Darren Entwistle, Telus Corp.’s long-serving president and chief executive officer, will step aside in May, making room for chief commercial officer, Joe Natale, to succeed him in those roles. But Entwistle will remain at the helm as the telecom giant’s new executive chair, partnering with his protégé on corporate strategy and performance. . . . “Executive chairs in Canada are permitted, but they’re frowned upon. The better model is a completely separate non-executive chair,” said York University law Professor Richard Leblanc in The Globe and Mail April 1. “It signals potential undue influence by an incumbent CEO, and it is anomalous. This type of succession planning is not normal.” Read full story.
Learning the ‘grey areas’: EMBA programs forcing professionals to scrutinize business ethics
When Dirk Matten teaches about the importance of doing business ethically, he sometimes runs into skepticism from EMBA students, reported the Financial Post April 1. “The last time I taught an ethics course, we had a long discussion in class about [corporate social responsibility], and all of [the students] had experience volunteering on the employer’s behalf,” said Matten, professor of strategy and the Hewlett-Packard Chair in Corporate Social Responsibility at York’s Schulich School of Business. “Some of them say, ‘Is this the company trying to look good by doing it on our backs, lending us to charities or cleaning up rubbish along the highway?’ There’s a degree of suspicion about whether it’s really a corporate priority.” Read full story.
Sunshine List 2014: Ontario’s list drives salaries up, not down
The annual spring Ontario Sunshine List of public sector workers earning $100,000 a year or more might provide good water-cooler fodder about the fat cats dining out on the taxpayer’s dime, but it’s unlikely to have any effect on reining in those wages – and, in fact, might do just the opposite. “Basically, the only thing it’s done in Ontario is drive up salaries,” said Daniel Cohn, professor in York University’s School of Public Policy and Administration, in CBC News April 1. Read full story.
What’s the best way to regulate prostitution in Canada?
It’s been just over three months since the Supreme Court struck down three prostitution-related prohibitions and gave Parliament one “buffer” year to come up with new legislation – but whether brothels will become neighbourhood staples is yet to be seen. . . . Osgoode Hall Law School Professor Alan Young – who represented Terri-Jean Bedford et al. in the ruling – said if the federal government fails to enact laws, the provinces could step in. “It becomes very much like gambling where it was delegated to provinces to decide what they want or do not want,” said Young in Global News March 31. Read full story.
Curtis Young case shows need for body-worn cameras on police
“The Star reported last week that the criminal trial of Curtis Young was halted on account of misconduct by Toronto Police Service Constables Moorcroft, Miller, James and Piccolo. These four officers were found to have assaulted Young on two occasions while in police custody and later found to have lied, exaggerated and colluded about the events in an attempted coverup,” wrote Osgoode Hall Law School Professor Jonathan Rosenthal in the Toronto Star March 31. “Fortunately for Young, there was little dispute about what transpired in his case since almost all of his interactions with police were captured on video surveillance while at the station. . . . Video is there to watch the watchmen and serves to protect the interests of everyone in the justice system.” Read full story.
Muslims and same-sex marriage
“Can Muslims accept same-sex marriages?” wrote York University Professor Faisal Kutty in CounterPunch March 31. “This has been a thorny question since the first jurisdictions began legalizing same-sex marriage. It took on a new urgency in the wake of the Defense of Marriage Act ruling from the US Supreme Court last June. Now, the heat is on as state courts continue to strike down same-sex marriage bans.” Read full story.