Recent report highlights Northern Ontario success story

NEWS RELEASE

CONTACT NORTH/
CONTACT NORD

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25-year Northern Ontario distance education success story makes significant impact on lives of Northerners

"This report recognizes the contributions of a unique group of men and women who helped make the government’s vision of a distance education and training network connecting Northern Ontario a reality and it offers us some important perspectives and lessons for the future. It was the realization of this vision in Northern Ontario that prompted the government to expand this important service to small and rural communities across Southern Ontario in 2007." - The Honourable John Milloy, MPP Kitchener Centre; Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities

"For the past 25 years, Contact North | Contact Nord has played a critical role in supporting local access to education and training opportunities in small, remote, rural, Aboriginal and Francophone communities across our region and ensuring that Northerners can obtain the skills they need for the jobs of today and tomorrow." - The Honourable Michael Gravelle, MPP Thunder Bay-Superior North; Minister of Natural Resources

THUNDER BAY - Over the course of its 25 year history, Contact North | Contact Nord, a made-in-Northern Ontario success story, has made a significant impact on the lives of residents in small, rural and remote communities according to a new report, Contact North: A Case Study in Public Policy, Lessons from the First 25 Years.

Today, Contact North | Contact Nord serves all of Ontario with 112 online learning centres located in small, rural and remote communities right across the province. It is Ontario’s distance education and training network.

In the April 22, 1986 Speech from the Throne, then Premier David Peterson announced a "major project in Northern Ontario...to expand the use of new technologies in delivering distance education to remote communities…."  

That major project was Contact North | Contact Nord.

Authored by Dr. Ross H. Paul, former President of Laurentian University and a former Board Member of Contact North | Contact Nord, the Case Study examines key questions such as:

• What are Contact North | Contact Nord’s main successes and how were they achieved?
• What have we learned about public policy development and implementation in its wake?
• What are the key lessons that are most relevant today?

"The launch of this report provides an opportunity for Contact North | Contact Nord to share its unique experiences, successes and challenges with those looking to set up successful distance education and training networks across Canada and around the world," noted Paul Taillefer, chair, Board of Directors, Contact North | Contact Nord. "Sharing our experiences and the lessons we’ve learned, both nationally and internationally, is an important part of our mandate."

The Case Study identifies three specific successes:

1. Changing the Face of Education in Northern Ontario

Contact North | Contact Nord, in partnership with the region’s education and training providers, has made a huge difference to individuals in the most remote communities, bringing higher education to them, allaying their fears and apprehensions, and demystifying post-secondary education.

2. Dramatically Increasing Participation in Post-Secondary Education

From just 1,522 registrations in its first year of operation, Contact North | Contact Nord generated and supported over 35,000 registrations in 2011-2012 from across Ontario.

3. Extending Opportunities for Francophones and Aboriginals

Contact North | Contact Nord has made supporting local access to education and training in Francophone and Aboriginal communities a key priority.

Contact North: A Case Study in Public Policy, Lessons from the First 25 Years is available for download from the Contact North | Contact Nord website.

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