COVID-19 and respiratory viruses: what to know on campus

September 29, 2023

Students wearing branded masks while socially distancing in the common

La version française suit la version anglaise.

The risks for respiratory illness such as COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) increase as we move into fall and indoor spaces.

Here is an overview of current public health guidelines and available resources to make this transition safer for the York community.

If you are symptomatic or tested positive for COVID-19:

Toronto Public Health recommends you stay home if you are sick or have symptoms of illness, even if your symptoms are mild.
Anyone with new or worsening symptoms or who tests positive for COVID-19 should complete the provincial self-assessment and follow directions for self-isolation or self-monitoring.
Affected faculty, staff or instructors should inform their manager or associate dean of their absence and follow regular sick leave processes.

Close contact guidelines:

If you were a close contact of somebody with COVID-19, please review Toronto Public Health’s guidance page: COVID-19: What to Do if You Are a Close Contact.

Vaccination:

An updated COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by Health Canada. COVID-19 vaccination reduces the risk of severe illness, death and post-COVID-19 condition (“long COVID”).

Visit the Ontario Health COVID-19 Vaccination Portal to book a vaccination appointment. York will share information about vaccination clinics taking place at York University campuses in the coming weeks.

Health Canada recommends an updated COVID-19 vaccine dose for those who:

had their last COVID-19 vaccine dose over six months ago; or
last had COVID-19 six months ago (whichever happened later).

Rapid antigen tests:

York University has a limited supply of free rapid antigen test kits. Visit the community health website for more information.

Masking

York is a mask-friendly environment. You may wish to consider wearing a well-fitted, high-quality mask in crowded indoor public settings. York University has mask vending machines where Level 3 masks and N95 masks may be purchased.

Wearing a mask, keeping your distance where possible, practising hand hygiene, getting vaccinated and other public health measures can reduce the spread of respiratory viruses.

For more resources, visit the Community Health page for staff, faculty and instructors. For questions related to COVID-19 or other respiratory virus, email sfccm@yorku.ca.

Information for students is available on the Student Health page and questions can be emailed to schw@yorku.ca.

COVID-19 et les virus respiratoires : ce qu’il faut savoir

Le risque de maladies respiratoires comme la COVID-19, la grippe et le virus respiratoire syncytial (VRS) est en hausse avec l’arrivée de l’automne et le retour dans les bâtiments.

Voici un aperçu des lignes directrices actuelles en matière de santé publique ainsi que des ressources pour rendre cette transition plus sûre pour la communauté de York.

Si vous présentez des symptômes ou si vous avez obtenu un résultat positif au test de dépistage de la COVID-19 :

Le Bureau de santé publique de Toronto recommande aux personnes de rester à la maison si elles sont malades ou si elles ont des symptômes, même légers.
Toute personne présentant des symptômes nouveaux ou s’aggravant, ou dont le test de dépistage de COVID-19 était positif, doit remplir l’auto-évaluation provinciale et suivre les instructions relatives à l’auto-isolement ou à l’autosurveillance.
Les membres concernés du corps professoral, du personnel ou du corps enseignant doivent informer leur gestionnaire ou doyen(ne) associé(e) de leur absence et suivre les procédures habituelles en matière de congé de maladie.

Directives relatives aux contacts étroits :

Si vous avez été en contact étroit avec une personne ayant la COVID-19, veuillez consulter la page de conseils du Bureau de santé publique de Toronto : COVID-19 : What to Do if You Are a Close Contact.

Vaccination :

Un vaccin actualisé contre la COVID-19 a été approuvé par Santé Canada. La vaccination contre la COVID-19 réduit le risque de maladie grave, de décès et du syndrome post-COVID-19 (« COVID longue »).

Visitez le portail de vaccination contre la COVID-19 de Santé Ontario pour prendre un rendez-vous de vaccination. York communiquera des informations sur les cliniques de vaccination qui se tiendront sur les campus de l’Université York dans les semaines à venir.

Santé Canada recommande une mise à jour de la dose du vaccin contre la COVID-19 dans les cas suivants :

La dernière dose de vaccin COVID-19 a été administrée il y a plus de six mois; ou
Vous avez eu la COVID-19 il y a plus de six mois (la date la plus récente étant retenue).

Tests antigéniques rapides :

L’Université York dispose d’un nombre limité de trousses de tests antigéniques rapides gratuites. Visitez le site Web de la santé communautaire pour plus d’informations.

Port du masque

York encourage le port d’un masque. Vous pouvez envisager de porter un masque bien ajusté et de bonne qualité dans les lieux publics intérieurs très fréquentés. L’Université York a des distributeurs automatiques de masques où l’on peut acheter des masques de niveau 3 et des masques N95.

Le port d’un masque, le maintien d’une distance suffisante, l’hygiène des mains, la vaccination et d’autres mesures de santé publique peuvent réduire la propagation des virus respiratoires.

