Osgoode grad hopes scholarship will help inspire Indigenous youth

Osgoode Hall Law School graduand Justin Thompson hopes a major scholarship he recently won will help inspire other Indigenous youth to reach for the stars.

Justin Thompson portrait
Justin Thompson

The member of Nipissing First Nation near North Bay, Ont., who officially graduates from York University’s Osgoode at Spring Convocation, was recently named a recipient of the $10,000 John Wesley Beaver Memorial Award. John Wesley Beaver was a former chief of the Alderville First Nation in eastern Ontario who served as a fighter pilot in the Second World War and rose to become a high-ranking executive at Ontario Power Generation. The scholarship is offered annually by Ontario Power Generation through Indspire, a national Indigenous charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.

“Indigenous students want to see someone like themselves who is achieving things,” said Thompson. “So getting the award helps to show that anything is possible for Indigenous students and the sky is the limit.”

Thompson, who is the first in his immediate family to attend university, said the award also represents for him one more sign of hope that Indigenous youth and their communities can look forward to a brighter future after many generations of suffering under colonial oppression. His own great-grandmother, Agnes, was a residential school survivor.

In 2014, for example, his community enacted its own constitution, effectively supplanting the federal Indian Act. In addition, Nipissing First Nation is currently developing its own citizenship law, which will allow the community – not the federal government – to decide who is a citizen. Alongside these developments, he added, the community is enjoying better times economically and is eagerly awaiting the results of the Restoule case, a landmark case currently before the Supreme Court of Canada that could see members of the Anishinaabe Nation in northern Ontario win better compensation for the lands they agreed to share with the Crown under the 1850 Robinson Huron Treaty.

“We’ve seen all these exciting changes,” said Thompson. “So I want to play my part in helping my community become more sovereign and to exercise its rights of self-determination, loosening the grip of the Indian Act.”

Even as a teenager, he said, that desire drove his decision to become a lawyer. The scholarship has helped him to realize that dream, he added. In July, after completing his bar admission exams, he will begin articling in the Toronto office of Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP, one of Canada’s leading Aboriginal law firms.

As an aspiring Indigenous lawyer, Thompson said, Osgoode was his first choice of law school after he completed undergraduate and graduate studies at Trent University in Canadian and Indigenous studies. His graduate research there focused on the issue of Indigenous over-incarceration and the lasting impacts of the Indian Act related to the criminalization of Indigenous individuals.

“I came to Osgoode specifically for the Indigenous Intensive,” he said. “And the Indigenous faculty here have been an amazing source of support.”

The only program of its kind in North America, the Intensive Program in Indigenous Lands, Resources, and Governments (IPILRG) explores the legal issues related to Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous rights through the combination of a rigorous academic experience with challenging placements in Indigenous, Aboriginal or environmental law.

“The Intensive was my favourite aspect of law school,” said Thompson. “It was a bit disrupted by COVID, but [Professors] Amar [Bhatia] and Jeff [Hewitt] made sure we had all the support we needed.”

As an Indigenous law student, Thompson said, other highlights of his Osgoode experience included participating in the Kawaskimhon National Aboriginal Moot and his leadership roles with the Osgoode Indigenous Students’ Association (OISA).

“We took on a lot of important initiatives,” he said, citing in his third year the association’s ReDress Week event, its Moose Hide Campaign against domestic and gender-based violence and its Orange Shirt Day, which featured guest speaker and Osgoode alumna Kimberley Murray, the federal government’s Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools.

Research explores financial assistance for organizations during pandemic

Person using black calculator

New research by Schulich School of Business Professor Gregory Saxton, at York University, suggests that non-profit organizations were more likely to apply for U.S. government aid during pandemic lockdowns – and use that aid to maintain staffing levels – when those organizations had pre-existing, long-term financial obligations to donors.

Gregory Saxton closeup portrait
Gregory Saxton

To help small businesses cover payroll costs and keep employees on the job throughout the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, the U.S. federal government created the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in April of 2020. The program issued almost 12 million loans worth nearly $800 billion, and these loans were forgivable if the business kept payroll at pre-pandemic levels.

