Contact North (french: Contact Nord) is a distance education network in the Canadian province of Ontario, with 112 online learning centres throughout the province. Based principally in

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario (official name; the city continues to be known simply as Sudbury for most purposes) ** Sudbury (electoral district), one of the city's federal e ...

and Thunder Bay, the network partners with Ontario's 24 public colleges, 22 public universities and 250 public literacy and essential skills and training providers to help Ontarians in over 600 communities across the province participate in education and training opportunities without leaving their own community. The organization's student portal helps students and prospective students across the province find information on more than 18,000 online courses and more than 1,000 online programs offered by Ontario's public high schools, colleges and universities. Contact North also acts as an advocate, catalyst and facilitator of innovation in online and distance learning, as well as assisting in the creation and development of distance education programs in other provinces and countries.

History

In 1986, Contact North was established by the Ontario government to provide fully bilingual access to courses and programs offered by colleges, universities and high schools to residents of Ontario's northern communities. Contact North remains primarily funded by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. In 1992, through funding from the

Ministry of Northern Development and Mines The Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines (MENDM) was the ministry responsible for developing a safe, reliable and affordable energy supply across the province, overseeing Ontario’s mineral sector and promoting northern economic an ...

, almost every secondary school in Northern Ontario was equipped with Contact North audiographic teleconferencing equipment. This equipment gave all schools electronic access to more than 100 other schools in communities across Northern Ontario and beyond. It also allowed high school students a chance to tour museums, galleries, and other organizations electronically, which the student would not otherwise get a chance to visit. Some of these places include Art Gallery of Ontario, located in Toronto, and the Royal Canadian Mint in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. In 2007, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities announced the launch of a distance education network to provide access to post-secondary education opportunities for residents of small and rural communities across Southern Ontario. The new network was developed to operate under a model similar to Contact North, and Contact North was asked to help in facilitating the startup of the project. Originally called the Eastern and Southern Ontario Distance and Education Network, the new network became elearnnetwork.ca."Province provides boost to e-learning". ''

Cornwall Standard-Freeholder The ''Cornwall Standard-Freeholder'' is a daily newspaper based in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. It has been in circulation for many years, and continues to be the newspaper with the largest circulation inside the Montreal - Ottawa - Kingston tria ...

'', June 6, 2009. In the fall of 2009 Contact North unveiled elearntube.ca as a video-sharing website for partnered colleges and universities to post media.

Education and training partners

Contact North works with 44 colleges and universities across Ontario. Through a combination of audioconference, videoconference and e-learning technologies, students access programs and courses offered by these partner institutions at its online learning centres. Contact North also supports the delivery of fully online courses by these institutions through a variety of support services to students of these institutions. *

Algoma University Algoma University, commonly shortened to Algoma U or Algoma, is a public university with its main campus located in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. With a particular focus on the needs of Northern Ontario, Algoma U is a teaching-focused and s ...

* Brock University * Carleton University * Lakehead University *

Laurentian University Laurentian University (french: Université Laurentienne), officially the Laurentian University of Sudbury, is a mid-sized Bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, incorporated on March 28, 1960. Lau ...

* McMaster University * Nipissing University *

Queens University Queen's or Queens University may refer to: *Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario, Canada *Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK **Queen's University of Belfast (UK Parliament constituency) (1918–1950) **Queen's University of Belfast ...

* Royal Military College of Canada * Ryerson University * Trent University * Thorneloe University * University of Guelph * University of Ontario Institute of Technology * University of Ottawa *

University of Sudbury The University of Sudbury (french: Université de Sudbury) is a bilingual and tri-cultural university in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. It provides undergraduate programming in both French and English in Religious Studies, Philosophy, Indigenous Stud ...

* University of Toronto * University of Waterloo * University of Western Ontario * University of Windsor * Wilfrid Laurier University * York University * Algonquin College * Collège Boréal *

Cambrian College Cambrian College is a college of applied arts and technology in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1967, and funded by the province of Ontario, Cambrian has campuses in Sudbury, Espanola and Little Current. Cambrian works in p ...