Pour plus de ressources, consultez la page Community Health destinée au personnel et aux corps professoral et enseignant. Pour toute question relative à la COVID-19 ou à d’autres virus respiratoires, envoyez un courriel à sfccm@yorku.ca.

Les informations destinées à la population étudiante se trouvent sur la page Santé étudiante. Les questions peuvent être envoyées par courriel à schw@yorku.ca.

Global crisis leadership research earns Article of the Year recognition

August 16, 2023

Team of health-care workers co-operating while using laptop on a meeting at medical clinic, wearing face masks due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A research publication co-authored by Schulich School of Business Professor Abi Sriharan was recently named Article of the Year by the Medical Care Research and Review, an influential, peer-reviewed journal that is central to health-care and medical research.

Produced in collaboration with co-authors from Canada, the U.K. and the U.S., the article, “Public Health and Health Sector Crisis Leadership During Pandemics,” examines global crisis leadership amidst pandemics, a topic underscored by the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research findings shed light on the political, structural and cultural dynamics that influence health-care policy decisions.

The authors observed that traditional leadership models often fall short in the dynamic environment of pandemics. The study calls for a paradigm shift in leadership training, to encompass both task- and people-oriented competencies to empower leaders to navigate unprecedented situations with transparency and efficiency.

“We are honoured to be recognized for redefining crisis leadership in the pandemic era,” said Sriharan. “This recognition by Medical Care Research and Review reaffirms the significance of our findings for health-care systems globally.”

Sriharan, an award-winning leadership scholar specializing in the health sector, joined Schulich earlier this year and currently serves as a senior scientist and research director at Schulich’s Krembil Centre for Health Management and Leadership.

Committed to supporting and nurturing thought leadership like Sriharan’s, Schulich recently launched the Master of Health Industry Administration program to equip future health-industry leaders with the skills and knowledge they need to effect meaningful change.

COVID-19 vaccine clinics scheduled for June

June 9, 2023

A photo with a black backgroud that features two vials of COVID-19 vaccine and a syringe

York University’s Health, Safety and Employee Well-Being will host a series of COVID-19 vaccination clinics for the York community.

Clinics will be hosted at both the Keele and Glendon Campuses, beginning June 14.

Keele Campus clinic

Wednesday, June 14

Location: Central Square, East Bear Pit
Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
How to access: walk-in only
Vaccines offered: COVID-19 Pfizer monovalent and bivalent, Moderna monovalent and bivalent

Mercredi 14 Juin

Emplacement : Central Square, East Bear Pit
10h00 à 14h00
Comment y accéder : Sans rendez-vous uniquement
Vaccins offerts : Vaccins Pfizer monovalent et bivalent contre la COVID-19, vaccins Moderna monovalent et bivalent contre la COVID-19

Glendon Campus clinic

Wednesday, June 28

Location: Lobby for the Centre of Excellence, Glendon
Time: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
How to access: walk-in only
Vaccines offered: COVID-19 Pfizer monovalent and bivalent, Moderna monovalent and bivalent

Mercredi 28 Juin

Emplacement : Lobby for the Centre of Excellence, Glendon
10h00 à 14h00
Comment y accéder : Sans rendez-vous uniquement
Vaccins offerts : Vaccins Pfizer monovalent et bivalent contre la COVID-19, vaccins Moderna monovalent et bivalent contre la COVID-19

Research explores financial assistance for organizations during pandemic

June 2, 2023

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.”

York collaborates on international post-pandemic recovery research

May 23, 2023

A young woman dons a mask to protect against the novel coronavirus FEATURED image for York library story

York University Associate Professor Claudia Chaufan will collaborate with a group of interdisciplinary researchers to investigate post-pandemic recovery and best practices for future global emergencies with a grant from the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF).

The $500,000 award was announced as part of the Government of Canada’s NFRF’s 2022 Special Calls stream, which aims to support emerging research as needed.

Chaufan, from the Faculty of Health, is a co-principal investigator on an interdisciplinary team of six researchers from across Canada, along with: Claus Rinner, Toronto Metropolitan University (principal investigator); and co-investigators Candice Chow, McMasters University; J. Christian Rangel, University of Ottawa; Elaine Wiersma, Lakehead University; and Wang, Yiwen, University of Toronto. The project is led by Toronto Metropolitan University.

The project’s team consists of researchers from across the globe, including co-applicant Andrea Valente of York’s Faculty of Education, as well as Canadian experts in governance, healthcare, law, media and communications, and international collaborators from Jamaica, Western Europe, Israel, Kenya and Uganda who specialize in behavioural sciences, economics, epidemiology and philosophy.

The research aims to examine the social and economic inequities amplified by COVID-19 on an international scale. Together, the researchers will look at how social cohesion and inclusivity can be strengthened through community engagement in decision-making with respect to future emergencies. They will also explore how governments can improve communication and build trust with communities.

