TORONTO — Ontario's colleges and universities minister says the Ontario government approved the establishment of two male-only campuses in Saudi Arabia.
Premier Kathleen Wynne said Friday she'd just learned that the Saudi campuses set up by Algonquin and Niagara Colleges did not admit women, a situation she called unacceptable as she asked Reza Moridi to investigate.
Moridi confirms the colleges applied to his ministry to establish the Saudi campuses, and were given the green light by previous ministers in 2008 and 2012.
However, Moridi says the province's responsibility is to approve financial plans for the Saudi expansions and that it's up to the colleges to determine who is admitted.
He says media stories about the male-only Saudi campuses identified a "gap" in the approvals process between the responsibilities of the government and the colleges' boards of directors, and he wants that gap closed.
![](https://media.darpanmagazine.com/library/uploads/news/content/niagara-college@#</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
algonquin college says it lost a bid to establish a women's college in saudi arabia — where shariah law forbids educating men and women in the same class — and questions wynne's criticism of its male-only campus.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
"we are seeking clarification around the premier's comments and will have more to say on this topic when we have that clarification," algonquin's spokesman scott anderson said in an email.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
"since the beginning algonquin has been open and transparent about the college's work in saudi arabia...providing regular updates to our board and to the ontario government."</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
moridi wouldn't say if algonquin and niagara would have to shut their male-only saudi operations if they can't also open women's colleges in the kingdom.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
"we are in the process of talking to the sector and then we will get to that," he said.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
"we are going to have a conversation with the college and university sector to make sure that our internationalization policy will be based on the norms and the culture which we follow."</div>.jpg)
MORE National ARTICLES
Murder Outside Kamloops Sushi Restaurant, Police Seeking Suspect
The owner of a Kamloops sushi restaurant says a fatal stabbing on his doorstep was a "nightmare."
Murder Outside Kamloops Sushi Restaurant, Police Seeking Suspect
Canada's Chris Spring Wins Men's Two-Man Bobsled For First World Cup Gold In Whistler
The Canadian bobsled driver was involved in a serious accident during a race on Jan. 5, 2012, that put him in the hospital with serious injuries and left him questioning his future in the sport.
Canada's Chris Spring Wins Men's Two-Man Bobsled For First World Cup Gold In Whistler
2 People Dead After Workplace Accident At Lumber Yard In New Westminster, B.C.
NWPD spokesman Sergeant Jeff Scott says officers were called to a lumber yard in New Westminster early Saturday afternoon where they found two deceased workers.
2 People Dead After Workplace Accident At Lumber Yard In New Westminster, B.C.
La Loche Tragedy: Teacher, Tutor Identified As Victims Of Mass Shooting
Adam Wood and Marie Janvier have been identified by family and friends as having been gunned down at the junior and senior high school in La Loche Friday.
La Loche Tragedy: Teacher, Tutor Identified As Victims Of Mass Shooting
CRTC Under Pressure To Boost Local TV Funding As Hearings Get Underway
The warning comes in a study submitted to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission in advance of hearings that begin Monday.
CRTC Under Pressure To Boost Local TV Funding As Hearings Get Underway
Ontario, B.C., Quebec, Manitoba Earn Top Marks On History Education Report Card
The majority of Canada's provinces and territories have been assigned high marks on a new report card