Latest news with #NorthernAlbertaInstituteofTechnology
Calgary Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Ford: A sign of the times that AI replaces much of human work
My father did not live long enough to experience a machine taking over his job. Article content When he died 50 years ago, the most advanced equipment in his office was a tape recorder. Article content Article content Perhaps, in a sense, he was lucky not to face the march of machines toward world dominance. Artificial intelligence is mining the brains and hard work of humans to build its own encyclopedia of knowledge, actions and decisions. Article content Article content In doing so, it will eventually take jobs from people. It's too late to stop it, although one can wish the creators of all that knowledge could be compensated for having their brains stolen and mined. Article content Article content Robert Evans Ford had one of those 'essential' jobs — he was a court reporter. He was necessary, yet largely invisible to the public. Nobody notices the court reporter in any courtroom television drama. But without him and the other men — they were all men at the time — the various courts and their proceedings could not function. Article content What he did was simple, but essential: Every word spoken in any court or any official hearing was taken down using a fountain pen in precise shorthand and subsequently transcribed into a Dictaphone and then typed by a phalanx of secretaries. In a sense, the job is still the same, the requirements for precision are no less, but it now seems prophetic that no human need be involved in the process. Article content Article content That the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology is suspending its captioning and court reporting program (among many others) is a sign of the times. Some don't believe it's a sign of progress. A concerned letter writer wrote that the role of a court reporter 'is critical to the integrity of the Canadian judicial system. Article content 'This is the only program of its kind in Canada . . . NAIT's decision to suspend the program threatens our ability to access . . . justice.' Article content That may be slightly over the top, but to be expected. Article content No one wants to see AI taking over Canadian courts. People don't want to see their job degraded. But consider that the 19th century Luddites couldn't stop the continuing advance of the Industrial Revolution — which began with the introduction of the steam engine — even as textile workers destroyed machinery they believed would take over their jobs in woollen mills. Their modern counterparts who oppose new technology are still called by that name.
Hamilton Spectator
27-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
QEC launches scholarship in memory of electrician who died on job
A memorial scholarship in honour of Noah Paniyuk means the late Qulliq Energy Corp. electrician's legacy lives on, says his daughter Julie Ell. Paniyuk, who lived in Rankin Inlet, died last summer while working on generator repairs in Naujaat. Ell and family members were at the legislative assembly in Iqaluit Monday afternoon as John Main, the minister responsible for QEC, announced the creation of a scholarship in Paniyuk's name. 'It feels amazing to know that there's some part of him that will go on, because he was very dedicated to his work,' Ell said in an interview. 'It makes me happy knowing that other people will have the opportunity to get a scholarship for any trade that they want to go into. Because being a student is a lot of work, financially, because you're basically on your own.' When Paniyuk was a trades student at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, his classmates underestimated him, Ell said. However, 'he turned out to be the top of the class and everyone was always asking him for help.' QEC's annual Noah Paniyuk Scholarship Program will award $5,000 to two Nunavut students who are in a trades program or starting one in Canada, Main said. 'There's never been a more crucial time to strengthen Nunavut's workforce as we face growing infrastructure needs, and as national interest in Arctic sovereignty increases alongside new investment in the region,' he said. 'Through this scholarship, Qulliq Energy Corp. reaffirms its commitment to building capacity, honouring legacy, and helping Nunavummiut access meaningful in-demand careers.' Paniyuk was a well-known worker and mentor within QEC, Main said. Last year, Nunavut Employees Union president Jason Rochon said Paniyuk was a member of the Local 07 bargaining team . On Monday, Ell reflected on Paniyuk as a loving father and grandfather. She recalled being a toddler and spending time with him while he was at work. Paniyuk was a 'provider' for his family and others, she said. 'He allowed my mom to be a stay-at-home mom, which I loved cause my mom took care of us all throughout our elementary school days and stuff like that, and my dad always made sure we had food, clothing, and a roof over our head,' she said. 'He was just a hard-working man all around, and he provided country food for elders as well.' After Monday's legislature proceedings, Main told reporters QEC continues to co-operate with the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission on an investigation of the fatal incident. QEC continues to strengthen its safety and provides support to employees who still mourn the loss of a 'valued co-worker,' he said.
CBC
16-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology pausing 18 programs amid financial pressures
Eighteen programs at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology are on the chopping block, amid rising cost pressures and declining international student enrolment. The school will be pausing the programs to undergo a further review. Peter Leclaire, NAIT's vice-president academic, said during a news conference Thursday that the school will help ensure NAIT is offering relevant and sustainable programming. "This decision was not made lightly," Leclaire said. NAIT is already seeing less international student enrolment, and anticipates declines over the next three years, he said. The school recorded around 4,000 international students in recent years, but he expects that number could drop to 1,200. The institution is among many post-secondary schools in Alberta feeling the impact of changes in federal policy, that caps the number of study permit applications that can be accepted. Leclair also cited rising costs and tariffs as other factors in the potential program cuts. "International tuition, it can be as much as three times as much as what a domestic student can pay and can make a big difference — and has helped to sustain some of our programs," he said. The programs that could be affected include: Two programs in the school of health and life sciences: the leadership in healthcare certificate and personal fitness trainer diploma; Eight in the school of media and information technology, including the captioning and court reporting diploma; Two in the school of energy and natural resources, including the alternative energy diploma; Two in the school of construction and building sciences, including the surveying and geospatial engineering technology diploma; Three in the school of manufacturing and automation, including the nanosystems engineering technology diploma; And the school of transportation's pre-employment auto body repair certificate. Students who are midway through a program will be able to complete it, but those who were planning to attend in September will have to either accept an alternate program or take a tuition refund. Leclaire said some 450 people have accepted offers into those programs or have offers pending. The school chose which programs to pause after analyzing application and enrolment rates, labour market outcomes, employment rates, program satisfaction and financial viability, Leclaire said. "We hear repeatedly about the skilled trades and skilled technologies where we're seeing great growth, and we're just trying to align to best serve the economy and Alberta with the resources that we have," he said. Any decision to suspend a program must go to academic council, he added. CBC News obtained an email sent to NAIT staff from Stephen McMillan, the dean of the schools of transportation and manufacturing and automation, in which he says the programs in those departments are being paused "with the intent to suspend." Shauna MacDonald, president of the NAIT Academic Staff Association, said it sounds like the decision to eliminate these programs has already been made. "It was absolutely shocking. This is a huge number of programs. It seems like a real knee-jerk reaction," MacDonald told CBC News. About 100 staff and faculty members in these programs could be affected, she said. MacDonald agreed there are new financial pressures, but she said inadequate funding from the provincial government to post-secondary institutions is the bigger issue. CBC News has contacted the Advanced Education Ministry for comment. Captioning and court reporting diploma has 'no direct alternative' Correspondence received by students said the captioning and court reporting diploma program has "no direct alternative," but NAIT will help applicants find other programs that align with their interests. Students of the program say there is nothing else like it in Western Canada. Daisy Reyes, who graduates from the program next month and helped restart its club, says it's frustrating to see the community they've built disappear. "This really just came out of nowhere, just pulling the rug from underneath people's feet who were really looking into the future with this," Reyes said. She's also worried about what it means for the supply of court reporters in Canada. "I just don't understand where they're headed with this. I feel like there's no foresight into how this affects, not only the court reporting industry, but also the legal industry," she said.
