Hello researchers, Humber’s Office of Research & Innovation is seeking researchers and their partners interested in applying for 2024 NSERC-CCSIF Grants (College and Community Social Innovation Fund). Our Info Session recording is now available.

CCSIF is intended to foster social innovation by connecting the talent, facilities, and capabilities of Canada’s colleges and polytechnics with the research needs of local community organizations. CCSIF proposals should facilitate collaborative social innovation research that brings together researchers, students, and partners to address research challenges in social innovation, leading to solutions addressing a Canadian community's needs.

If you have a research project and would like to take it forward with the NSERC-CCSIF 2024 Grant applications, please complete Notice of Intent document and reach out to manivannan.kannan@humber.ca on or before June 21, 2023, with your completed NOI.

NSERC allows a maximum of up to five applications from each college, ORI will convene a review panel to ensure that your research aligns with the CCSIF criteria and will shortlist up to five NOIs.

Looking for more information? 

• View our CCSIF Info Session facilitated on May 11, 2023.* 
• View our CCSIF Slide Deck from the session.
• Visit the NSERC-CCSIF Grants website for eligibility information.

Please feel free to reach out to manivannan.kannan@humber.ca if you have any questions or concerns. We truly appreciate your time and interest.

“There are no mistakes, only research.”

* Watch the full one-hour recording or browse topics:

• 1:48     Introduction to CCSIF
• 5:22    Overview and eligibility requirements
• 6:32    Components of the Application
• 8:45    CCSIF Proposal Overview
• 11:18  CCSIF Proposal Key Areas of Focus
• 24:50  CCSIF Timeline,  Notice of Interest, Deadlines
• 37:37  Roles & Responsibilities
• 40:38  Question and Answers

The deadline to apply to be a 2023 GAP scholarship recipient is June 9, 2023. 

Humber College has a Professional Development Policy provision that awards scholarships to employees seeking to advance their education through discipline-specific post-secondary degrees, Master or Doctoral degrees at an accredited post-secondary institution. 

All full-time academic, support, and admin employees who have completed their probationary period are eligible to apply. Funding under this program is for tuition fees, for a maximum of four (4) years for each individual program up to a maximum of five thousand dollars ($5,000) per fiscal year. 

The application deadline is June 9, 2023. All full-time employees interested in applying can find more details on the application process and forms in the links below: 

• Tuition Reimbursement and Scholarships website
• GAP Call for Applications
• GAP Overview and Steps to Apply

Questions? Please email us at oe@humber.ca.

Welcome to the monthly series of “Did you know? Helpful HR-related information and best practices.” Every month, there is a Communiqué announcement posted that covers tips, best practices, and general HR-related topics.

This month’s topics include important information about employee well-being and learning resources, keeping contact information updated in the HRMS, and onboarding and mandatory training information.

For future topic ideas, we would like to hear from YOU!

If there is any general HR-related information that you think would be helpful for yourself and/or your colleagues, please email your suggestions to oe@humber.ca.

Well-being Resources and Employee & Family Assistance Program (EAFP or EAP)

Did you know employees have access to well-being resources and confidential support? 

Through Humber’s provider, TELUS Health (formerly LifeWorks), employees can access well-being resources on a variety of topic areas such as health and well-being, career and workplace, financial security, and life events. To access these resources, visit the Work Health Life website and search for Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning. 

The Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP, commonly referred to as EAP) provides confidential counselling support for a wide range of challenging life events including:

• Counselling for relationship problems, family issues, addiction, depression, or anxiety 
• Assistance with matters of physical health (nutrition, sleep, allergies, etc.) 
• Financial advice (debt management, financial planning, etc.)
• Legal advice (wills, buying/selling a home, etc.)

Full-time employees can access EFAP by visiting the Work Health Life website, search for Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, and use the contact information on the right side of the page.

Part-time and contract employees who require counselling support are asked to contact their manager or HR Business Partner. 

Employee Learning Resources

Did you know that Humber College provides a variety of learning opportunities to support the continuous development of employees?

Graduate Assistance Program (GAP)

Tuition assistance is available to employees looking to pursue post-secondary degrees, Masters degrees or Doctoral degrees at an accredited post-secondary institution. Funding under this program is for a maximum of four (4) years for each individual program up to a maximum of five thousand dollars ($5,000) per fiscal year. 

Applications are being accepted for the Graduate Assistance Program until June 9, 2023. For further details, please refer to the following: Graduate Assistance Program (GAP) - 2023 Call for Applications. 

Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)

Humber College’s Tuition Assistance Program provides financial assistance for certificate, diploma, degree, doctoral programs and/or professional association courses completed via an accredited post-secondary institution or professional association.

For further information about eligibility and how to apply, visit the Tuition Reimbursement and Scholarships website.

Updating Contact and Emergency Information

Did you know that updating your contact information on the Human Resources Management System (HRMS) ensures that you receive necessary employee communications from Humber College and key family members are reachable in the instance of an emergency? 

Updating your contact information
Keeping contact information updated within HRMS ensures that important information, such as T4 Statements, is received. For step-by-step instructions to update your contact information, please refer to the Add or Update Contact and Address Information HRMS Knowledge Base (KB) article.

Updating emergency contact information
In an emergency, it is important that the College know who to contact and inform in such an instance. For step-by-step instructions to update your emergency contact information, please refer to the Add or Update Family or Emergency Contacts HRMS Knowledge Base (KB) article.

Onboarding New Employees

Did you know that onboarding employees effectively ensures that they have the resources necessary to do their job, and helps to ensure they are paid on time?

