By Canadian Press

In the news today: Universities pull course info and BC kids head back to school soon

Aug 30, 2023 | 1:18 AM

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…

Universities pull course info from public sites for safety

Several Ontario universities are removing course location, and other information, from their public websites as a safety measure, as faculty representatives look to be more involved in efforts to prevent harassment and hate crimes on campus. 

The move to pull some information from public pages comes after a triple stabbing at a University of Waterloo gender studies class in June, which police described as a hate-motivated attack. 

The school removed class locations and instructor names from its public websites after the stabbing and several other post-secondary institutions have either done the same or are considering the measure. 

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In Toronto, York University and the University of Toronto said they were taking down course room locations from the public domain, while Toronto Metropolitan University said it does not publicly post any class scheduling information.

Here’s what else we’re watching …

B.C. pupils face return to school after wildfires

Alesha Campbell’s five-year-old daughter Maddie used to look forward to “Forest Fridays,” when she and kindergarten classmates would walk through the woods behind Rose Valley Elementary in West Kelowna.

But now most of the forest has been burned by the McDougall Creek wildfire, part of a fire complex that has damaged or destroyed at least 189 properties. It came close to destroying the school, too.

As students across British Columbia gear up for their return to school next week, parents in communities devastated by wildfires are grappling with what that may look like for their kids. Some pupils have been evacuated from their home communities, while 17 B.C. schools were still under evacuation orders or alerts, the Education Ministry said Tuesday.

Three years in, some hold on to virtual learning

When Cheryl Ambrose readies her granddaughter for the first day of second grade, the pair won’t be walking to the bus stop or driving to school together.

Instead, the seven-year-old will mosey over to the front room in their Kitchener, Ont., home and set up for another year in a virtual classroom, as she has since she began junior kindergarten.

While many caregivers welcomed the end ofremote learning with open arms, Ambrose is among those clinging to virtual schooling options. For some, the continued spread of COVID-19 and potential risk of long-COVID are motivating factors. Others found their children learn better outside of a traditional classroom.

It was a combination of the two for Ambrose, though the decision was not without compromise. She had enrolled her granddaughter in French immersion for the first grade, but the Waterloo Region District School Board stopped offering the program for remote learners this year due to a lack of demand.

Indigo CEO plots future of company with new store

When Indigo Books & Music Inc. opens the doors to its forthcoming location in downtown Toronto’s Well building this September, shoppers will immediately realize the space is more than a bookstore.

A blue Citroën truck dating back to the 1950s will sit by the entrance serving pastries, coffee, beer and wine. There will be nooks dedicated to home fragrances, plants and popular Japanese graphic novels known as Manga.

A listening booth will offer up stacks of records to buy and a jukebox to sample jams, and other areas will be abuzz with 1980s pinball and Pac-Man machines for gamers.

The 16,000 square-foot store — the first using the retailer’s new urban concept — will be a play on the company’s long-held strategy of blending books with lifestyle products, but for chief executive Peter Ruis, it will also be a test.

Indigo is entering a new chapter, its first without Heather Reisman, who built the retailer into a dominant Canadian chain and mall stalwart with 171 stores and counting under the Indigo, Chapters, Coles and Indigospirit banners.

Man spends 17 years translating Bible into Mohawk

Harvey Satewas Gabriel still remembers the first time he heard a preacher read Bible passages in the Mohawk language back in the 1950s. He watched the United Church minister open the book and translate the Scripture into Mohawk straight off the page as he read, the words sounding like “honey” to the then-17-year-old from Kanesatake, Que.

Gabriel went home and asked his mother why there was no Mohawk Bible. She said, “That’s a big project, who’s going to translate that?” he recalls.

That conversation would spark a decades-long passion that culminates this fall with the publication of a complete Mohawk-language Bible — most of it translated by Gabriel himself.

The 83-year-old estimates it took him about 17 years, on and off, to complete the translation, including 58 books he translated single-handedly.

10 films sparking interest ahead of TIFF

A bombastic bawdy musical, a feel-good soccer-driven popcorn flick and what may be the last film from a revered Japanese auteur are among the cinematic highlights set for this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

While ongoing Hollywood labour strikes have cast uncertainty over who will show up on the red carpet, the big screen is sure to feature plenty of star-packed ventures and intriguing flicks to choose from.

Here’s a list of 10 titles that have caught the attention of Canadian Press reporters who will be on the circuit Sept. 7 to 17.

“Aggro Dr1ft” — what TIFF describes as a sensory experiment.

“The Boy and the Heron” — a coming-of-age story from Hayao Miyazaki

“Dicks: The Musical” — a bombastic feature for the Midnight Madness segment.

“Dream Scenario” — billed as a “satirical swipe at celebrity and groupthink.

“Dumb Money” — a project stemming from the story of a real-life analyst who turned a $53,000 investment into millions.

“Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe” — an exploration of a Canadian icon.

“Next Goal Wins” — a feel-good comedy from director Taika Waititi, who previously picked up the People’s Choice Award for “Jojo Rabbit.”

“Quiz Lady” — a comedy about two sisters who have to pay off their mother’s gambling debts, starring Sandra Oh and Awkwafina.

“Woman of the Hour” — Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut.

and “Zone of Interest” — a romance set against the backdrop of the Holocaust. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 30, 2023

The Canadian Press