eCampusOntario, City of Toronto, the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada support new partnership model with Toronto’s higher education institutions

TORONTO – November 9, 2020 – Today, Dr. Robert Luke, CEO of eCampusOntario joined the Governments of Canada and Ontario and the City of Toronto to announce the launch of a new partnership that connects the City’s research needs with Toronto’s Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The pilot project matches researchers from colleges and universities to research needs identified by the City of Toronto as part of the COVID-19 response and recovery effort. Today’s announcement launches the first eight research projects, all of which address COVID-19 recovery efforts.

“I am thrilled to see it coming to fruition,” said Dr. Luke, who chairs the working group that created the partnership model. “At a time when cooperation is essential to mount the most effective pandemic response possible, our group worked together to co-design a streamlined process to support the City of Toronto research priorities, with incredible results. Our role in connecting campuses in this partnership model gives students valuable experiential learning opportunities, for which they can earn micro-credentials.”

eCampusOntario is a provincially-funded organization that leads, supports and coordinates virtual learning for postsecondary education and plays a critical role in connecting campuses and supporting the student experience and faculty innovation in pedagogy and the use of educational technology.

Funded by non-profit research association, Mitacs, the first eight research project topics are:

• The association between socio-demographic characteristics and COVID-19 incidence and severity
• Economic and labour market trends facing the city over the next three to five years
• Supply disruption risk for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) procurement (this project is now completed)
• Low-cost decontamination process for respirators and disposable N95 masks
• Digital access and better understanding of who is underserved and why
• Ambient air quality impacts from COVID-19
• Telework – GHG emission impacts & employee performance
• Innovations in tax filing to assist vulnerable residents in accessing lucrative income tax benefits such as means-tested housing or childcare fee subsidies

Please follow this link to learn more about how this new partnership model works.

“The federal and provincial governments and the City of Toronto have been instrumental in realizing this initiative, and we thank the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Navdeep Bains; Ontario Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano, and Toronto Mayor John Tory for their vision and leadership,” said Dr. Luke. “Together, we are designing effective solutions to meet our current challenges and provide a clearer path to social and economic recovery.”