York U in the news: Toronto flood anniversary, Greenbelt audit and more
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Ten Years Since the Toronto Flood of 2013 Usman T. Khan, an associate professor in civil engineering at the Lassonde School of Engineering at York University, was quoted in Global News July 7.
VEZINA: Honest debate versus tribalism Alex Vezina, a professor of disaster and emergency management at York University, was featured in the Toronto Sun July 9.
Valued at $17,500, the merit-based VSAIs are bestowed upon top candidates pursuing studies in either Vector-recognized master’s programs, which provide students with the AI skills and competencies sought by employers, or individual AI study paths in Ontario.
“The Vector Scholarship allows me to have peace of mind while pursuing my MMAI and serves as a reminder that hard work does pay off,” said Singh. “The countless late nights that I had spent studying, working on assignments and programming during my undergraduate degree in astrophysics and computer science at York University played a large role in me receiving this award.”
Singh says the scholarship will allow him to focus more on his studies and less on funding his education. He is also looking forward to familiarizing himself with Vector Institute’s vast network which will accelerate his learning and education in AI.
“The MMAI, being a 12-month professional degree related to artificial intelligence, allows me to obtain a graduate degree without needing to remain entirely in academia,” says Singh. “The Artificial Intelligence Consulting Project (AICP) that is part of the degree will enable me to obtain relevant work experience before I graduate and enter the workforce.”
Scholarship recipients become part of the Vector Institute’s community of renowned researchers, major Canadian companies and AI startups solving high-impact problems. Recipients receive support for their education, and affiliation with Vector can open high-quality career options through Vector’s networking and career events, Digital Talent Hub and professional development programming.
York U in the news: Sex education, best summer reads and more
40 Canadian books to read this summer Christina Sharpe, a professor and Canada Research Chair in Black Studies in the Humanities at York University, was featured in CBC July 6.
Sexual Minorities Face Higher Risk for Suicide-Related Behaviors Research by Antony Chum, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Health and Canada Research Chair in Population Health Data Science at York University, was featured in Neurology Advisor July 6.
See more ways York University is making headlines at News @ York.
Passings: Heather Gore Liddell
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Osgoode Professional Development announced that Heather Gore Liddell, beloved team leader, friend and advocate for Osgoode, passed away unexpectedly from interstitial lung disease at the age of 46 on May 20.
Heather Gore Liddell
Gore Liddell first joined in her role as program lawyer, working on continuing legal education programs (CLE), in June 2005. Having earned her juris doctor (JD) at Osgoode, she was thrilled to return as a staff member. Gore Liddell was a creative people person and ideally suited to creating CLE programs. She was a shrewd businessperson and exceptional people manager. She brought these and other talents to bear as she progressed to senior program lawyer; manager, CLE Programs; and finally, director, CLE programs. She was active in several professional associations, including the Toronto Legal Professional Development Consortium, and the Association of Continuing Legal Education of America. She completed a certificate in adult education from University of Toronto, as well as York University management and leadership programs.
A celebration of life was held on June 9 in the Moot Court at Osgoode. The event brought together family and friends, sharing memories of Gore Liddell’s legendary shopping exploits and road trips, clips of her star turn on “Say Yes to the Dress,” a drag queen, and a visit from an ice cream truck to provide refreshments. Gore Liddell’s ability to connect with people of all kinds, and her tremendous warmth and kindness, were on full display.
Gore Liddell leaves her spouse, Peter Liddell; her father, Craig Gore; her sister, Kerry Haines; her nieces, Holly and Morgan; and extended family, plus a large chosen family. She also had an immense and well-nurtured network of former classmates and professional colleagues.
An Osgoode JD student bursary has been created to honour Gore Liddell ’s memory. It will be awarded annually to a student with financial need and who faces visible and invisible obstacles such as: income; mental health; racial, cultural and gender inequalities; or physical and learning challenges. Donations to the bursary can be made here.
Osgoode professor honoured with Canadian Bar Association’s Touchstone Award
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The Canadian Bar Association (CBA) has named Osgoode Hall Law School Professor Faisal Bhabha as the recipient of its 2023 Touchstone Award, which celebrates the accomplishments of an individual or an organization who has excelled in promoting equality in the legal profession, the judiciary or the legal community in Canada.
