COVID-19: Update on OLBI Activities

On behalf of everyone at OLBI, our hearts go out to all those impacted by COVID-19—those diagnosed with the virus, their friends and family and all those whose day-to-day activities have been affected in so many ways. Our focus is, as always, on the health and safety of our students, employees, and partners.

The University of Ottawa has taken measures to ensure the health and safety of our community and remains committed to the maintenance of our academic activities, and the completion of Winter Term courses. This month’s newsletter will focus on the measures and adjustments that have been implemented at OLBI in response to this unprecedented situation.

The situation is fluid and we continue to closely monitor the evolution of the global impact of the coronavirus. We ask that you please visit the University of Ottawa communications related to COVID-19 for the latest updates.


The University is still open and operating

Starting today, Wednesday, March 18, all classes and exams will be held online until the end of the semester. Professors and instructors have communicated all relevant details to their students to facilitate a smooth and seamless transition to a distance learning format.

All members of the administrative staff are working remotely, except those whose duties are essential to the continued operations of the campus. Employees have access to their work e-mail and will respond to messages.


Changes to OLBI activities

The following is a list of OLBI activities that are cancelled or postponed:


CCERBAL 2020 Conference

The CCERBAL 2020 Conference will be postponed to a future date in 2021. For the time being, all participants who have already registered have been reimbursed. We will communicate the new Conference details as soon as possible and reopen registration in 2021.


Language Testing Services

• CanTEST/TESTCan April (Toronto) and May (Ottawa) registrations will automatically be transferred to July (Toronto) and August (Ottawa). If a candidate cannot attend these new test sessions, a refund will be issued.
• Onsite SLCT has been cancelled, but an online version of the test is being prepared for 4th year and graduating students only. Ineligible students will take the test in the Fall.
• Telephone interviews are suspended until further notice.
• Online testing will carry on with expected delays.

Please visit the Language Assessment website for information about the tests.


Arts in April

The Faculty of Arts is postponing all its Arts in April activities to a later unspecified date. The OLBI student showcases are cancelled.


OLBI Research Forum – March 27, 2020

The Forum entitled: The need for evidence-based strategies to navigate the changed linguistic landscapes in education by Emmanuelle Le Pichon-Vorstman, University of Toronto will be postponed to a later date. Please refer to the OLBI Research Forum website for future updates.


Julien-Couture Resource Centre

The Julien-Couture Resource Centre will be closed until further notice. Note that several online resources can be accessed through the KOHA platform.

In this time of uncertainty, please take all the necessary precautions to preserve your health and take good care of yourself and those around you. We thank you for your understanding and precious collaboration. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.