The program had the potential to be especially beneficial to non-profit organizations; however, not all eligible non-profits participated and not all received loan forgiveness. Saxton’s research sought to shine light on why businesses decided to apply, and what motivated certain businesses to meet the requisites for loan forgiveness.

To examine what motivated non-profits’ participation in the program, Saxton, a professor of accounting, and his co-authors – Paul Wong, from the University of California-Davis; and Daniel Neely, at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee – analyzed data from over 100,000 non-profits that applied for PPP loans. The results of their study were recently published in Management Science in their article, “Nonprofit Organizations’ Financial Obligations and the Paycheck Protection Program.”

The authors found that only 38 per cent of eligible non-profit organizations participated in the PPP, substantially lower than for-profit businesses.

They also found that non-profits with long-term debt obligations and donor-restricted net assets were more likely to apply for and receive PPP loans. In effect, an organization’s financial obligations – such as debt or promises to donors to use resources in a specific manner – played an important role in determining PPP participation and the characteristics of the loans obtained. Notably, not only did pre-existing financial obligations make organizations more likely to participate in the program, but financial obligations led participating organizations to receive larger loans, relative to payroll costs, and increased the likelihood that their loans were ultimately forgiven.

This study furthers understanding of the PPP by examining the financial characteristics of participating businesses. At a practical level, the study informs policymakers in designing business-focused economic relief programs to maximize societal benefit during economic downturns.

Overall, the study suggests that the PPP played a crucial role in supporting both employment and critical services during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The PPP helped to keep non-profits afloat during a very difficult time,” Saxton said. “It’s clear that the program was particularly beneficial for non-profits with pre-existing financial obligations.”

Alison Halsall and Jonathan Warren

Alison Halsall and Jonathan A. Warren

Professors Alison Halsall and Jonathan Warren are nominees in this year’s Eisner Awards at San Diego Comic-Con for their book The LGBTQ+ Comics Studies Reader: Critical Openings, Future Directions

York U in the news: social media psychology, breaks boosting performance and more

25 great reasons to take a break from social media
Jennifer Mills, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at York University, and Jacqueline Hogue, a PhD student in the department’s clinical program, were featured on MSN Canada May 31.

From Donald Trump to Danielle Smith: 4 ways populists are jeopardizing democracy
Daniel Drache, a professor emeritus in the Department of Politics at York University, was featured in Yahoo! Canada May 31.

York University named as one of the world’s leading universities in the 2023 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings
York University was featured in the National Post June 1.

York ranks among top universities making global impact for positive change
York University was featured in Education News Canada June 2.

Schulich ExecEd Partners With York Regional Police for New Leadership Program
York University’s Schulich ExecEd of the Schulich School of Business was featured in Yahoo! Finance June 1.

Lassonde receives $250,000 bursary from Kenaidan Contracting
Jane Goodyer, the dean of the Lassonde School of Engineering at York University, was featured in Education News Canada June 2.

Mpox outbreak leads to stigmas, blame toward 2SLGBTQIAP+ community
Zahra Movahedi Nia, a postdoctoral researcher at York University, together with Professors Ali Asgary and James Orbinski, were featured in Education News Canada June 2.

How food insecurity affects people’s rights to choose whether or not to have children
Research by Maureen Owino, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change at York University, was cited in Salon June 2.

Chloe Cooley takes centre stage in NOTL Musem’s latest exhibit
Natasha Henry-Dixon, an assistant professor of African Canadian history at York University, was mentioned on Yahoo! Canada June 2.

Ontario and wildfire season
Eric Kennedy, an associate professor of disaster and emergency management at York University, was featured on CTV News June 2.

Making the Most Productive Use of Work Breaks
Research by Duygu Biricik Gulseren, an assistant professor at the School of Human Resources Management at York University, was cited in NYSSCPA June 1.

See more ways York University is making headlines at News @ York.

Juan Pascual-Leone

Juan Pascual-Leone

Senior Scholar and Professor Emeritus Juan Pascual-Leone earned a Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Valencia in Spain for his pioneering work in cognitive development

York U in the news: blue strawberries and colour perception, Duolingo award and more

The Blue Strawberry Problem
Jennifer Steeves, a professor and cognitive neuroscientist at York University, was quoted on MSN.com May 30.