Faisal Bhabha
The prestigious honour is one of six national CBA Awards of Excellence presented every year to individuals whose outstanding achievements have made significant contributions to the association, the legal profession and to society. They were presented by CBA President Steeves Bujold during the annual CBA President’s Dinner at Ottawa’s Chateau Laurier Hotel on the evening of June 21. The Ottawa-based organization represents about 36,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers and law students from across Canada.
As part of the CBA’s announcement, Bhabha was recognized as a steadfast proponent for equality both in the legal profession and in academia, as well as for his volunteer work provided in service of equity-deserving groups.
“I can only express heartfelt gratitude to you for having selected me for this most distinguished and humbling recognition,” Bhabha said in his acceptance speech, adding a special thanks his family, his Osgoode colleagues and his law firm associates at Toronto-based PooranLaw.
“The promotion of equality under the law is something I take very personally,” he added, recalling how, as a law student, he watched in horror as two airplanes flew into New York City’s World Trade Centre in September 2001. But in the ensuing months and years, he said, he was equally perplexed by how Canada sacrificed the rights and freedoms of Canadian Muslims with vague justification, making them carry the burden of suspicion.
“In the cases I’ve been involved in over the years,” he said, “I’ve been struck by the plight of people struggling for simple recognition – as subjects in a liberal society who are deserving of equality – in the face of near insurmountable stereotypes and obstacles.
“My hope for the future,” he concluded, “is that the guarantee of equality be realized more broadly for all those members of marginalized communities who still await its promise.”
Osgoode Dean Mary Condon celebrated the CBA’s announcement. “As a recipient of the Touchstone Award, Professor Bhabha follows in the footsteps of some of Canada’s most accomplished legal minds and some of our staunchest defenders of human rights,” she said. “The Osgoode community is very proud of his achievement.”
Previous recipients of the Touchstone Award include Madam Justice Rosalie Abella, Madam Justice Claire L’Heureux-Dubé, Professor Kathleen Mahoney, Chief Justice Catherine Fraser and Professor Laverne Jacobs.
Bhabha, a former vice-chair of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, teaches constitutional law, human rights, legal ethics and appellate advocacy at Osgoode. He also maintains a varied public and private law practice and has appeared before administrative boards and tribunals and at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada. He also serves as faculty director for Osgoode Professional Development’s professional LLM in Constitutional Law program.
Schulich launches Schulich Venture Academy with star faculty team
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The Schulich School of Business at York University announced the launch of the Schulich Venture Academy – a new talent upskilling program for tech professionals featuring a star group of program directors from Canada’s startup ecosystem.
The Schulich Venture Academy will launch four Schulich Masterclass Venture Certificates focused on leadership roles, identified by Schulich and its faculty, industry advisors and alumni as crucial to fuelling the country’s next wave of tech ecosystem growth.
The inaugural four Masterclass Venture Certificates and program directors are:
Li will focus on teaching the next generation of finance professionals how to scale a venture-backed company and says: “After a long career, I am honoured to contribute my expertise through the Schulich Venture Academy. Scaling start-ups is a nuanced and complex process, which needs leaders in finance, operations and more to be nurtured in their specific roles.”
Do Forno will work with talent people professionals to teach them advanced strategies for attracting, retaining and developing talent in a venture-backed company and says: “This new Academy has the potential to have a deep impact on Canada’s startup ecosystem. People and talent strategies play a pivotal role in creating standout Canadian companies and, as a veteran in the industry, I feel privileged to be part of building the next generation of talent leaders.”
Gabowicz will work with professionals in operations to dig deeper into the metrics, systems and strategies required to scale operations in a venture-backed company and says: “As an operator who’s lived through raising, scaling and selling a startup, I can attest that having the right talent who understands these needs is critical. In being a part of this national initiative to educate our future leaders, I look forward to giving back and cultivating the next generation of Canadian startup talent.”
Matta will work with aspiring and growth-minded VC professionals to take their investing and career strategies to the next level and build the next generation of Canadian VC talent to support venture-backed firms across the country. Says Matta: “I’m thrilled to be part of the Schulich Venture Academy, which is committed to changing the way we develop startup talent. As one of Canada’s most active early-stage VCs, I know this will make a difference in how Canadian startups compete and scale.”
