Fight of the bumblebee

For eight years now, York University PhD candidate Sheila Colla has spent her summers stalking the rusty-patched bumblebee in the tall grasses of southern Ontario, reported the March issue of the Walrus. In 2012, it became the first bee to be listed as endangered in Canada, largely due to her research and the interest of Laurence Packer, her galumphing giant of a former supervisor, who runs one of the largest bee labs in the world at York University in Toronto. Read full story.

Newfoundland’s Memorial University Prince Charles Charity helps Canadian ex-soldiers become entrepreneurs
The Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur is a program, entering its second year, designed to help former Canadian military members become entrepreneurs….The program is not based off a new idea. Yuval Deustch, professor of policy and entrepreneurial studies at York University’s Schulich School of Business, says the 2011 book Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle, by Dan Senor and Saul Singer, is based on similar principals. “A lot of people say Israel is a start-up country because of the resourcefulness from the rich military experience that young people there get,” he said in the Toronto Star Feb. 15. “Can it be suggested that’s also the case in Canada? Yes.” Read full story.

Dix naming deputy minister pick raises eyebrows
We may be heading to the polls three months from today, but some feel the leader of the BC NDP is acting like he’s already won the election….“On the one hand [they have] to appear like they are ready and capable to take over government. But on the other hand, not to be appearing to forestall the decision by voters,” said York University political science Professor Dennis Pilon in News1130 Feb. 14. Read full story.

Building a business model around sustainable living
Unilever is making an aggressive push for sustainable practices, but balancing a company’s financial goals with environmental and social responsibility isn’t easy. Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, is in Toronto today to speak at the Bata Lecture on Responsible Capitalism, hosted by York’s Schulich School of Business. “I actually think [a sustainable focus] is the right thing for any company,” said Polman on the CBC’s “Lang & O’Leary Exchange” Feb. 14. “You see the limitations of planetary boundaries and that’s obviously what we’re trying to address.[…]The assumption is it costs you more but if you think about it and make it an integral strategy of your company, it doesn’t have to cost more.” Listen to full interview (13:00 to 18:00).