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The Ontario government has announced a $25-million investment in a new School of International Studies at the University of Toronto.  The school will bring together the Munk Centre for International Studies and the independent Canadian International Council, and will strengthen ties between the School of Public Policy and Governance and the Rotman School of Management. The new school will allow 15 new PhD and 40 new Masters students to study global economic trends, and will offer the first collaborative PhD in Global Change in Canada. Ontario News Release

On Monday, the RCMP announced that officers recovered some of the gold art stolen from the University of British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology last month. The recovered pieces, located after a raid at a home in Burnaby, BC, over the weekend, were all intact, relieving concerns of museum staff that the gold would be melted down. The RCMP have released few details, except to say they received information from anonymous tips. A $50,000 reward had been offered. Vancouver Province | Toronto Star | Globe and Mail

McGill University and the Université du Québec en Outaouais announced a new partnership on Monday that will see 6 to 8 medical students spend their third year of training in the Gatineau area within the next 2 years. The partnership is part of an initiative, dubbed the "health campus," to train and retain health care professionals in the Outaouais region in Quebec, where there have been long-term staffing shortages. Starting this fall, UQO will offer more specialized placements for medical students, and more nursing and paramedic seats. Ottawa Sun | Metro

On Thursday, teaching assistants at McGill University, who have been on strike for two months, will vote on a tentative settlement to end their strike. The agreement, put forward by a government-appointed conciliator, recommends pay increases between 2.5% and 3.5% annually in a 4-year contract. The president of the union representing the TAs says the proposal is a "fair compromise," but the major issue to deal with are the legal cases launched by the TAs who were fired from non-union positions. Maclean'sOnCampus | Montreal Gazette

The University of Northern British Columbia recently presented to the Prince George Air Quality Implementation Committee the idea of adding a wood-waste fired heating system on campus. In doing so, UNBC, branded as "Canada's Green University," would be the first university in Canada to use renewable energy. Wood-waste heat involves the conversion of wood residue to a gas, which would be used to produce heat, steam, hot water or electricity. The bioenergy system could be used to showcase the technology, as well as to engage research. Prince George Citizen

Human Resources and Social Development Minister Monte Solberg and BC Advanced Education Minister Murray Coell signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Sunday toward a federal-provincial partnership to simplify student loan programs for BC students. The MOU will see the harmonizing of delivery of both the Canada Student Loans Program and StudentAid BC, whereby BC students have one process to manage both provincial and federal loans. Last month, CMEC announced a federal-provincial/territorial partnership to streamline the student loan process. Government of Canada News Release | BC News Release

On Monday, Alberta's Advanced Education minister announced 2 new scholarship categories -- pre-apprentice and top apprentice -- to the Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board Family of Scholarships. Under the pre-apprentice category, 4 scholarships worth $1000 will be available to registered apprentices who complete a pre-apprenticeship programs preparing them for the workforce. 5 top apprentice scholarships valued at $1500 each will go to apprentices demonstrating outstanding achievement in their training, following an employer recommendation. Alberta News Release

A number of international students studying in the US are complaining about the costs of calling toll hotlines to receive information on US non-immigrant visa applications, according to a recent UCLA study. Brazilians pay a flat rate of $23 US, while in Japan, an e-mail inquiry will cost about $20 US. The study's author says students and scholars would be more willing to accept increased visa fees, but certainly not charges for phoning call centres. Citizenship and Immigration Canada has a toll-free, in-country call centre. Inside Higher Ed

A new website called PostYourTest.com, and an associated Facebook application, encourage students to upload exams from their courses to share with other students. The site's creator says its mission is to promote equality and fairness in accessing old exam keys. Because exams are copyrighted material, the website offers a "ban list," for which instructors who do not want their tests on the site can sign up. Faculty at the University of California at San Diego, where most of the posted exams originate, are raising concerns about copyright, ethics and academic integrity. Inside Higher Ed | PostYourTest

Adapting the user-editor model which made Wikipedia so successful, Encyclopaedia Britannica announced last Tuesday it will revamp its website to allow contributions from readers. The new site will foster an online community where scholars and experts can interact and promote their work and services. Readers and users will be able to join a similar network where they can publish material under their own names. To maintain integrity, all contributions will be subject to Encyclopaedia Britannica's rigorous editorial guidelines. Britannica Blog