York University School of Continuing Studies employee wins Duolingo’s We Rise Together Award
Dennis N. York, an associate director of digital and experiential education at the School of Continuing Studies at York University, was quoted in Yahoo! Finance May 30.

Ontario invests $6 million to connect next generation of workers to auto sector
The York University Lassonde School of Engineering’s The K2i Academy was mentioned in CTV News May 30.

First ever Markham Talent open casting call announces winners
Sarah Bay-Cheng, dean of the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design at York University, was mentioned in YorkRegion.com May 30.

Eradicating food insecurity, AI-enabled gender inequity at Congress 2023
Keah Hansen, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication and Culture at York University, was featured on Rabble.ca May 30.

See more ways York University is making headlines at News @ York.

York University’s Markham Campus welcomes community to first Spring Showcase

Markham Centre Campus FEATURED image

York University’s Markham Campus held its first Spring Showcase on May 18, 2023, at Yspace Markham, inviting the community to learn about the new campus and its programs. The event drew in hundreds of community members eager to learn more about a world-renowned higher education institution like York University establishing roots in Markham and York Region.

Student volunteers, staff and faculty members showcased the unique programs and features that will make Markham Campus an exciting addition to the region. The buzz from families and prospective students contributed to an evening of excitement and anticipation for the new campus.

High school students shared enthusiasm for the convenient location of the campus, as well as the opportunity to learn more about the programs it will offer.

Students and professors mingle at the Markham Campus Spring Showcase
Parents and prospective students speaking with program representatives at the Spring Showcase information fair

Gordon Binsted, deputy provost for Markham Campus, kickstarted the event with an insightful information session delivered in the Markham Cineplex. He outlined the tech-forward and entrepreneurial programs and key features of the campus before inviting attendees to ask questions. Audience questions ranged from specific programs of interest to access to public transit to transportation between campuses to the campus’ anticipated opening date. Attendees also learned:

  • Markham Campus is located next to nearby transit options with increased service plans currently in the works for GO’s Unionville Station (only a five-minute walk from the campus);
  • plans are underway for a shuttle between the Keele and Markham campuses; and
  • future students can apply as soon as this fall for programs beginning at the campus in Fall 2024.

“Imagine having all the amenities and opportunities of a larger campus like Keele Campus, but in a more intimate setting at the Markham Campus,” says Binsted. ”You’ll have the opportunity to connect with professors and classmates on a more personal level and access a wide range of resources and amenities right on campus. Moreover, every program emphasizes experiential education, providing you with hands-on learning experiences in the community, labs, and work-integrated settings. This not only equips you with valuable work experience but also creates a positive impact on the surrounding community.”

One of the highlights of the evening was the information fair, featuring program booths representing Markham Campus programs. Prospective students and their parents were able to interact with faculty members and program representatives, gaining valuable insights into their programs of interest and empowering them to make informed decisions about their educational journeys. This interactive experience helped attendees envision the endless possibilities and opportunities that await them at the new campus.

Group photo of Markham Campus Spring Showcase volunteer organizers
Student volunteers, faculty, and staff members who contributed to the success of the event

“I’m really excited about the co-op placement aspect of the Markham Campus programs,” says Melissa Agaba, an international development studies student at York University. “This is especially helpful for newcomers and first-time students since they won’t have to wait until post-grad to gain valuable experience. They can avoid the frantic scramble in their final year to secure work experience.”

“This showcase was an excellent opportunity to share the excitement around art and technology, and to bring to life the collective vision we have been working on at Markham Campus,” says Rebecca Caines, professor, creative technologies. “It feels like we’re one step closer to moving into the campus and making exciting things happen.”

Anesa Albert, associate director of communications, recruitment and digital engagement, Faculty of Graduate Studies, says she was impressed with the turnout from those interested in graduate programs. Prospective graduate students expressed a keen interest in the integrated work experience component of programs, she said.

