Durham College (DC) has launched the DC Summer Accelerator program – a new initiative to help students, local youth and alumni take their innovative ideas or business ventures to market faster while utilizing the professional services from an experienced support team.

In collaboration with Spark Centre, the program offers incubation and acceleration services to support and provide access to services so young entrepreneurs can turn their great ideas into tangible and marketable products.

“We are thrilled to launch the DC Summer Accelerator, the latest addition to our FastStart programming,” said Debbie McKee Demcyzk, director, Office of Research Services and Innovation. “Teaming up with Spark Centre to provide expert advising and mentorship services, we will provide participants with a unique opportunity to kick-start their businesses. We’re confident that this will be a successful and in-demand program supporting young entrepreneurs.”

The DC Summer Accelerator is the perfect opportunity for those with compelling business ventures that have the potential for large market sustainability. Applicants must be committed and willing to receive coaching and work day-to-day with the Spark Centre team.

The program offers:

• Faster market entry with a sharp focus on building the technology, achieving milestones and growing revenues, while a support team provides advisory services, operational support and key connections.
• Reduced start-up costs through access to office space, bookkeeping, administrative support and preferred rates on professional services such as legal, accounting and intellectual property.
• A focused environment where participants are able to avoid common start-up failures by engaging with other entrepreneurs and industry professionals.

There is no cost to participate in the DC Summer Accelerator.  Some participants may opt to work part-time during the evenings or weekends while participating, which is acceptable as long as progress continues on their start-up activities.

Application deadline is Monday, April 20.

On Tuesday, March 31 Durham College (DC) announced it has finalized its stand-alone policy and procedure on sexual assault and sexual violence and they are now publicly available on the college’s website.

“This is an important step to take for Durham College, alongside the other colleges across Ontario,” said Don Lovisa, president, DC. “It’s essential that everyone knows their rights and responsibilities and that the security of our campus continues to be a priority.”

DC’s policy and procedure communicate that all members of the Durham College community have a right to work and study in an environment that is free from any form of sexual violence. 

These documents ensure that the college has a process that:

• Protects the rights of individuals
• Facilitates an environment in which those who experience sexual violence are believed and their rights respected
• Holds individuals who are found to have committed an act of sexual violence, accountable

Presidents at Ontario’s 24 publicly funded colleges voted unanimously in November to create a stand-alone policy and protocol that would be available at all colleges by March 31. A draft version was publicly released in January and there have been consultations throughout the province to finalize the document.

Building on DC’s existing policies and procedures, the stand-alone policy and procedure provide precise definitions of sexual assault and sexual violence, set clear standards for reporting and responding to incidents of sexual violence, and establish clear processes for complaints and investigations.

Individual colleges and Colleges Ontario (the advocacy organization for the province’s 24 colleges) have consulted with students and college staff throughout Ontario. There have also been consultations with legal experts, the Ontario Women’s Directorate, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, government officials and others, including DC’s Director of Campus Safety, Tom Lynch, who sat on the provincial advisory committee.

The colleges’ policies and procedures support the action plan on sexual violence announced by Premier Kathleen Wynne on March 6. Work will continue to ensure the initiatives at each college fulfil the expectations and requirements of the premier’s action plan.

Ontario’s colleges are currently working on next steps, including new education and training at the colleges and the development of new awareness and prevention initiatives.

“We are grateful to our students and staff who have worked diligently to finalize our new policy and procedure,” said Meri Kim Oliver, vice-president, Student Affairs. “It’s essential that we continue working together to raise awareness about sexual violence and the role we can all play in preventing it.”

DC’s policy and procedure can be found on its Sexual Violence and Awareness page, along with a video and infographic to provide additional resources to students, staff and faculty.

Durham College, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) and Trent University have collaborated on a call for submissions from the provincial government’s Major Capacity Expansion Framework to build a new flagship facility dedicated to health and community studies, located in Oshawa’s north end.

The proposed Centre for Integrated Health and Community Studies (CIHCS) and the partnership between the three institutions is detailed in a collaborative new website, investwith3.ca. The bold vision proposes a new facility that will enable the institutions to deliver curriculum and create a campus culture that educates students in the requisite knowledge, and technical and soft skills needed for success in the health-care and community studies field. Offering a unique mix of programs from the three institutions will give people in Durham Region, Northumberland County and beyond access to more health-care professionals and technologies, as well as access to new innovative approaches to health care.

Additionally, the proposed new facility will open up opportunities for exciting new collaborations with industry partners that will position Durham Region and Northumberland County as a leader in health-care delivery, services and innovation. It will strengthen and sustain the partnerships already in place with area health care and community institutions, many of which are recognized across the province for excellence in health-care delivery.

The proposal and partnership by Durham College, UOIT and Trent University builds on a long history of collaboration with decades of experience working together. The natural synergies that exist between the institutions provide a solid foundation for success for the Centre for Integrated Health and Community Studies.