Board of Governors #483
Northern College March 10 th , 2026, 1:00pm
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Board of Governors #483
Northern College March 10 th , 2026, 1:00pm
Kirkland Lake, Room A102
Attendance:
Board:
Guests:
Blaquiere-Norkum, Dana Faught, Tom
Fortin, Gary
Grenke, Kraymr
Knox, Rob
Bélanger-Corbin, Danielle
Staff:
Dumas, Mitch
Baghdady, Ahmed
Fyfe, Kate
Dicks, Jaret
Gibbons, Fred
Lessard, Dean
Loon, Loretta
Moorlag, Jennifer
Ollila, Eliisa
Sonkin, Evan
Patel, Dixitkumar
Toyne, Mikayla
Sharma, Gauri
Regrets:
Crawford, Connor Fournier, Samantha Kaur Bains, Kanwaljit “Daisy” Naveau, Devin
1. Call to Order
1.1. Remarks from the Chair
Board Chair Kraymr Grenke called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone to the Kirkland Lake campus.
Chair Grenke also introduced Evan Sonkin, the new Senior Vice President, Corporate Services to his first meeting. Jamie Johnston, Dean of Apprenticeship, Trades, Technology and Mining was also introduced as she will be presenting to the Board.
1.2. Acknowledgement of Territory
We begin by acknowledging that we are on the traditional and territorial lands of the Cree, Oji-Cree, Ojibway, and Algonquin homelands. We acknowledge these ancestral lands that we are gathered on, which continue to interconnect us all and remind us that we are all treaty people. First Nation communities located on these lands include: Matachewan, Timiskaming, Temagami, and Metis Peoples Region #3.
2. Declaration of Conflict of Interest
Chair Grenke called for disclosures of actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest. All internal governors and President Mitch Dumas will have a conflict with in-camera item 6.3, Student Governor Gauri Sharma will have a conflict with item 9.4 Approval of Tuition and Ancillary Fee Schedule. There were no additional conflicts of interest disclosed.
3. Approval of Agenda
Chair Grenke asked if there were any additions or modifications to the agenda. President Dumas requested to add Major Program Modification: Mining Engineering Program to the agenda as item 9.9.
Motion:
12-03-26
Moved by: D. Patel Seconded by: R. Knox
THAT the agenda for the Northern College Board of Governors Meeting #483 dated March 10 th , 2026, be adopted as amended.
Carried
4. a) Presentation: Mining Program and DACUM
Jamie Johnston, Dean of Apprenticeship, Trades, Technology and Mining presented about the revitalization of the Mining program and the DACUM (Developing a Curriculum).
In the Fall, Northern hosted a DACUM with industry experts joining for two days to provide feedback on the Mining program. This was part of the redesign of the program and the curriculum. The presentation included a plan to revitalize the Haileybury School of Mines by honoring its more than 100-year legacy while modernizing its approach to mining education. Historically, the school has played a significant role in shaping Canada’s mining industry and supporting Northern Ontario communities. The revitalization effort aims to preserve this legacy while adapting to the evolving needs of a high-tech, sustainable mining sector.
A key focus is major curriculum transformation. The current model, content-heavy, disciplinebased, and loosely connected to real-time industry practices, will be replaced with an industryled, competency-based structure. This redesigned curriculum emphasizes integrated learning clusters while embedding critical themes like safety, environmental responsibility, and digital mining technologies. The new approach also prioritizes hands-on learning and inclusion of Indigenous knowledge systems to better prepare students for modern mining careers.
To support this transformation, the plan calls for significant investment in infrastructure, equipment, and program development.
Board of Governors were supportive of the investment into the Mining program, there were questions regarding the timing of the Mining program relaunch. The program will be relaunched in Fall 2027.
b) Presentation, Future Minerals Forum
Ahmed Baghdady, Executive Director, Global Engagement presented about the Future Minerals Forum that himself and President Dumas attended in Saudi Arabia in January.
