 1,000 km over Canada.

The Otesha Project started ten years ago on Feb.16. The two founders were in Kenya, on a field learning course abroad and noticed some of the stark differences... Read more

MONTREAL (CUP) — After a day-long meeting Jan. 21 in Quebec City, the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec (FEUQ) and the Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec (FECQ) have reaffirmed the intention to strike on March 22 to protest rising university tuition fees.

But first, the individual members groups need to seek approval from their constituents.

“We have the mandate to ask our associations to go on strike, but first they need to ask their members if they want to, and... Read more

By the time you finish reading this paragraph, one child under the age of five will have died due to lack of access to safe water and basic sanitation. According to UNICEF statistics, that child will be one of 5,000 lost today, a number which the organization aims to reduce through efforts to build water pumps and create proper sanitation facilities.

The UNICEF Canada Student Challenge aims to improve water infrastructure worldwide through the fundraising efforts of university and college... Read more

Keystone on hold

The State Department announced Wednesday that the U.S. government has denied an application by TransCanada to build the Keystone XL pipeline.

According to CBC news, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said the government hopes a new TransCanada application will be approved but that Canada is going to look to other markets to sell its oil. “It is clear that the process is not yet over,” Oliver said to CBC. Our focus is, as you know, on diversifying... Read more

A sudden outbreak of norovirus hit approximately 75 delegates at NASH conference in British Columbia

Over 75 student journalists, hosts and speakers from across Canada fell seriously ill this past weekend from a sudden outbreak of norovirus, formerly known as Norwalk, during the Canadian University Press (CUP) national journalism conference held in Victoria, BC at the Harbour Hotel.

On the... Read more

Late last week undergraduate students across Ontario found out they will be getting 30 per cent of their tuition refunded. However, the week didn’t bring good news for everyone in the university community.

As the provincial government proudly unveiled their tuition rebate program which will grant undergraduates $1,600 per year, reports surfaced that the Ontario Liberals had cut $42 million in university research funding.

However, the timing is merely a coincidence. The $42 million in research funding will be diverted... Read more

According to the 2011 Campus Recruitment and Benchmark survey completed by The Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers, students will have an increasingly difficult time securing employment post graduation in 2012. The survey does not project an increase in pay, but rather a decline in terms of job availability.

These predictions are consistent with federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s growth forecast reduction from 2.9 per cent to 2.2 per cent in late October, as quoted in the survey.

In light... Read more

Ontario Liberals announces the 30 per cent tuition grant for dependant post secondary students

Premier Dalton McGuinty hailed his $423-million investment in post secondary education as the smartest move for the Ontario government in the current economic climate as he officially unveiled a new tuition grant program at Wilfrid Laurier University last Thursday morning.

The grant, a campaign promise... Read more

A large majority of students are looking forward to the end of January in order to receive the 30 per cent tuition grant Premier Dalton McGuinty promised during this past provincial election.

Last October, while every political party aimed to include improvements to post-secondary education within their platforms, the liberal party proposed an offer much too good to refuse. They projected a 30 per cent tuition grant, that would give students financial aid towards their tuition, which did not have... Read more

Highway crashes claim seven lives

Seven teenagers were killed in highway crashes this Tuesday. According to CBC news, four were killed in a multi-vehicle crash on Highway 69 north of Parry Sound and two others died when their car crossed the centre line on Highway 17 near Hagar, west of North Bay.

A seventh teen succumbed to her injuries Wednesday afternoon. Several people involved in the crashes are also in hospital with serious injuries. CBC quoted OPP Inspector Mark Andrews... Read more

The growing number of “sugar free,” “no trans-fats” and “reduced salt” products in grocery stores suggest that Canadians are trying to make healthy choices, however, according to Dr. Bruce Lanphear, a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)-funded researcher currently studying the affects the environment has on health, there are some factors that people have little control over and may not even be aware of. Dr. Lanphear has been involved in research for almost 20 years and suggests ways of decreasing... Read more