Schulich also announced it will be taking applications of interest for a fifth Masterclass Venture Certificate from potential program directors at its booth at Collision Conference 2023 in Toronto next week.
The Schulich Venture Academy was designed and built by award-winning Schulich Adjunct Professor Chris Carder and Schulich Entrepreneur in Residence and VC Cherry Rose Tan, in conjunction with the top-ranked Schulich ExecEd, which is among the world’s 30 best executive education providers according to the Financial Times.
“The startup ecosystem is filled with so many talented people in crucial supporting roles,” says Tan. “But as a country, we need to elevate and upskill them more effectively by giving them opportunities to learn from and be mentored directly by senior, proven leaders in their fields of expertise and interest. We’ve spent countless hours mapping the Academy out with senior leaders in the innovation economy and asking them what was needed next in order to scale growth. We’re thrilled to make this announcement on the eve of Collision Conference 2023 and start recruiting the first wave of lifelong learners to join the program.”
The Schulich Venture Academy begins classes in October 2023 in small online class sizes (maximum 25 per class) and will feature exclusive in-person networking opportunities with senior leaders in venture finance, venture operations, venture talent and venture capital.
Taught by industry stars with decades of experience, connections and successes under their belts, these programs are not theoretical. Tech professionals will learn strategies, frameworks and tools that can be immediately applied to their organization.
Upon completing a Schulich Masterclass Venture Certificate program, participants will receive a digital certificate credential.
Rami Mayer, the executive director of Schulich ExecEd, adds: “We’re excited to announce that our Academy graduates will celebrate the completion of the program at Schulich ExecEd Centre in downtown Toronto, and privately network with star program directors and other influential leaders from the venture ecosystem. In addition to providing skills and knowledge by way of completing the program, the program’s exclusive events are invaluable to graduates who look to build deeper relationships with marquee business leaders.”
This news follows two recent major tech sector announcements from the Schulich School of Business, including the launch of Canada’s first Tech MBA and the announcement of a joint Venture Studio with OneEleven.
For more information about the Schulich Venture Academy, visit this page.
York U in the news: Trudeau’s Supreme Court, Lac-Mégantic anniversary and more
Brain food: Elaine Newton’s reading list Elaine Newton, a professor emeritus of humanities, literature, and psychology at York University, was featured in Fort Myers Florida Weekly July 5.
Canada needs pollinator strategy, say York researchers Sheila Colla, an associate professor, and conservation scientist at York University, and Rachel Nalepa, a postdoctoral Fellow at York, were featured in Education News Canada June 29.
See more ways York University is making headlines at News @ York.
Osgoode student, incoming instructor sees string of successes in June
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For his acclaimed doctoral research centred on the history of hate speech prosecution, Osgoode Hall Law School PhD student, incoming instructor and lawyer Kenneth Grad won four academic awards amidst another celebration at home.
Kenneth Grad
On June 7, Grad was awarded this year’s Peter Oliver Prize by the Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History. A few days later, in the early morning of June 10, he and his wife welcomed their second daughter into the world. Later that same morning, he was notified that he had been named a co-winner of the Osgoode Society’s other major student prize: the R. Roy McMurtry Fellowship in Legal History, valued at $10,000.
Receiving both the Peter Oliver Prize and the R. Roy McMurtry Fellowship – let alone in the same year – is a rare accomplishment. Then, on June 16, Grad was also awarded the Switzer-Cooperstock Student Prize by the Jewish Heritage Centre for Western Canada. In addition, he also recently received the Avrom Silver Graduate Research Fund Award from York University’s Israel and Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies.
A former criminal lawyer with the prominent Toronto firm Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP, Grad received the awards for work produced in connection with his doctoral research. His dissertation is entitled “Prosecuting Hateful Speech: An Historical Analysis of Zundel, Keegstra, and the Criminal Law’s Ability to Protect Vulnerable Communities.“
The Peter Oliver Prize is awarded annually for a published work on Canadian legal history written by a student and is named for the Osgoode Society’s founding editor-in-chief. The R. Roy McMurtry Fellowship in Legal History was created in 2007 to help graduate students, or those with a recently completed doctorate, to conduct research on Canadian legal history for one year. It is named for the former chief justice of Ontario, attorney general and founder of the Society. The Switzer-Cooperstock Prize, established by the Switzer family to honour their parents and grandparents, is awarded for the best student essay on Jewish history in Western Canada. And the Avrom Silver award supports the research of graduate students affiliated with York’s Centre for Jewish Studies.
