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January 2026
By supporting students, fueling the talent pipeline and driving community economic development through research, innovation and commercialization, universities play a critical role in making Ontario a globally competitive economy that continues to attract investment.
COU Report
July 2023
Ontario’s universities are essential contributors to driving growth, performance, prosperity and competitiveness, playing a crucial role in meeting the pressing issues of the province.
COU Report
February 2024
In response to the recent cap on international students, Ontario’s universities have put forward a proposal asking the federal and provincial governments to work together to take a more focused and targeted approach.
Submission
May 2023
Ontario universities play a crucial role in society by developing the skilled talent the province…
To help students build for their futures and navigate changing economic and social landscapes, universities continue to transform their programming, providing students with job-ready skills across disciplines, including STEM, humanities and the social sciences. This includes ensuring access to a wide range of student supports, such as mental health, career, housing support and much more.
Through talent and innovation, Ontario is well positioned to respond to the changing needs of the labour market while producing the type of innovative solutions that will continue to help strengthen our province’s economy in the years to come.
Whether they are serving as key economic drivers and industry partners, or acting as large employers and local purchasers, Ontario’s universities are working to address local challenges – ranging from talent retention to helping new businesses adapt to new technologies and ways of working.
From creating the life-saving technologies that improve quality of life, to training the physicians, nurses and other health professionals that deliver the highest-quality care to the people of Ontario – universities play a critical role in strengthening the province’s health-care system now and into the future.
In Ontario’s rapidly changing economy, innovation is key. Ontario’s universities play a key role in producing the ground-breaking research that is fueling the innovation pipeline and attracting global investment, helping Ontario become a global leader in fast-growing sectors, such as clean technology, cybersecurity, life sciences and artificial intelligence.
Ontario’s universities remain committed to continuous transformation to meet the ever-changing and evolving needs of students, their communities and the province. They continue to demonstrate their ability to remain nimble, adapting and pivoting programs and services to meet the needs of a changing student body and labour market.