Access to resources and timely compensation are key to the employee experience. The checklists below assist new employees and managers in completing required onboarding steps: 

Employee Onboarding Checklists:

• Day 1 Checklist – FT Support and FT Admin 
• Day 1 Checklist – FT Academic 
• Day 1 Checklist – Part-Time and Contract Employees 
• Day 1 Checklist – Partial Load and Clinical Employees

Manager’s Onboarding Checklists: 

• Humber – Checklist for Onboarding New Employees 
• University of Guelph-Humber – Checklist for Onboarding New Employees 

Mandatory Employee Training

Did you know that completing mandatory training helps employees ensure they are aware of the policies, procedures, and expectations of Humber College?

To review the list of mandatory trainings, please refer to the following Training Checklists:

• Training Checklist – Full-Time Support Staff and Administrative Employees 
• Training Checklist – Full-Time Faculty
• Training Checklist – Part-Time and Contract Employees

If you have any questions, please contact the HR Support Centre. Tune in next month for more helpful HR-related information.

From cybersecurity to sustainable culinary arts, learn how Humber Experts have been making news recently. 

Media Relations has worked with several of our Humber Experts in various departments and faculties to help them share their work and expertise with the media.  

We’ve had tremendous success with many of our experts featured on television, radio, and in print and digital publications.  

Here are some examples: 

Humber Cultural Hub – Full feature 

The Etobicoke Guardian came on-site to see the new Humber Cultural Hub under construction. They interviewed Guillermo Acostsa, senior dean of the Faculty of Media and Creative Arts, who spoke about what the Hub will mean for culture in the city and the transformative power of art and education. Scott Valens, director of Capital Development, outlined all the aspects of the new build including sustainability targets, and future classrooms.

Humber Cultural Hub - Sustainability 

SustainableBIZ Canada interviewed Scott Valens, director of Capital Development, to discuss the Humber Cultural Hub. He provided insights on the construction along with the sustainability features of the new building. 

Humber’s Centre for Skilled Trades 

Phillip Stubbs, Director of Academic Programs took the Etobicoke Guardian on a tour of the Humber Centre for skilled trades. They published two articles: One showing photos of students in action welding, grinding metal, and running wires along with a Millwright student using a metal lathe. In the second article, Stubbs spoke about the buildings and programs. 

‘Laugh Attack’ on W5 

CTV W5 visited a stand-up comedy class to delve into the sensitive topic of the "political correctness" of comedy. The segment, starting at 17:23., features insightful interviews with both students and staff about offensive material, jokes about minorities, and the difference between "punching up" versus "punching down." The segment also includes appearances from Martha Chaves and Andrew Clark, professors in the Comedy program. 

Trustworthiness of TikTok 

A study was released showing TikTok was the least trustworthy app for Canadians. Francis Syms, associate dean and Cybersecurity professor, talked about increased regulation, national security and freedom, and the collection of data. He appeared on Global News and Trending Now on CHCH.

Russian Hackers  

Francis Syms spoke live on CP24 to provide his expert insights on the escalating trend of cyber threats in Canada, some of which involve Russian hackers. He broke down different types of attacks and what they mean for companies and the government.  

Tax Scams  

Francis Syms wrote an opinion piece for the Etobicoke Guardian to provide warnings and insights about tax scams during tax season.  

Nordstrom Leaving Canada 

Bruce Sinclair, associate dean of Business Marketing Fashion and Beauty, gave insight on why Nordstrom is leaving Canada. His commentary appeared on the CTV National News website, along with Trending Now on CHCH News.

Luxury Fashion 

Bruce Sinclair appeared on CBC Radio to discuss how fashion reflects the time we live in. He went on to explain the history of understated dressing during times of economic uncertainty, such as recessions. 

Mississauga lifts ban on retail Cannabis stores 

Daniel Bear, professor in the Criminal Justice program, appeared on Trending Now on CHCH to talk about the benefits of having legal retail stores in municipalities, access to cannabis, issues with an illicit market, job creation, and cannabis research. 

Sustainable Culinary

Shona Chalmers, Sustainable Culinary Professor, appeared on CP24 Breakfast Live in studio to share her insights on food waste, storing leftovers, and creative plant-based ideas. Professor Chalmers also took the opportunity to discuss the vital skills and knowledge that she imparts to her students in the classroom. 

Pharmacy industry  

Sandra Gerges, Pharmacy Technician and professor, spoke on Trending Now on CHCH about laws surrounding sending prescriptions across the border, access to information on medication, and drug costs. 

Funeral Director Program  

Jeff Caldwell from the Funeral Services program appeared on CBC Radio Canada to talk about the critical shortage of funeral directors in Ontario and spoke about enrollment at Humber. Additionally, he was prominently featured in the 'career' section of the Toronto Sun  
(see attached PDF), where he elaborated on the program's diverse offerings and highlighted that graduates would possess the skills to open a funeral home in their respective communities upon completion of the program. 

Hospitality Labour shortage 

Kristy Adams, professor in Hospitality and Tourism Management, appeared on CP24 Live to discuss a major labour shortage in the hospitality sector and how Humber helps to bridge the gap.  

Humber College Accessibility Courses  

The Conversation published information on a study conducted by professors Philip Burge and Josephine Massuca. The study found that connecting faculty with a learning specialist and disability councillors was key to supporting greater implementation of universal design.

Please reach out to Media Relations & External Communications Specialist Sylvie Lendvay (sylvie.lendvay@humber.ca) if you have any unique story ideas that would be of interest to the media.