By Scott Zielsdorf NAITSA is creating a new space for students to get involved with school activities. Although the website is still in the works, ookslife.ca (Ooks Life) is now officially available for students to explore. Originally all NAIT campus organizations and...
NAIT Lays Off 52 Custodians, Outsources Labour To Save Money
By Stephanie Swensrude Dozens of NAIT employees were laid off recently and replaced by outside contractors in a move to cut costs. A statement from NAIT cites the provincial funding decreases of $19.1 million as the need to make cuts. As custodial services were...
5 Things You Need To Know About The Canada Student Service Grant
By Jerilyn Kotelniski, NAITSA VP External After being announced two months ago, the Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG) is finally here. It is a new program funded by the federal government. Below, read about the 5 key things you need to know about the CSSG. What is...
Fine Diners, Foul Behaviour: Stories From Your Serving Staff
By Stephanie Swensrude As restaurants across Edmonton reopen for dine-in guests, servers and hosts are having mixed feelings about being back at work. Amina* is a host at a classy, up-scale steakhouse. Before COVID, the restaurant had a bustling, yet relaxed...
U-Pass May Be Suspended For Fall Term
By Scott Zielsdorf NAITSA is asking to strike the charge to students for the U-Pass in the Fall 2020 semester. Due to a shift in course delivery as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, students will no longer be eligible for U-Pass in the fall semester. According to the...
Provincial Budget Cuts Cause Instructor Lay-Offs
By Stephanie Swensrude NAIT had projected a seven to nine per cent cut to staffing following Alberta’s 2020 budget. Instead, instructional staff faced cuts of up to 30 per cent. There have been no cuts to management or executive positions. Former NAIT instructor...
Pride Celebrations Moved Online To Comply With Social Distancing Guidelines
By Karlie Mickanuik June is pride month and normally this month is filled with Pride parades and other celebrations to honour the LGBTQ2S+ community. However, with social distancing measures in place due to COVID-19 pride is going to look a little different in...
COVID-19 Restrictions In Long-Term Care Homes: “His dementia is getting worse”
By Mia Hildebrandt Since the threat of COVID-19 has forced long-term care homes to enact restrictions on visitations, Justina Bergmann has noticed a decline in her husband Rudy Pankratz’s mental capacity. “His dementia has really sped up and I’ve heard other people...
Alberta’s COVID-19 Contact Tracing App First Of Its Kind In Canada
By Scott Zielsdorf The provincial government released its contact tracing app “ABTraceTogether” earlier this month, making Alberta the first Canadian province to implement a tracing application for COVID-19 cases. The app is a new method of COVID-19 containment that...
Over $100K Available To NAIT Students
By Eli O'Donnell NAITSA has set up new resources for students who are struggling financially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program, titled the Student Relief Fund, aims to help any students who don't qualify for government funding. “A lot of our students and our...