Sudbury/Thunder Bay (Monday, February 7, 2005) – Contact North/Contact Nord, Northern Ontario’s Distance Education & Training Network, today welcomed the Report and Recommendations of the Postsecondary Review (“Rae Review”) -- Ontario: A Leader in Learning.

Announced as part of the 2004 Ontario Budget, the Honourable Bob Rae was appointed Advisor to the Premier and Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.  With the support of a seven-member Advisory Panel, Mr. Rae was asked to advise on strategies to improve higher education in Ontario by providing recommendations on the design of the publicly funded postsecondary system and funding models. 

“Contact North/Contact Nord welcomes Mr. Rae’s extensive report and thoughtful recommendations about the future of Ontario’s postsecondary system”, said Douglas Smith, Chair, Board of Directors, Contact North/Contact Nord, and President, Smith Boschoff Insurance Ltd. in Thunder Bay.  “We are particularly pleased with Mr. Rae’s recommendation that the Government of Ontario should better recognize the unique challenges of postsecondary institutions that serve northern and rural communities.  Contact North/Contact Nord’s mandate is to provide access to education and training for residents of small and remote communities through the innovative use of technology.”

“In 2003, Contact North/Contact Nord undertook the first comprehensive survey of the education and training needs of residents of Northern Ontario.  The survey helped us to identify a number of ways that Contact North/Contact Nord can further support learners in small and remote communities across Northern Ontario”, noted Maxim Jean-Louis, President & Chief Executive Officer, Contact North/Contact Nord.  “In our submission to the Postsecondary Review, we outlined a number of collaborative initiatives that we would like to undertake in partnership with the Government of Ontario and our Educational Partners to enhance access to and success in higher education in Northern Ontario.”

In its submission to the Postsecondary Review, Contact North/Contact Nord proposed that it could help expand access to higher education by serving up to 25 additional Far North and Aboriginal communities (in addition to the 101 communities currently served), and that it could help improve success in higher education by expanding high-speed Internet access to more of its Distance Education & Training Access Centres. 

Mr. Rae’s recommendation for ongoing funding to provide equitable access to education and training outside of the five major metropolitan communities in Northern Ontario is timely and supports Contact North/Contact Nord’s mandate to collaborative with Aboriginal peoples, Francophones and communities in Northern Ontario. The further recommendation to develop new online curriculum is critical for the North’s postsecondary institutions to meet the ongoing needs of learners.

Contact North/Contact Nord stands ready to work collaboratively with the Government of Ontario, its Educational Partners and the small and remote communities it serves to implement the recommendations contained in Mr. Rae’s report.

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About Contact North/Contact Nord

Contact North/Contact Nord, Northern Ontario’s Distance Education & Training Network, facilitates access to the education and training programs offered by Northern Ontario’s colleges, universities and school boards through audioconference, videoconference, and e-learning. In 2003/04, Contact North/Contact Nord facilitated close to 15,000 course registrations in over 730 full and part-time credit programs and courses offered over its Network. Contact North/Contact Nord services are available in both official languages in 101 small and remote communities in Northern Ontario.

Contact:

Louise Gaudrault
Marketing Coordinator
Tel.: (705) 525-7261
Fax: (705) 560-5548
e-mail: louise@mail.cnorth.edu.on.ca