“It’s a huge honour,” Grad said of the awards. “The Osgoode Society does such great work in legal history and it’s just personally rewarding to be recognized by them. The same goes for the Jewish Heritage Centre for Western Canada and Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies, which do incredibly valuable research in the area of Jewish history.
“It’s nice that all the work I’ve put in is paying off,” he added, “and it shows the relevance of my research – especially with the increase in transphobia, racism and hate speech, especially during the pandemic.”
Professor Patricia McMahon, who was on the selection committee for the Oliver Prize, said the Society received an exceptional number of strong submissions from students this year, but Grad’s work rose to the top.
“His article, ‘A Gesture of Criminal Law: Jews and the Criminalization of Hate Speech in Canada,’ stood out not just for its clear prose and excellent research,” she said, “but for telling a compelling story about the role of the Canadian Jewish Congress in the development of Canada’s hate speech laws more than 50 years ago.”
Grad said the award-winning paper and his dissertation both combine his legal interest in criminal law with his personal background as the grandson of Holocaust survivors.
“Issues of racism and empowering minority groups are important to me – and that’s how I landed on this topic,” he explained.
He said his PhD studies at Osgoode have been “incredibly rewarding” but very hectic with the birth of his two daughters and the COVID-19 pandemic. He paid tribute to the support he’s received from his PhD supervisor, Professor Benjamin Berger, and his PhD committee members, Professors Philip Girardand Emily Kidd White.
Berger also paid homage to his accomplished doctoral student. “Kenneth is already a tremendous scholar, making creative and rich contributions to our understanding of Canadian legal history, pluralism and the complexity of public law,” he said. “I am so proud of the careful, compassionate approach he takes to his work and so pleased that he has received this recognition.”
Grad will teach a course on criminal law at Osgoode in the fall of 2023.
Graduate students recognized for contributions to Philippine Studies
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Eight graduate students from three Faculties at York University are recipients of Philippine Studies Group funding for research, fieldwork and language acquisition.
“These students collectively received $32,000 in funding in support of their work. Their groundbreaking projects promise to make an important contribution to the field of Philippine studies,” said Ethel Tungohan, associate professor of politics and Canada Research Chair in Canadian Migration Policy, Impacts and Activism.
Tungohan is a member of the Philippine Studies Group (PSG) at the York Centre for Asian Research (YCAR), which brings together faculty and students with an interest in the Philippines, Filipinx migration and diaspora, as well as Philippine studies. PSG’s activities throughout 2023, including this latest round of student funding, are made possible by the support of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto.
Recently, the PSG awarded $25,000 for fieldwork in the Philippines and the diaspora to six students in geography, politics and music.
“It is very exciting to read about York University students’ projects, which range from in-depth fieldwork examining the gendered dimensions of the Mindanao peace process to intensive language study and cultural immersion in the Philippines,” Tungohan added.
The Philippine Studies Group awardees are:
Myla Chawla
Myla Chawla,a doctoral candidate in political science whose research examines women’s roles and experiences during the Moro conflict and Mindanao peace process in the Philippines. The project seeks to not only make visible the work women have performed during conflict and peace times, but to further unpack how diverse perspectives from Moro, Indigenous and Christian communities have shaped their experiences and visions of peace.
“My time conducting in-person fieldwork in the Philippines has elevated the project with a richer data sample. I have had the ability to speak to both local and professional women on the ground and have been able to witness women’s work in action. Additionally, I have taken part in events pertaining to peacebuilding efforts in Mindanao led by government agencies, NGOs and local women led grassroots movements,” said Chawla.
Ria Jhoanna Ducusin
Ria Jhoanna Ducusin’s project, informed by a political economy of local urbanization and feminist political ecology scholarship, examines how urban flooding results from political decisions, economic interests and power relations; and the ways in which intersectional axes of gender and class shape differential impacts of flood disasters.
“My goal is to strengthen the understanding of the causes, mitigation and experiences of flood disasters in rapidly urbanizing and industrializing coastal cities,” she said.