“As a biomedical student, I’m specifically interested in the new Biotechnology Management program,” says Oluwatimileyin Aina, a biomedical science student at York University. “I’m looking forward to seeing the new environment, meeting new people, and exploring new opportunities. I feel like Markham Campus will be the next big thing in Ontario.”

When Markham Campus opens its doors in Spring 2024, it will be a hub of innovation, learning and collaboration, further enriching the vibrant communities of Markham and York Region.

Visit www.yorku.ca/markham to learn more about Markham Campus.

Microlecture Series in Sustainable Living: Building a better future with Lina Brand Correa

Globe and York branded box for the Microlecture Series launch

York University’s free Microlecture Series in Sustainable Living is an innovative, interdisciplinary and open access program that gives participants the opportunity to earn a first-of-its-kind digital badge in sustainable living.

Throughout the Microlecture Series in Sustainable Living, six of York University’s world-renowned experts share research, thoughts and advice on a range of critical topics related to sustainability. Their leadership and expertise, however, extends beyond the six-minute presentations.

Over the next several weeks, YFile will present a six-part series featuring the professors’ work, their expert insights into York’s contributions to sustainability, and how accepting the responsibility of being a sustainable living ambassador can help right the future.

Part two features Assistant Professor Lina Brand Correa.

Lina Brand Correa, photo by Joseph Burrell
Lina Brand Correa

Lina Brand Correa is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change (EUC) and a coordinator for the Business and the Environment graduate diploma. Her research uses an ecological economics lens and focuses primarily on energy and well-being issues, and their intersection. She is interested in exploring topics all along the energy chain, from “EROI” – or energy return on investment – on the energy supply side, to “energy poverty” on the energy demand side, and many other topics in between.

A champion of energy transformations, rather than simply reforms or transitions, Brand Correa’s work is as illuminating as it is pressing. Warning her students and contemporaries about the dangers of the rebound effect – whereby advances in energy efficiency result in greater energy use due to reductions in cost, such that any possible energy savings are undone before they are realized; the necessity for reductions in overall levels of energy use, particularly in the Global North; and the injustices embedded in an extremely unequal energy landscape – she demonstrates the immediate need for perspective shifts, not just in the realm of technology, but in the social, economic and political spheres as well.

Q: What does it mean to be a “sustainable living ambassador” and how does it foster positive change? 

A: To me being a sustainable living ambassador means enacting, in your day-to-day life, the type of world you would like to live in. Every day we play all sorts of different roles. Yes, we are consumers and our consumption choices matter, but we are so much more than that: we are citizens, friends, family and community members, students, teachers, employers and employees, activists, teammates, carers, neighbours, campaigners, customers, constituents and voters, and so on.

By realizing that we play all these roles, and thinking about how we can work to create the world we would like to live in in all the spheres where we interact with others, I think sustainable living ambassadors can foster positive change. However, this work requires asking difficult questions, of ourselves and of others, and actively deciding to do things differently. Importantly, this will likely include increasing the spheres where we interact with others, as it is only as broader communities, rather than as individuals, that we will foster true change.

Q: What would make you most proud for viewers to take away from your lecture, and the series as a whole?

A: From my lecture in particular, I would be very proud if viewers could take away a critical lens on current energy issues, questioning proposed solutions that focus exclusively on technological improvements. Our climate and energy issues are not a technological problem which we can engineer ourselves out of. Our climate and energy issues are embedded in broader social, economic and political issues, and this is the time to tackle them. And I think that is the message of the series as a whole: we cannot forget about people and society when we are thinking about solving environmental challenges.

Q: Equity and equality are a common theme throughout these sustainability lectures. Why is that such a critical component of sustainability? 

A: In my view, equity and justice are central to sustainability for two main reasons. On the one hand, we cannot achieve sustainability with high levels of inequality. High concentrations of income and wealth are linked to disproportionally high levels of environmental impact. This is certainly true for greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. Both between and within countries, there are certain segments of the population who are disproportionally driving emissions. So tackling carbon and energy inequalities is key for sustainability, including addressing extravagant levels of wealth accumulation and income inequality.  