The presentation focused on efforts to expand global engagement and international student recruitment through participation in the Future Minerals Forum (FMF) and a new partnership with the Saudi Mining Polytechnic (SMP). Over ten months of relationship-building, initiated at PDAC 2025 and supported by the Canadian Trade Commissioner in Riyadh, led to identifying SMP as a strong partner aligned with Northern’s mining education goals. FMF 2026 served as a key platform for networking, business development, and strengthening Northern’s presence, culminating in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
5. Move to In-Camera Meeting
Motion:
13-03-26
Moved by: D. Patel Seconded by: E. Ollila
THAT the Board of Governors move in-camera at 1:30 pm.
Carried
6. In-Camera Meeting
7. Report from In-Camera Meeting
Motion:
14-03-26
Moved by: D. Patel Seconded by: D. Bélanger-Corbin
THAT the Board of Governors approve President Dumas’ performance evaluation; AND THAT the Board of Governors offer their congratulations to President Dumas for a job well done.
Carried
Motion:
15-03-26
Moved by: R. Knox Seconded by: D. Bélanger-Corbin
THAT the Board of Governors resume the open session at 2:09pm.
AND THAT matters discussed proceed as presented.
Carried
8. Consent Agenda
Chair Grenke asked if any governor wished to comment on or remove any items from the Consent Agenda. There were no items removed from the consent agenda.
Motion:
16-03-26
Moved by: E. Ollila
Seconded by: R. Knox
THAT the Board of Governors approves the remaining Consent Agenda items, including all applicable motions.
Carried
- 8.1. Receive Board Committee Minutes: Board Executive 481E Meeting Notes
- 8.2. Program Advisory Committee Schedule
- 8.2.1. Board Members Assigned to PACs
- 8.3. Program Advisory Appointments
- 8.4. Board Goals
- 8.5. Board Work Plan
- 8.6. Correspondence and Information Report
Motion:
THAT Board Committee minutes be received.
Motion:
THAT all Program Advisory appointments for applications included in the package to be approved.
8.7. Business Plan Q4 Progress Report
9. Discussion Items
9.1. Approval of Minutes of Meeting #482 held January 20 th , 2026
Chair Grenke asked for any changes to the Minutes presented. None received.
Motion:
17-03-26
Moved by: R. Knox Seconded by: K. Fyfe
THAT the minutes of Board Meeting #482 held January 20 th , 2026 be approved as presented.
Carried
9.2. Approval of Budget Expenditures
Senior Vice President Corporate Services, Evan Sonkin informed the Board that $6 million in expenditures is required, this will cover operational expenses for the first six weeks of the fiscal year from April 1 st , 2026 to May 13 th , 2026. The $6 million will be used in a fiscally responsible manner and is aligned with budget expenditures required in previous fiscal years.
Motion:
18-03-26
Moved by: D. Patel Seconded by: R. Knox
THAT the Board of Governors approve continued operating expenditures, in a fiscally responsible manner, from April 1, 2026 to May 13, 2026, not to exceed total expenditures of $6 million.
Carried
9.3. Approval of Insurance Premiums
Senior Vice President Sonkin shared that Northern College remains part of the college system consortium for the past 20 years. The current Broker of Record for the consortium is Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc. The insurance coverage provided includes the following policies: Property, Equipment Breakdown, Commercial General (including Medical Malpractice), Umbrella, Media, Automobile, Garage Automobile, Directors & Officers, Errors & Omission, Educators, Crime, Kidnap and Ransom, Cyber and a three-year Environmental Liability policy.
Premium costs due to Aon Reed Stenhouse for these policies for the period April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, are estimated not to exceed $360,000 plus applicable taxes.
The Board requested additional information on the alignment of Northern College’s coverage compared to other Colleges and previous comparatives.
Motion:
19-03-26
Moved by: F. Gibbons Seconded by: D. Patel
THAT the Board of Governors approve an insurance premium payment to Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc. for a maximum payment of $360,000 + applicable taxes to bind the policies for insurance coverage of Northern College, beginning April 1, 2026.