Ducusin is a second-year doctoral student in geography and a graduate associate with YCAR. Before joining York, Ducusin worked as a science research specialist on climate-smart agriculture and mining impact assessment projects at the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB), and as a lecturer at the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science at Cavite State University.
Romeo Joe Quintero
Romeo Joe Quintero is a doctoral student in human geography. He holds a master’s degree in women’s and gender studies from Carleton University and an honours bachelor of social science in international development and globalization from the University of Ottawa.
His research interests lie around questions of protracted situations of forced displacement and placemaking practices among internally displaced persons in the Philippines. In particular, Quintero will examine the economic and livelihood practices of communities in Mindanao that have been displaced to settlement sties in urban areas by the legacy of violence in the region.
Dani Magsumbol
Dani Magsumbol is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Politics. Her research is an examination of the political economy of emotions, and the affective relationships of citizenship and nationalism; her dissertation focuses this analysis on the multigenerational experiences in families of the Filipino labour diaspora in Canada.
“In my project, I seek to examine not only the immediate effects that being an overseas Filipino worker has on the individual, but also the long-term after effects of how employment and residence outside of national borders alters the experience of citizenship and national membership for members of the Filipino labour diaspora.”
Magsumbol says that fieldwork is vital to this research endeavour. In seeking out Filipino immigrants and members of their family in order to interview them about their individual and familial migration stories, the research actively foregrounds the voices and stories of the migrants who have experienced the disorientation and reorientation of migration and settlement. To this end, she will be collecting data in the form of interviews and focus groups in areas in Canada where Filipinos have chosen to settle in large numbers, such as Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver, as well as lower density provinces such as Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia.
Nikki Mary Pagaling
Nikki Mary Pagaling’s research examines the labour market transitions that Filipina women make after completing Canada’s temporary foreign caregiver programs.
“I will deploy an intersectional feminist framework to investigate the extent to which immigration to Canada through a temporary foreign caregiver program shapes Filipina women’s entry into the personal support worker labour force in Toronto,” says Pagaling, who is a master’s candidate in geography.
Antoniel Roca is researching the impact of Filipino-North American diasporic identity on the thought and composition processes of musicians in the Manila metropolitan area. “As a Filipino immigrant, I believe in the importance of the study of diaspora,” he said.
Antoniel Roca
A doctoral candidate in ethnomusicology, Roca’s previous fieldwork in the Philippines touched on the music genre kundiman, and the ways in which it was utilized as propaganda during both the Spanish Filipino and American Filipino revolutions. This provided the historical background needed for his primary thesis.
Roca was also a member of Associate Professor Patrick Alcedo’s dance exhibition as part of Toronto’s inter-university CRAM festival. He has worked in many music disciplines, including classical and gospel choral ensembles, Filipino rondalla and angklung groups, as well as jazz/alternative bands.
Kad Marino and Geneviève Minville each received a language subsidy grant to further their Tagalog studies.
“Language training is an essential part of long-term, field-based and people-oriented fieldwork. The Philippine Studies Group was therefore pleased to provide support for students who are committing themselves to learning the Filipino language and/or regional dialects in the country,” says Professor Philip Kelly, who served on the award adjudicating committee.
Kad Mariano
Mariano, a doctoral student in political science, believes that learning Tagalog is an important step towards his doctoral research goals. “Working with the Filipinx community requires one to navigate the multiple worlds that Filipinx migrants regularly traverse and intersect,” says Mariano.
He adds: “An integral part of this research is interviewing and communicating effectively with members of the Filipinx community. Learning and employing Tagalog will grant access to experiential and community knowledge regarding Filipinx migrants’ perceptions of reconciliation, understandings of colonial relations in the Philippines and Canada, and (non)mobilizations of memory.”
Mariano intends to focus on the Filipinx diaspora and its role in the memory dynamics of reconciliation, assessing migrants’ perceptions of and participation in reconciliation, such as cross-cultural coalition building.
Geneviève Minville
Minville’s research in the Philippines will benefit from the language skills that she will gain this summer, thanks to the language subsidy.
“Having language knowledge is essential for me to connect with my research participants and the communities as well as to give me more confidence to undertake my fieldwork in 2024,” she explained.
A doctoral student in critical human geography, she intends to adopt a participatory approach with communities and engage with local experts and NGOs around issues of forced displacement related to disasters and climate change.
