York University political science Professor Dennis Pilon correctly points out it’s often difficult to gauge the amount of attention the electorate is paying in advance of voting day, but he also says this election is lacking for a defining issue and suggests many prospective voters aren’t quite certain what’s at stake, reported the Aurora Banner June 4. Read full story.
Conservatives introduce tough new rules on prostitution
The Conservative government is answering a Supreme Court ruling that struck down prostitution laws with a tough new law that would ban the selling of sex anywhere that people under 18 are found, or in advertisements – raising questions about how sex workers could safely ply their trade. . . . Alan Young, who teaches law at Osgoode Hall Law School, said the new law raises similar safety concerns. “You can’t advertise, and now you’ve got to make this demographic decision about what areas of the city are not occupied by young people,” he said in The Globe and Mail June 4. “It still raises the question of what is a safe forum for someone to legally sell sexual services.” Read full story.
Law school grad? You’re going to need these job interview tips
“After you land that coveted job interview, it is all about selling yourself,” wrote Osgoode Hall Law School Professor Faisal Kutty in the Huffington Post June 4. “There may be something about you that could tip in favour of the company offering you the job. Tell your story. This may be the only thing unique about you from the dozens of other candidates vying for the same position.” Read full story.
OISE explains its decision to drop BEd programs
Some deans found it unfair that they had not been given a similar opportunity by the government to retool their own teacher education programs for a greater focus on master degrees. “They were all taken by surprise because none of us had any inkling that this kind of special arrangement was in the works or would be accepted,” said Ron Owston, dean of York University’s Faculty of Education, in University Affairs June 4. Read full story.
In a data-centric world, Harper’s cuts to StatsCan are baffling
The 40th annual iAssist conference is being hosted jointly by Toronto’s three universities: Ryerson University, the University of Toronto and York University, reported the Huffington Post June 4. The conference’s agenda reflects the cutting edge in data science where sessions are devoted to best practices in data archiving and dissemination, and workshops on data visualization and analytics. Read full story.