Carried
9.4. Approval of Tuition and Ancillary Fee Schedule
Executive Director, Student Services, Institutional Research and Registrar, Jennifer Moorlag, presented the recommendation of a 2 percent increase to domestic tuition, following the February 12 th government announcement regarding the lifting of the domestic tuition freeze.
International tuition and ancillary fees were approved on January 20 th in motion 06-01-26, there is a request to increase domestic tuition 2 percent to align with government guidelines and the college sector.
There is a revision to motion 06-01-26 from the January 20 th meeting.
Motion:
06-01-26 (amended)
Moved by: D. Patel Seconded by: F. Gibbons
THAT the Board of Governors approve the proposed 2026-27 2% domestic tuition increases, the 3% international tuition increases, the proposed Compulsory Ancillary Fees and the Program Specific Ancillary Fees as presented.
Carried
9.5. Policy Review Committee Report
Board Chair Grenke provided an update from the Policy Review Committee. The Board Policy Review Committee met on January 7 th to review eight policies, there were minor revisions made. The Board Policies were presented with tracked changes.
Motion:
20-01-26
Moved by: G. Sharma Seconded by: E. Ollila
THAT the Board of Governors approve the following policies, as revised:
A-1 Vision and Mission
A-3 Strategic Plan
A-4 Business Plan and Budget
A-5 Annual Report
B-1 Policy Development
B-2 Governance and Accountability
C-5 Assessing Presidential Performance
D-4 Program Advisory Committees
D-5 Signing Authority
Carried
9.6. Revisions to the Program Advisory Committee Terms of Reference
Senior Vice-President, Academic, Dean Lessard, presented the revised Program Advisory Committee (PAC) Terms of Reference. An overview of changes include:
-
- An amendment to Section 2 ‘Membership’ to provide great flexibility to PACs that struggle to secure the exact number of required numbers. The amended statement will read: ‘Each Program Advisory Committee will endeavo ur to have six (6) external members and four (4) internal members’.
-
- An annual PAC survey will be included in the Annual Compliance Report on Program Advisory Committees.
-
- When a new PAC member replaces an existing PAC member from the same organization, and that the replacement be completed at the discretion of the program Dean without the requirement for Board approval. This will facilitate the maintenance of sufficient PAC membership regardless of regular turnover in partner organizations.
-
- That the East End Family Health Team Patient Advisory Council be removed from academic PAC reporting as it does not fall under the Minister’s Binding Policy Directive for Programs of Instruction.
-
- That Program Assistants not form part of the internal membership of the PAC to which they provide administrative support.
The revised PAC Terms of Reference will be reviewed to ensure that revision number three is included.
Motion:
21-03-26
Moved by: M. Dumas Seconded by: D. Bélanger-Corbin
THAT the Board of Governors approve the suggested changes to the Program Advisory Committee Terms of Reference and procedures as presented.
Carried
9.7. Board Vacancy Nominating Committee
Board Chair Grenke provided an update from the Board Vacancy Nominating Committee. The Board Vacancy Nominating Committee met on February 24 th and reviewed the Board Representation Matrix, there are 5 governors who have their first term expiring on August 31 st , 2026. Board Chair Grenke will be contacting governors with terms expiring and review their intention with a second term.
9.8. Board Participation
Board Chair Grenke expressed concerns with Board Participation. There has been a general trend of a lack of preparedness and participation governors. The President’s Office is able to see when people open documents and review the package. Reviewing Board documents prior to a meeting supports informed decision-making, effective governance, and meaningful meeting participation. It is important that there is a continued focus on Board preparation and participation.
9.9. Major Program and Curriculum Modification -Mining Engineering Technician, Ontario College Diploma
Senior Vice President Lessard informed the Board that there is over a 25 percent change to the Mining Engineering Technician program, this requires Board approval. The proposed modifications include updates to the program of studies and enhancements to the vocational learning outcomes. The other major modification includes a change to the instructional setting with the addition of a mandatory co-operative education placement in spring/summer period after semester two (2) of the program.
