Quality of stock exchange correlates with economic well-being

With a crucial vote on the future ownership of Canada’s largest stock exchange just days away, rival bidders for the TMX Group Inc. are cranking up the rhetoric in an effort to win the hearts and minds of shareholders, wrote the Toronto Star June 28.

At stake is the future ownership of the Toronto Stock Exchange, Alberta’s junior venture exchange and the derivatives exchange based in Montreal, along with Canada’s future prosperity, according to one expert.

"The quality of our stock exchange is directly correlated with our economic well-being in Toronto, and Canada more generally," said Doug Cummings, a [finance] professor at York University’s Schulich School of Business. "The better the exchange, the easier it is for companies to raise money and the more prosperous everyone is."

Privatize Canada Post, says retired prof

The mail is moving again, but the labour dispute at Canada Post raises questions about how the service can find its footing in a world dominated by e-mail, wrote the Toronto Star June 28.

Others say privatization is the answer, including Harvey Schwartz, professor emeritus of economics at York University [Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies]. “If you look at what’s happened to Canada Post, it’s a miracle that it’s still around today,” he said. “It’s barely profitable.”

Informal survey finds students show little interest in royal family

A recent survey done by York University’s [student] newspaper [Excalibur] showed that 71 per cent stated they were not interested in the royal couple, wrote Global Television News June 28. In fact, only five per cent said they did care. Less than half watched William and Kate tie the knot in April.

  • York student Victoria Alarcon, features and opinions editor for Excalibur, spoke about the informal survey she did of student opinion on the Royal Family, on CBC Radio June 27.

Flag debate united Canadians in the end, says York history prof

It hangs proudly in every school, government building and sports arena around the country, and has adorned everything from hats to underwear, wrote the Toronto Sun June 28. No matter how we may choose to display our patriotism, the Canadian flag, in all its red and white glory, is still one of the most recognized symbols of our country.

"The Canadian Flag was much like other aspects of our past," says Myra Rutherdale, professor of history at York University [Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies]. "After many long hours of acrimonious debate and intense discussion, the end result was a flag which united more than divided Canadians."

On air

  • Richard Leblanc, professor in York’s School of Administrative Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, spoke about the case of Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly, who chaired a meeting about whether he should be censured for his role in a scandal, on CBC Radio Halifax June 27.