A Toronto-based coding school is resuming classes after shutting down operations early last week due to legal risks posed by an investigation by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.
Following several media reports about the computer programming boot camp’s shut down and a considerable show of outrage of social media sites Twitter and Facebook, Bitmaker announced it will be able to complete its classes with its current cohort of students and continue operations. Classes will resume July 2, according to a blog post by James Cook.
“Overall I think what has happened this week has been a blessing in disguise. It gave us students a valuable week off to digest and continue practising what we had already learnt, yet it also ultimately drew large amounts of positive attention to Bitmaker Labs and innovation in Canada as a whole. Credit firstly should go to the Bitmaker team for their relentless work this week, but also the Canadian government for realising that what Bitmaker are doing is good for education, the economy and innovation in Canada as a whole. They have effectively put Canada on the map in the startup scene this week, and this can only be of benefit to everyone here,” he writes in the post.
Bitmaker Labs found itself in hot water following a positive article in the Globe and Mail was noticed by ministry officials. Because Bitmaker Labs offers more than 40 hours of courses and charges more than $1,000 for its program, it must be licenced as a private college in Ontario. But according to Bitmaker Labs’ Twitter account, it has negotiated with the ministry to gain an exemption and will not need a licence after all.
.@KevinSMcArthur The web development program won an exemption after tons of discussions and overwhelming support from #Toronto + @BradDuguid
— General Assembly Canada (@GA_TORONTO) June 28, 2013
Minister Brad Duguid got involved with the Bitmaker Labs investigation after the story spread over the past week in media and online. Many were calling for him to clear up the dispute on Twitter. According to Cook, Duguid got involved and supported Bitmaker Labs’ quick resolution with an exemption.
.@bitmakerlabs are back in action. Happy to see these #innovators and #entrepreneurs focusing on what they do best. Go Bitmakers!
— Brad Duguid (@BradDuguid) June 28, 2013