Motion:
22-03-26
Moved by: D. Patel Seconded by: R. Knox
THAT the Board of Governors approve the major program and curriculum modifications, including updates to the program of studies, vocational learning outcomes, and the addition of a mandatory co-operative education placement for the Mining Engineering Technician Ontario College Diploma program.
Carried
10. Reports and Information
10.1. Financial Reports
10.1.1. Finance report for the period ended January 31, 2026
Senior Vice-President Sonkin presented the finance report for the period ended January 31, 2026. The Finance Report includes a 10+2 forecast. At the beginning of this fiscal year there was a projected surplus of $875,363.00. Currently there is a projected surplus of $728,494.00
The surplus is reflective of international student recovery, international enrollment, training and reduced operating expenses.
10.1.2. Quarterly Investment Report
Senior Vice President Sonkin reviewed the quarterly investment report as at December 31, 2025, there has been a reduction in return during the past quarter. Over the past 3 months, our investment strategy has seen a reduction in earnings and return since the last reporting period, with our return decreasing to 1.488% vs 5.861% last quarter. Our annualized return of 6.541% surpassed our benchmark indices, which returned 5.877%, and is above our target rate of return by 2.141 percentage points.
10.2. Quarterly Risk Management Report
Senior Vice President Sonkin shared that there have been continuous upgrades to the surveillance system. The security booth at the Timmins Campus can now view all facilities across all four campuses. There was a question from a Governor regarding with many cameras on one surveillance screen if security will be able to see an incident. Senior Vice President Sonkin clarified that there is recording of incidents and seeing more of the campuses at once can be an opportunity for preventative measures.
Additional risk management updates include a draft fleet vehicle safety policy, review of campus safety funds and a review of college insurance policies.
10.3. Report on Enrolment
Executive Director Moorlag presented a report on enrolment. The Winter 2026 enrolment report provides an unaudited snapshot of student numbers across Northern College, showing overall enrolment trends and campus distribution. Total enrolment (domestic and international, full- and part-time) remains strong, with full-time post-secondary enrolment forming a significant portion. The Timmins campus continues to hold the largest share of students, followed by smaller populations at Kirkland Lake, Haileybury, Moosonee, and distance campuses, reflecting a concentration of programming and demand in Timmins.
10.4. Report on KPI Data
Executive Director Moorlag provided an update on KPI Data. Generally, official KPI information is released by the Ministry annually in February. Northern College has not yet received the KPI information for the 2023-24 reporting year. An update will be presented to the Board once KPI information is released from the Ministry.
10.5. Report from Northern College Indigenous Council on Education
An update on the Northern College Indigenous Council on Education will be provided at the May 12 th Board meeting.
10.6. Reports from Advisory Committee Board Representatives
Governor Ollila attended the Vet Sciences Program Advisory Committee meeting, at this meeting there was a large focus on program enrollment, increasing program enrollment and retention of students.
Governor Gibbons attended the Paramedic Program Advisory Committee, at this meeting there was comprehensive discussion on the implications from moving from a diploma to a degree with a specific focus on qualified faculty and higher admissions criteria. There was additional discussion on student placements and the timing of placements.
10.7. Board Member Community Related Updates
11. Next Meeting
- 11.1. Tuesday, May 12 th : 11:30-2:30 (Timmins Campus)
11.2. Future Agenda Items
Chair Grenke invited governors to forward any requests for agenda items to Executive Assistant Mikayla Toyne.
12. Motion to Adjourn
Motion:
23-03-26
Moved by: D. Patel
THAT the March 10 th , 2026, meeting of the Northern College Board of Governors be adjourned at 3:06pm.
Carried
13. Meeting Evaluation
Board members are encouraged to complete the meeting evaluation that will be emailed by Executive Assistant Mikayla Toyne.
Source: https://www.northerncollege.ca/uploads/BoardMeeting483.pdf