News

Building the Community

November 28, 2011

Red River College recently produced a special report, Building the Community, which outlines the tremendous economic and social impact the college has throughout Manitoba.

“Community is a concept that resonates throughout our academic programs, our institutional activities, and our partnerships with industry and non-profit organizations,” explains Stephanie Forsyth, President of RRC.

The report shares the success stories of our alumni, and highlights important college initiatives like the development of the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute, the growth of our applied research program, and our work with community organizations to enhance child care services in Winnipeg’s North End.

Building the Community was distributed province-wide in the November 26th edition of the Winnipeg Free Press. An expanded version of the report is available at www.rrc.ca/buildingcommunity.

 

New Facilities Open at Notre Dame Campus

November 25, 2011

(From left): RRC President Stephanie Forsyth; Hon. Erin Selby, provincial Minister of Advanced Education & Literacy; RRC student Eric Fritzsche; Hon. Vic Toews, federal Minister of Public Safety.

Red River College (RRC) hosted a special event at its Notre Dame Campus today to highlight new facilities and renovations that have been funded by the federal and provincial governments through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program (KIP).

New energy-efficient greenhouses, a landscape construction shop, and a power engineering centre have all been added to the campus, while the automotive technologies building has undergone significant enhancements.

“Across Manitoba, colleges and universities have benefitted from federal investments in research and training facilities through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program,” said Vic Toews, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and Regional Minister for Manitoba. “At Red River College, these investments have not only improved and modernized the environment in which RRC students learn, they have bolstered Manitoba’s economy and created jobs during a period of economic downturn.”

“These new and enhanced facilities will expand and strengthen education opportunities for both the Power Engineering Program and the Greenspace Management Program allowing more students to qualify for apprenticeships and sophisticated applied research projects,” said Manitoba Minister of Advanced Education and Literacy Erin Selby. “Projects like this demonstrate the steps our province is taking to support economic growth by investing $1.6 billion into infrastructure to stimulate the economy through education and job creation.”

The federal and provincial governments each contributed $2.125 million to upgrades at the Notre Dame Campus. Read More →

RRC Named One Of Manitoba’s Top 25 Employers for 2012

November 21, 2011

Red River College is pleased to announce it has again been named one of Manitoba’s Top 25 Employers. For the second year in a row, the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers have recognized Red River College as a leader in providing an exceptional workplace environment for employees.

“We’re really proud to have achieved this honour for the past two years,” said RRC President Stephanie Forsyth. “Red River College places a high priority on creating a positive work environment and creating a sense of belonging to a college community that cares about the people who work here. Every year we learn more about how to enhance our efforts.”

As it was last year, RRC was again recognized for supporting staff success through its People Plan initiative, and for providing exceptional benefits such as: three weeks of vacation for new employees; maternity top-up payments; a defined benefit pension plan; a flexible health care plan; and an on-site daycare. The College was also recognized for its efforts to improve environmental sustainability, which earlier this year earned a designation as one of Canada’s 50 Greenest Employers for 2011.

“Having a positive work environment offers many benefits,” said Forsyth. “It makes us more competitive in recruiting new talent. It reduces staff turnover, which saves money and ensures the College has a stable base of institutional knowledge. It improves productivity because satisfied employees who feel empowered in their roles are a lot more enthusiastic about their work. And importantly, it creates an environment in which people know they are a significant and vital part of an organization committed to excellence.”

For more information on Manitoba’s Top Employers, see www.canadastop100.com/manitoba.

College Enhances Partnerships with Brazil

November 16, 2011

(Left to right): James Slade, Instructor (ACCESS Model Programs), RRC Aboriginal Education; Renata Freitas, Project Assistant, RRC International Education; Virginia Maria Carvalho Freire, International Relations, Federal Institute of Maranhao (IFMA); Eddy Lau, Project Manager, RRC International Education; Reitor José Ferreira Costa, Dean, IFMA; Stevenson Alloso, Director, RRC International Education.

Red River College officials are meeting this week with partners from federal institutes in Brazil, to discuss a newly-announced government program that will see 100,000 Brazilian students studying overseas.

Earlier this fall, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff announced “Science without Borders,” a new initiative in which 100,000 Brazilian students will be sponsored to study overseas — 75,000 of them by the Brazilian government, 25,000 by the public sector. The program aims to help Brazil cultivate a “scientific and technological elite,” and to assist learners in developing a global vision while building peaceful relationships with other countries.

Red River College is taking part in the project as a means of building on relationships established during the “1,000 Women” project — an earlier initiative that cultivated strong working relationships between Canada and Brazil, and served as the pilot for the Science without Borders program.

Read More →

Safety & Health Week Events Earn National, Provincial Honours

November 14, 2011

Faye Bychuk (second from right), RRC's Safety & Training Coordinator, accepts the national NAOSH Award in Whistler, B.C., in September.

Red River College has been recognized at both the provincial and national level for its activities during North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week 2011.

RRC’s Joint Safety and Health Committee received a national NAOSH award, presented in September 2011 at the Canadian Society of Safety Engineers Conference in Whistler, B.C. In October 2011, the committee scored a provincial award in the “Most Innovative” category.

