The exquisite glass box of Glendon College’s Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Education brings the dated 1960s campus at Bayview and Lawrence Avenues into the modern age of architectural transparency and open interiors, reported the Toronto Star Dec. 1. Designed by Daoust Lestage of Montreal, the centre is the first thing visitors to the leafy enclave encounter. It sets a scene of tranquility and happy confusion between indoors and out. Surrounded by greenery, the centre is a pavilion in a park, an illustration of new attitudes to education that insist it doesn’t have to be tedious and mind-numbing. Read full story.
Planning is key when path to partnership is undefined
Mitchell Osak, founder of Quanta Consulting Inc. and an instructor at York University’s Schulich Executive Education Centre, says bringing in clients is important, but so is communicating and knowing when and where to go out on a limb and beyond the norm. For example, said Osak, often a junior lawyer is reluctant to stand up and offer to do a project for a client because they lack the experience or know-how, but they may be able to tell the client that they can bring in one of the partners of the firm to get the job done. “It’s important to recognize an opportunity and understand what it is and then figure out what’s the best way to tap into it,” he said in the Lawyers Weekly‘s Dec. 6 issue. Read full story.
Appeal decision raises questions about notice of termination clauses
The Ontario Court of Appeal has upheld a decision regarding a termination clause in an employment agreement involving a man who accepted two-weeks’ notice from his employer then claimed damages saying he was wrongfully dismissed, reported Canadian Lawyer Dec. 2. . . . The fact the Court of Appeal upheld the decision raises questions about the status of employment law in Ontario, since it seems to be inconsistent with earlier decisions, said York University labour and employment law Professor David Doorey. Read full story.
Op-Ed: The significance of the Iran deal
“From the very first hour after the interim nuclear deal in Geneva on Nov. 24, the world witnessed a substantial difference of interpretation of the deal between the United States and Iran,” wrote York University PhD candidate Arash Falasiri in the Ottawa Citizen Dec. 2. “It is crucial, however, to remember that the deal with the major powers aims to halt key aspects of Iran’s nuclear program in the next six months and to provide a solid base for negotiations on a permanent agreement.” Read full story.
Blue Rodeo musician overseeing launch of three Conestoga classes
Bob Egan plays the pedal-steel guitar for Blue Rodeo and is overseeing the launch of three new classes at Conestoga College’s digital-media space downtown. . . . Egan helped Conestoga find and hire David Gray – a producer out of Los Angeles and New Orleans – to teach the classes. Gray is also just finishing his PhD in ethnomusicology from York University in Toronto. Gray’s dissertation is on Daniel Lanois, a Hamilton native who produced U2, Emmy Lou Harris, Bob Dylan and Peter Gabriel. “There is probably nobody in southern Ontario who knows more about world percussion and production techniques and the history of production techniques than David,” said Egan in Metro Dec. 2. Read full story.
Bay Street hiring declines for third year: report
Noting “the good times are not coming back,” Ultra Vires, the law student newspaper at the University of Toronto, reports the number of law students recruited by firms on Bay Street continues to decline. Calling it a “bloodbath”, Ultra Vires’ report shows this year, 351 students were hired on – nearly a 30-position drop from last year’s number of 379, according to the paper. In 2011, 403 students were recruited and in 2010 there were 444 recruits – nearly 100 more students than this year. . . . Both Osgoode Hall Law School and University of Ottawa students experienced a decline in hiring on Bay Street, while U of T, Queen’s University, and Western University’s numbers stayed steady, reported Canadian Lawyer Dec. 3. Read full story.
York University honours Aurora resident
An Aurora resident is one of York University’s exceptional alumni, reported the Aurora Banner Dec. 2. Dave Smith, a retired management information director at York, received a 2013 Bryden Award during a gala last month. He was honoured as a local hero, who spent 45 years at the university. Read full story.