* Centennial College *

Conestoga College Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning is a public college located in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1967, Conestoga serves approximately 23,000 registered students through campuses and training centres in ...

* Confederation College * George Brown College * Georgian College *

Canadore College Canadore College is a college of applied arts and technology located in North Bay, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1967 as a campus of Sudbury's Cambrian College, and became an independent institution in 1972. Canadore College has three campu ...

* Durham College * Fanshawe College * Humber College * La Cité * Lambton College * Loyalist College *

Mohawk College Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology is a public college of applied arts and technology located in Hamilton, Ontario. Established in 1966, the college currently has five main campuses: the Fennell Campus on the Hamilton Mountain, the M ...

* Niagara College * Northern College * Sault College * Seneca College * Sheridan College *

St. Clair College St. Clair College of Applied Arts and Technology is a college in the Southwestern Ontario counties of Essex and Chatham-Kent. Campus Its main administration and largest campus sites are in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. In addition, other campuses ...

* St. Lawrence College * Fleming College

Online learning centres

Contact North's online learning centres serve over 600 small, rural, remote, indigenous and francophone communities across the province of Ontario. Each centre has staff who can assist students with the technology or with registering for courses. All centres are equipped with computer workstations, Internet, e-learning, audio conferencing, video conferencing (limited number of communities where this is not available) and web conferencing capabilities. Online learning centres are located in the following communities: *denotes First Nation * Astorville * Atikokan *

Attawapiskat Attawapiskat may refer to: * Attawapiskat Airport, an airport adjacent to the Attawapiskat First Nation in Ontario, Canada * Attawapiskat First Nation, a First Nation located in Kenora District in northern Ontario, Canada ** Attawapiskat 91, form ...

* * Bear Island* *

Beardmore Beardmore can refer to: *Andrew Beardmore, better known as Andy Moor, English trance DJ, producer and remixer *Bob Beardmore, British rugby league footballer *Bud Beardmore (1939–2016), American lacrosse coach *Jim Beardmore, Former All-American ...

* Big Grassy First Nation* * Big Trout Lake* * Blind River * Bonfield * Bracebridge *

Bruce Mines Bruce Mines is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located on the north shore of Lake Huron in the Algoma District along Highway 17. The town of Bruce Mines had a population of 582 residents in 2016. The current mayor of Bruce Mines is L ...

* Chapleau *

Cochrane Cochrane may refer to: Places Australia *Cochrane railway station, Sydney, a railway station on the closed Ropes Creek railway line Canada * Cochrane, Alberta * Cochrane Lake, Alberta * Cochrane District, Ontario ** Cochrane, Ontario, a town wit ...

* Constance Lake* * Cornwall * Dokis* * Dryden * Ear Falls * Earlton *

Elliot Lake Elliot Lake is a city in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is north of Lake Huron, midway between the cities of Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie in the Northern Ontario region. Once dubbed the "uranium capital of the world," Elliot Lake has since ...

* Emo * Englehart * Espanola *

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

Fort Frances Fort Frances is a town in, and the seat of, Rainy River District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The population as of the 2016 census was 7,739. Fort Frances is a popular fishing destination. It hosts the annual Fort Frances Canadian Bass Cham ...

* Georgina * Geraldton *

Gogama Gogama is a Northeastern Ontario community that is situated on Lake Minisinakwa, 580 kilometres north of Toronto, 191 km north of Sudbury, and 114 km south of Timmins. In the Canada 2011 Census, a population of 277 people was recorded. ...

* Gore Bay * Haileybury * Haliburton * Hawkesbury * Hearst *

Hornepayne Hornepayne is a township of 980 people (Canada 2016 Census) in the Algoma District of Ontario, Canada. The town was established in 1915 as Fitzback when the Canadian Northern Railway's transcontinental line was built through the area. It was ren ...

* Ignace * Iroquois Falls * Kapuskasing *

Kenora Kenora (), previously named Rat Portage (french: Portage-aux-Rats), is a city situated on the Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada, close to the Manitoba boundary, and about east of Winnipeg by road. It is the seat of Kenora District. The his ...