“Red River College’s active participation in NAOSH Week is a demonstration of leadership, knowledge, training, education and reinforcement of proper safety practices and procedures,” says Daryl Nielsen, RRC’s Manager of Environmental Health & Safety.

Read More →

Rebels Athletes Serve as Mentors to Younger Players

November 9, 2011

Red River College’s Rebels athletes played mentor to junior high school students from across the province over the weekend, at a volleyball tournament and skills camp aimed at further strengthening our teams’ ties to the community.

At the second annual Rebels Boys Classic, held Nov. 5th and 6th at the College’s Notre Dame Campus, teams from 11 junior high schools throughout Manitoba took part in a combined tourney and skills clinic led by athletes on RRC’s Rebels Men’s Volleyball team.

A similar event — the Rebels Girls Classic — was held two weekends prior, drawing players from 14 junior high girls teams throughout the province.

Read More →

RRC Partnership with Magellan Aerospace Takes Flight

November 4, 2011

(From left): Don Boitson, Vice-President and GM of Magellan Aerospace; Murray Edwards, Magellan Aerospace Chairman of the Board; Ken Webb, Vice-President, Academic and Research at RRC; David Leis, Vice-President, Business Development at RRC; Stephanie Forsyth, President of RRC; Hon. Peter Bjornson, Manitoba Minister of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade; Hon. Julian Fantino, Associate Minister of National Defence; and Jim Butyniec, President and CEO of Magellan Aerospace.

Representatives from Red River College took part in the official opening of Magellan Aerospace’s new Advanced Composites Manufacturing Centre last week, marking the College’s ongoing role as one of the Centre’s key educational partners.

The new 138,000-square foot facility, located at 1855 Ellice Ave., is in the final stages of being equipped with state-of-the-art technology required to manufacture complex composite fabrication and assemblies — among them, the horizontal tail components of the F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, which are being built to replace Canada’s fleet of aging CF-18s. Once fully commissioned, the new facility will be one of the most advanced composite manufacturing and assembly centres in North America.

Read More →

RRC Celebrates Diversity at Opening of New Portage Campus

November 3, 2011

Red River College paid tribute to the academic potential of its Portage-area students, while celebrating the diversity of their cultural backgrounds, at the official opening of the College’s new Portage Campus yesterday.

The ceremony marked the campus’s move from Southport (just outside Portage la Prairie) to the old Victoria School site off the city’s main thoroughfare. It also marked the College’s continued commitment to providing increased access to education for rural residents and Aboriginal learners.

“Today is a bit of a historic event for Red River College — we have never opened a campus in the traditional way of the First Nations people,” said RRC President Stephanie Forsyth, herself a member of the Tsimshian First Nation in B.C., before kicking off a ceremony that featured greetings from provincial, civic and First Nations leaders, as well as a traditional pipe ceremony, dancing and drumming.

Read More →

Ambassador Doer Speaks at RRC

November 2, 2011

Canada’s Ambassador to the United States, Gary Doer, visited the Exchange District Campus on November 1st to speak with students in the College’s Creative Communications program.

Doer spoke about differences between the Canadian and U.S. systems of government, and drew on examples from his time as Premier of Manitoba to illustrate how having a well-conceived communications strategy is essential to the success of of any public policy initiative.

“If you don’t get the communications right in the front end, then you’re in the rapids with no way out,” he explained.

Doer also took several questions from students, addressing topics such as the environmental impact of the Alberta oil sands, the global economic situation, cross border shopping and the sovereignty of the Northwest Passage.

This might the first time a sitting Ambassador has ever visited the College, although Creative Communications instructors did have an inside edge in arranging this event: Doer’s daughter Emily is a first-year student in the program, with plans to study journalism.

– Read more about Ambassador Doer’s visit in the Winnipeg Free Press –

RRC Partners On New Demonstration Childcare Centre

October 28, 2011

Elder Ann Callahan (back row), with children attending the newly-opened Makoonsag Intergenerational Children's Centre on Selkirk Avenue.

Red River College has added yet another entry to its growing list of community partnerships aimed at bringing early childhood education training to residents of Winnipeg’s inner city.

Launched last week in partnership with the Urban Circle Training Centre and the University of Manitoba’s Inner-city Campus, the newly-opened Makoonsag Intergenerational Children’s Centre serves as the College’s first demonstration childcare centre, and represents its commitment to providing community residents with increased access to programs promoting child and family supports.

It’s the latest in a series of initiatives involving the College’s Community Services department and such community-based organizations as Urban Circle and Ndinawe. All of the programs are delivered within a two-block stretch of Selkirk Avenue, providing valuable opportunities to residents seeking to further their education while remaining in the neighbourhood.

Read More →

RRC Polytech campuses are located on the lands of Anishinaabe, Ininiwak, Anishininew, Dakota, and Dené, and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis.

We recognize and honour Treaty 3 Territory Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, the source of Winnipeg’s clean drinking water. In addition, we acknowledge Treaty Territories which provide us with access to electricity we use in both our personal and professional lives.

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