On the other hand, addressing inequalities is the ethical thing to do. We can’t focus on saving our ecosystems without focusing on bringing everyone along. Many climate and energy policies are proposed and assessed in relation to their environmental outcomes. However, the social outcomes of climate policies are just as important, if not more. That means, amongst other things for example, correcting the wrongs of the past at an international level – including extractive colonial practices that remain today as unequal terms of trade and debt-based financing – and lifting people out of poverty and deprivation, for example, through guaranteed access to basic services.

Q: Are there changes you’ve made in your work at York that other York community members can learn from? 

A: In my work at York, I’ve tried to change my teaching style to focus on preparing students to deal with real-life situations, rather than staying in a conceptual world. I encourage students to relate what we are learning in class to their day-to-day lives and to what they are seeing around them, in the news, on social media, in politics, at the workplace. I also try to encourage them to be creative about change, how it can happen and what can the future look like. 

Moreover, I try to engage with initiatives that seek to generate change at a broader level. For instance, I follow the work of YUFA’s Climate Emergency Committee and York U Fossil Free, and will also be following the work of York University’s Office for Sustainability.

Q: How do you view collective responsibility vs. personal responsibility in creating a more sustainable future? 

A: I think we need both, in tandem. Collectively we need to enable and support people to be able to make individual decisions that support a more sustainable future. And individually we need to make changes that will push the collective to take the responsibility for creating the conditions for such a future.

Q: How is York leading the way towards a more sustainable future?

A: Sustainability is a key area of focus in my own Faculty (EUC), where many of my colleagues and I research and teach with a focus on environmental and social justice. York U’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Mike Layton, is an alum from EUC’s Master’s in Environmental Studies (MES). Like Mike, many of our alumni go on to make real change towards sustainability in their communities and work environments. It is there, in our alumni, where I see York having the greatest impact towards a more sustainable future. 

York is also considering questions of sustainability across its own operations, taking important and commendable steps. The University has an Office of Sustainability, tasked with collegially developing a shared vision of a sustainable future, setting targets and strategies, implementing and promoting them, and monitoring the University’s progress towards that vision. However, given the scale of the interlocked crises we are facing, there is still much more to do (for example divestment from fossil fuels). I think York has the potential to truly lead the way towards a more sustainable future, in all aspects of University life, but it requires bold and brave actions from everyone in the University community.


Visit the Microlecture Series in Sustainable Living to see Brand Correa’s full lecture, as well as those by the other five experts, and earn your Sustainable Living Ambassador badge. Watch for part three of this series in an upcoming issue of YFile. For part one, go here.

Schulich ExecEd ranks in Financial Times’ top 30 worldwide

Business people in suits, smiling at camera, stock photo

The Financial Times of London, the historic daily business newspaper and premier rankings publisher for executive education programs worldwide, has named Schulich ExecEd the 30th best program of its kind in the world.

Rami Mayer close-up photo
Rami Mayer

This year’s Financial Times ranking serves as a new highwater mark for Schulich ExecEd, which has steadily climbed Financial Times’ rankings for the last few years, reaching rank 32 in 2022. Not only did Schulich ExecEd climb two ranks higher this year, it also defended its prior-attained status as the second-best executive education program throughout Canada.

“We’re very proud of this achievement,” said Rami Mayer, executive director of Schulich ExecEd. “I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the incredibly talented team at Schulich ExecEd and to our wonderful instructors, as well as our amazing clients and participants for their strong vote of confidence in the quality of our programs.”

Last year, the release of the Financial Times rankings followed shortly after the overhaul of the Schulich Executive Education Centre into what is now Schulich ExecEd. The continued ascension of Schulich ExecEd through the Financial Times rankings demonstrates the school underwent more than a name change. This year’s Financial Times rankings similarly arrive on the heels of the announcement of Schulich ExecEd’s new strategic partnership with 5D Corporate Teaching and Learning Centre (5D) based in Halifax, which will expand access to the world-class business program to Canadians across the Atlantic coastal region.

To explore all of the programs that Schulich ExecEd has to offer, click here.

Mark Terry

Mark Terry
Mark Terry

Mark Terry, adjunct professor in the Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change, launches two books, Speaking Youth to Power and The Emerging Role of Geomedia in the Environmental Humanities, on June 1