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Alberta proposes changes to improve parental notification of a serious incident at child-care facilities
Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-10-29 19:46:43.0
Tags: [Alberta, Education, Public Safety, Governance]Alberta Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides tabled an omnibus bill proposing legislative amendments to the Early Learning and Child Care Act and the Education Act. The proposed statutory changes mandate that licensed child-care providers must contact families as soon as possible following a critical incident, and grant the Alberta government the authority to notify parents directly if a provider fails or is unable to do so. Additionally, the legislation introduces mandatory safety plans, expands licensing oversight to weigh applicant compliance and financial history, and replaces indefinite child-care certifications with expiring, renewable certifications effective March 1, 2027.
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Alberta to remove DEI hiring practices, strengthens protections against deepfake distribution
Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-10-27 21:06:05.0
Tags: [Alberta, Justice, Public Safety, Education, Governance]Justice Minister Mickey Amery tabled Bill 33, the Justice Statutes Amendment Act, 2026, which prohibits diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring practices and mandatory training across provincial bodies including public agencies, Crown-controlled organizations, public post-secondary institutions, school boards, and municipalities under Section 10.1 of the Alberta Human Rights Act. Additionally, the legislation amends the 2017 Protecting Victims of Non-Consensual Distribution of Intimate Images Act—renamed the Intimate Content Protection Act—to penalize the distribution of artificially generated or modified non-consensual deepfake images with fines up to $10,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both. The bill also reverses provisions from former Bill 14 regarding the Legal Profession Act by altering governance and appeal processes concerning the Law Society of Alberta.
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Statement by Minister Quinn on Pausing OSAP Payments to Private Postsecondary Institutions and Restoring Integrity to the OSAP System
Source: Ontario - Ministry of Colleges and Universities
Date: 2026-10-06 18:59:00.0
Tags: [Ontario, Education, Public Safety, Justice, Governance]The Ontario Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (MCURES) has paused all Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) payments to private postsecondary institutions following preliminary findings from an independent audit by KPMG that identified serious integrity concerns, including links to immigration services firms and unusually high application concentrations. The government issued notices of non-renewal and suspended OSAP eligibility for six campuses in May 2026, referred the matter to the Ontario Provincial Police, and notified the Auditor General. Furthermore, the province intends to introduce legislation to permanently exclude predominantly online programs at private career colleges from OSAP eligibility and is working with financial institutions to arrange low-interest, third-party loans for affected students.
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Expanding Violence Prevention Through Education: More School Staff to Receive Commit to Kids Training
Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
Date: 2026-09-23 18:45:02.0
Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Education, Social Services, Public Safety]The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced $200,000 in joint funding through the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence to expand the Commit to Kids online training program. Administered by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection and supported by the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association, the initiative aims to train an additional 1,000 school staff members—including teachers, administrators, student assistants, and bus drivers across the kindergarten to Grade 12 system—to recognize and respond to signs of child abuse. This expansion builds on previous training delivered since 2024 to 1,140 personnel supporting grades 7 through 12, and complements updates to the provincial health education curriculum focused on trauma-informed learning regarding healthy relationships, consent, and online safety.
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P.E.I. child advocate at odds with PSB over consultation on sexual misconduct policy
Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
Date: 2026-09-11 09:00:00.0
Tags: [Prince Edward Island, Education, Public Safety, Justice, Governance]Prince Edward Island Child and Youth Advocate Marvin Bernstein has launched an official investigation into the Public Schools Branch and the Department of Education and Early Years following the implementation of a new school sexual misconduct policy. The policy, drafted in response to a bill introduced by Green MLA Karla Bernard following the guilty plea of substitute teacher Matthew Craswell, was finalized without incorporating Bernstein's substantive feedback regarding the legal duty to report and investigative clarity. While Public Schools Branch officials maintain that Bernstein declined multiple direct invitations to collaborate on shaping the policy between December 2025 and April 2026, Bernstein contends that the final framework fails to adequately prioritize mandatory reporting to Child Protection Services and the police.
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Minister’s statement on returning to school
Source: British Columbia - Government News
Date: 2026-09-08 14:30:00.0
Tags: [British Columbia, Education, Infrastructure, Public Safety]British Columbia Minister of Education and Child Care Lisa Beare announced the start of the 2026 K-12 school year alongside the launch of the 'B.C.’s Welcoming Schools' landing page and the expansion of kindergarten-to-Grade-3 reading screenings. The provincial government continues to fund the FeedingFutures school food program across nearly 90% of public schools, re-establishes protected access zones prohibiting protests near K-12 schools, and mandates district-level anti-racism action plans under the Provincial Anti-Racism Action Plan. Background data indicates total K-12 teaching staff has increased by over 22% to 49,442 since 2017, education assistants have grown by over 46% to nearly 17,000, and provincial capital investments have approved more than $7 billion for 250 school capital projects creating nearly 50,000 new student seats.
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Access zones in place to protect students, staff this school year
Source: British Columbia - Government News
Date: 2026-09-08 14:00:00.0
Tags: [British Columbia, Education, Public Safety, Justice]The Government of British Columbia has reaffirmed the activation of access zones for K-12 public and independent schools under the Safe Access to Schools Act to protect students and staff from disruptive behaviours and protests. These access zones span a 20-metre radius around school properties and remain active from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, as well as during any extracurricular activities. Since their initial activation on May 31, 2024, the Ministry of Education and Child Care has logged 25 protest disruptions, including five at K-12 public schools throughout the 2025-26 school year. In spring 2026, the provincial government extended the repeal date of the Safe Access to Schools Act from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2028.
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'Top priority for students:' City puts more police on transit as 70,000 students are back in school
Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-09-03 22:37:30.0
Tags: [Municipal, Transit, Public Safety, Education]As approximately 70,000 students return to school, the City of Edmonton and Edmonton Transit Service are implementing enhanced police and peace officer patrols at high-traffic transit hubs from September 1 to 18, 2026. The initiative aims to assist new and young riders, who make up roughly 40 per cent of transit users, following findings from a 2025 Edmonton Transit Service rider research program indicating safety is a primary concern for students. The city has previously doubled its transit police force and added 30 officers in July, alongside deploying eight joint teams pairing social workers with transit police to address root causes of disorder.
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