Are Canadians free traders or just Europhiles?

“Have Canadians become true free traders, embracing the world view of the great 19th century liberal thinker David Ricardo, who argued that free trade is always a good thing economically? If the opinion of political parties and elites on all sides of the spectrum were a rough proxy for the views of Canadians, then it would seem we are all Ricardians now,” wrote Eugene Lang, the BMO Visiting Fellow in Glendon College’s School of Public and International Affairs, in the Toronto Star Oct. 30. “Or is it that Canadians are no more enthusiastic about free trade today than a generation ago, we are just more comfortable with the dance partner this time around?” Read full story.

AGO lands major exhibit of Henry Moore, Francis Bacon works
The Art Gallery of Ontario has landed a major exhibition by two of the U.K.’s best-known and influential postwar artists, sculptor Henry Moore and painter Francis Bacon, reported the Toronto Star and others Oct. 30. The exhibit, organized in conjunction with Oxford’s renowned Ashmolean Museum, will feature 60 works by the artists, who are considered giants of the 20th century. It will run from April 5 to July 6, 2014. Entitled simply Francis Bacon and Henry Moore, the exhibit is curated by Dan Adler, associate professor of art history at York University. The event marks the first Canadian exhibit of Bacon’s work, who died in 1992. Read full story.

Why do PhD students persist?
“Ever since I declared my intent to pursue a PhD, I have been inundated with articles by academics and disgruntled graduate students warning me of the dangers of a doctoral education,” wrote York University PhD student Adam Kingsmith in University Affairs Oct. 30. “I’ve read all of the editorials from all of the major academic publications. Yet regardless of how many ‘there are no jobs,’ ‘you’ll be a poverty-stricken adjunct forever,’ ‘MOOCs are making traditional academics irrelevant,’ and ‘you’ll be brainwashed into thinking all non-academic jobs are a failure’ are thrown at me, here I stand, stubborn and starting a PhD in political science at York University this fall.” Read full story.

Haunted happenings North York style
According to the Ghosts and Hauntings Research Society’s website, 24 ghostly accounts are listed for North York, including private residences, York University’s Keele and Glendon campuses and Gibson House Museum, reported the North York Mirror Oct. 30. The society, which claims to be Canada’s oldest established website and group devoted to ghosts and hauntings, does not reveal the names or contact information of the people posting to the site. Read full story.

Taxpayers funding ‘lesbian haunted house’ in Toronto
Allyson Mitchell, the artist behind “A Lesbian Feminist Haunted House”, has received thousands in government grants, reported the Toronto Sun Oct. 30. Acknowledgment is posted on the outside of the rented location at 303 Lansdowne Ave., also called Killjoy Kastle, that funding was provided by the Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council and Canadian Council for the Arts. The artist undertook her work in collaboration with the Art Gallery of York University. Read full story.