Chantel Dunn, shot to death in a North York neighbourhood while picking up her boyfriend after a basketball game, was an “innocent victim”, police said, reported the Toronto Star Feb. 8 about a story that made headlines throughout the GTA Feb. 7 and 8. Why the boyfriend might have had shooters waiting for him after the pickup match is still under investigation, Toronto police Det. Wayne Fowler said. Dunn, a 19-year-old York undergraduate, went to pick up her 21-year-old boyfriend, not yet named by police, shortly after 11pm on Monday at Northwood Community Centre, located near Jane Street and Sheppard Avenue West. Both Dunn and her boyfriend were hit by gunfire. They were taken to Sunnybrook hospital, where she died early Tuesday.
PM must avoid being overwhelmed, say experts
Prime Minister Stephen Harper will have to ensure he doesn’t fall into traps familiar to leaders without a second-in-command, experts say, reported the Toronto Star Feb. 8. On Monday, Harper announced he would not name a deputy prime minister, but rather would “probably designate different individuals on different occasions.” A flatter organization means a leader has a direct connection to those who report up, says Pat Bradshaw, professor of organizational behaviour at York’s Schulich School of Business.
Those who opt against a second-in-command benefit from portraying the image of being fully accountable and fully in command, adds Thomas Klassen, professor of political science in York’s Faculty of Arts. “It shows the buck stops with him,” says Klassen. “From a political public-relations point of view, this was the right thing for [Harper] to do,” says Klassen. “But probably not from a practical point of view.” Because Harper’s cabinet contains only two people with previous cabinet experience and individuals with different ideological perspectives, Klassen predicts Harper will likely implement an informal deputy prime minister to manage more routine issues, so he can focus on long-term strategy.
Too young for bodychecking
The debate continued Feb. 8 in newspapers across Canada over when to introduce bodychecking in minor hockey, sparked by a study published Monday in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics by York injury researcher Alison Macpherson. The study continued to get coverage in regional newspapers and on newscasts Feb. 7.
- A National Post editorial stated: At its highest levels, hockey is an inherently violent sport. But at younger ages, kids should be playing hockey primarily to have fun. Smaller players should not be driven from the game or seriously injured by bigger, stronger players. Some hockey parents get wrapped up with visions of NHL futures for their children. But for most, the first priority is just to allow them to have fun and keep safe. That must also be the objective of the leagues in which they play.
- An Edmonton Journal editorial stated: Now that researchers from Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children and York University have linked bodychecking to greater rates of injury, the age at which the practice is permitted in minor hockey should be raised to 14.
- Macpherson discussed her findings on “CH Live @ 5:30” on CHCH-TV in Hamilton.
As enrolment falls, business schools team up
In an effort to attract more of a dwindling market and to generate revenue for ravenous university budgets, the latest trend is to have business schools in Canada partner with sister schools in the United States, where name recognition matters, reported the National Post Feb. 8. York’s Schulich School of Business has done it by combining its Executive MBA Program with the Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University) and Queen’s University has recently partnered with the business school at Cornell University.