Opposition questions how 1-page proposal earned Halifax university $25M from province

When Saint Mary's University pitched the Nova Scotia government on getting $25 million to create health-care data analytics and management programs to transform the province's health-care system, the university started by highlighting its financial woes.

Citing "significantly reduced operating revenue" due to changes in international student permitting and what it described as challenging student demographics, the Halifax university said it was "at a crossroads."

That crossroads is declining enrolment and persistent deficits. Earlier this year, the Saint Mary's University Faculty Union called for the university's president to resign, and accused the university's leadership of mismanagement.

Saint Mary's billed its proposal — which was less than a page long — as something that would align with the province's plan for fixing the health-care system. The courses would be for health-care administrators, office doctors and family doctors "to provide them with the business administration skills they need to execute innovative solutions to challenges."

The university said it would create a health-care analytics diploma that would "bring a new level of data-informed decision-making to Nova Scotia's health-care system to help health workers be responsive and resilient."

Saint Mary's recently started rolling out the programming, with opposition parties questioning the due diligence that was done by the province in the first place.

Unlike its local rival — Dalhousie University — Saint Mary's does not have schools of medicine or nursing, but its proposal highlighted its existing data analytics program and the reputation of the Sobey School of Business.

When the funding was first announced in March 2023, just what the programming would look like was unclear.

"This announcement came very suddenly and so now we have to consult with our faculty who design and deliver these programs," said Madine VanderPlaat, the university's interim vice-president of academic and research. "So we will know that in a few months time in terms of where we're going with that."

Opposition concerns

It is this uncertainty that, in part, bothers Liberal Leader Zach Churchill.

"This is typical to how the Houston government operates," said Churchill. "They throw money around to capture headlines without any real concern for what that money is going to do for people."

NDP Leader Claudia Chender said it's another example of announcements by the province "that are pretty big ticket items with pretty uncertain definitions."

"It's hard to have trust that this government is doing its due diligence, frankly," she said.

Minister defends funding

Advanced Education Minister Brian Wong said he isn't concerned by the lack of detail in the proposal.

"I'm not focused on a proposal," he said. "I'm really focused on what an outcome will be. And I know that they're working on it. And I'm confident that this will be an important program that will help direct health-care initiatives going forward."

In June, the university's first offering was unveiled, a non-credit course called Unleashing Innovation in Healthcare with Design Thinking, which attracted a full class of 25 participants, said university spokesperson Margaret Murphy.

Future offerings are planned for the next two years and include a mixture of non-credit, certificate and degree programs, according to a timeline provided by the university. Course names include Leading the Healthy Healthcare Workplace, Data Literacy in Healthcare and Healthcare Leadership Certificate.

Murphy said the $25 million from the province has been placed in what's called an externally restricted fund, meaning it's separated from the university's general revenues. The money can only be spent for the specific purpose for which it was received, she said.

What the money is being spent on

Murphy said the university has to provide progress reports to the province every six months about the initiative, as well as what the money is being spent on. To date, Murphy said roughly $5 million has been spent.

Documents obtained by CBC News through an access-to-information request show that some of the money has been spent on upgrading technology, including for non-credit student registration systems, the student management system and systems infrastructure.

Asked why these upgrades were needed specifically for the new health-care data analytics programming, Murphy said it was to improve the student experience and make it easier for people to register and pay tuition.

"And it's quite common when you get new investments in this area, while the money is dedicated to one area, there may be a spillover or benefit because no program, no programming is developed at a university in total isolation," she said.

"There's always going to be, with new technology, some benefits for the overall systems of the institution."

Murphy also said that $530,000 of the taxpayer money has been spent on new and additional information technology infrastructure, some of which is being installed in a data analytics lab on campus.

Besides the health-care data analytics programming, the university's pitch to the province included expanding articulation agreements to create more options for NSCC health-care students to get bachelor of science degrees through Saint Mary's.

"This expands their scope of knowledge and leads to significantly easier transitions to more advanced positions or education," said the proposal.

Murphy characterized work on the articulation agreements as ongoing.

University defends project

She said the money from the province is being well spent, citing the hundreds of health-care professionals who will take the programming, many of whom will be Nova Scotians. She also pointed to the launch of a master's degree in health services research program, as well as another masters degree expected to begin in September 2026.

"The proof is in the pudding," she said.

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