Kincardine Kincardine may refer to: Places Scotland *Kincardine, Fife, a town on the River Forth, Scotland **Kincardine Bridge, a bridge which spans the Firth of Forth *Kincardineshire, a historic county **Kincardine, Aberdeenshire, now abandoned **Kincardi ...

Kirkland Lake Kirkland Lake is a town and municipality in Timiskaming District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. The 2016 population, according to Statistics Canada, was 7,981. The community name was based on a nearby lake which in turn was named after Winnifre ...

Latchford Latchford may refer to: Places Australia *Latchford Barracks, Australian Army base Canada *Latchford, Ontario, town United Kingdom *Latchford, Cheshire, a suburb of Warrington, England **Latchford railway station **Runcorn to Latchford Ca ...

Longlac Greenstone is an amalgamated town in the Canadian province of Ontario with a population of 4,636 according to the 2016 Canadian Census. It stretches along Highway 11 from Lake Nipigon to Longlac and covers . The town was formed in 2001, as part ...

* Madoc * Magnetawan* * Manitouwadge *

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

* Massey * Matachewan* * Matheson * Mattawa * Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation* * Moose Factory* *

Moosonee Moosonee () is a town in northern Ontario, Canada, on the Moose River approximately south of James Bay. It is considered to be "the Gateway to the Arctic" and has Ontario's only saltwater port. Nearby on Moose Factory Island is the community of ...

* M'Chigeeng *

Nakina Greenstone is an amalgamated town in the Canadian province of Ontario with a population of 4,636 according to the 2016 Canadian Census. It stretches along Highway 11 from Lake Nipigon to Longlac and covers . The town was formed in 2001, as part ...

* Nipigon * Nipissing* * Noëlville *

Nolalu The Whitefish River Valley is located in the unorganized area of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, and is named for the Whitefish River that flows through it. The valley is home to several small communities that developed when land was opened for hom ...

* North Bay * North Caribou Lake* * Onaping * Orléans * Parry Sound * Pic Mobert* *

Pic River The Pic River is a river in the east part of Thunder Bay District in northwestern Ontario, Canada. It flows from McKay Lake southeast of the community of Longlac and empties into Lake Superior southeast of the town of Marathon. Course The rive ...

* * Pickle Lake * Port Hope * Rainy River * Ramore * Red Lake * Red Rock * Richards Landing * Rocky Bay* * Sagamok* * Sandy Lake* *

Sault Ste. Marie Sault Ste. Marie is a cross-border region of Canada and the United States located on St. Marys River, which drains Lake Superior into Lake Huron. Founded as a single settlement in 1668, Sault Ste. Marie was divided in 1817 by the establishment of ...

* Schreiber * Serpent River* * Shelburne * Sioux Lookout * Six Nations* * Smooth Rock Falls *

South Porcupine The city of Timmins, Ontario, Canada contains many named neighbourhoods. Some former municipalities that were merged into Timmins continue to be treated as distinct postal and telephone exchanges from the city core. According to Barnes, "With ...

* South River * Spanish *

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2016, it has an area of , 136,803 residents, and a metropolitan population of 406,074. It lies in Southern Ontario ...

* St. Charles * St. Thomas * Stratford *

Sturgeon Falls West Nipissing is a municipality in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, on Lake Nipissing in the Nipissing District. It was formed on January 1, 1999, with the amalgamation of seventeen and a half former town, villages, townships and unorganized communi ...

* Summer Beaver* * Temagami * Terrace Bay * Thessalon* * Thorne * Thunder Bay * Virginiatown * Wahgoshig* * Wallaceburg * Warren * Wasauksing* * Wawa * White River * Wikwemikong First Nation* * Windsor-

Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the expansion of the United States onto Native American lands. A persuasive orator, Tecumseh traveled widely, forming a Native American confederacy and ...

* Wunnumin Lake*

References

External links

* {{official, http://www.contactnorth.ca Educational organizations based in Ontario Distance education in Canada Companies based in Greater Sudbury Companies based in Thunder Bay