According to the research team, this research contributes to achieving four United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs): UN SDG 3 Good Health and Wellbeing, by assessing to what extent a holistic view of public health informed the pandemic response; UN SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities, by assessing the impact of pandemic responses on social and health equity; UN SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, by identifying vulnerable communities, even in high-income countries; and UN SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, by examining to what extent the policy development process was transparent and able to ensure inclusivity and accountability.

The team’s research methods will include case studies, critical document analysis, discourse analysis and visualization, as well as oral histories and creative work to investigate operational consideration of the social determinants of health and value-based governance.

The project’s findings will help inform future policy on disaster management.

For more, visit https://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/nfrf-fnfr/special/2022/award_recipients-titulaires_subvention-eng.aspx.

York Circle Lecture explores pandemic’s impact on health care

May 2, 2023

The pandemic has brought to the fore inequities in health care, labour, mental health access and global health

Two York University researchers will share their expertise during the May 6 instalment of the York Circle Lecture series, which will explore how health care has been impacted by the pandemic.

Jennifer Steeves

The in-person Lunch & Lecture event, hosted by York University’s Division of Advancement, Alumni and Friends, welcomes Jennifer Steeves, academic Chair for the 2022-23 lecture series and associate vice-president research, to host and moderate this event. Steeves is set to lead poignant discussions with York University expert faculty members as they deliver keynotes on an array of topics related to this season’s overarching theme: “The Pandemic: COVID’s Impact on Canada’s health care system.”

The Saturday session will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and features topics that examine virtual reality and its practical applications in medicine and therapy, as well as managing obesity through COVID-19 lockdowns and beyond.

The speakers and their presentations:

Lora Appel, assistant professor at York’s School of Health Policy & Management, Faculty of Health
“Not just virtual, but virtuous reality: Therapeutic uses of VR for people with cognitive, sensory and mobility impairments”

Virtual reality technology is increasingly being relied upon as a valuable tool in healthcare, for skills training as well as screening, diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The pandemic has emphasized and called attention to the unmet needs of our growing aging population; at the same time, it ensured that digital and virtual care are here to stay. This talk presents some of the emerging research in therapeutic VR interventions across the spectrum of care from acute to community settings.

Jennifer Kuk, associate professor at York’s School of Kinesiology & Health Science, Faculty of Health
“Obesity management during COVID and beyond – how to tip the scales in your favour”

The COVID-19 pandemic presented many challenges to our health. For some of us, this period was also associated with rapid weight gain, while others were more successful at managing their weight. Learn about the science behind why weight loss is so hard, and strategies that may help tip the scales in your favour.

To sign up for the May 6 event, and upcoming York Circle events, click here.

First launched in 2009, the York Circle events series has remained a platform for demonstrating the ideas and research generated by dedicated members of the York community. Presenters from each of the University’s Faculties are invited to speak on topics ranging from gender issues, brain function, mental health, international aid, sports injuries, financial policy and many more evolving subjects. To see summaries of past lectures, and bios on the speakers who delivered them, click here.

Research calls for governance of wildlife trade in pandemic treaty

April 14, 2023

Researchers from York University’s Faculty of Health have co-authored a study investigating the governance of pandemic prevention in the context of wildlife trade.

Published in The Lancet Planetary Health, the research considers the current institutional landscape for pandemic prevention and how prevention of zoonotic spillovers from the wildlife trade for human consumption should be incorporated into a pandemic treaty.

Professors Mary Wiktorowicz and A.M. Viens, along with doctoral candidate Raphael Aguiar, collaborated on the research with colleagues from the University of Washington. The researchers argue that a pandemic treaty should be “explicit about zoonotic spillover prevention and focus on improving coordination across four policy domains, namely public health, biodiversity conservation, food security, and trade.”

A pandemic treaty, they say, should include four interacting goals in relation to prevention of zoonotic spillovers from the wildlife trade for human consumption: risk understanding; risk assessment; risk reduction; and enabling funding.

Ideas about preventative actions for pandemics have been advanced during COVID-19, but researchers say more consideration on how these actions can be operationalized, with respect to wildlife trade for human consumption, is needed.

“To date, pandemic governance has mostly focused on outbreak surveillance, containment, and response rather than on avoiding zoonotic spillovers in the first place,” the study states. “However, given the acceleration of globalization, a paradigm shift towards prevention of zoonotic spillovers is warranted as containment of outbreaks becomes unfeasible.”

According to Raphael, “A risk-based approach to wildlife trade and its interconnected threats can be used to situate the governance of pandemic prevention in relation to their shared causal pathways. This approach enables more efficient coordination of responses.”

Trade-offs must be carefully balanced to meet multiple objectives, says Wiktorowicz. For instance, while bans on all wildlife trade could reduce health risks, they may undermine access to food for some local and indigenous populations around the world and alter incentives for sustainable land use.

“Pandemic prevention at source needs to be based on a better understanding of how interaction with wildlife increases health risks to humans along the entire trade chain, so that overregulation does not occur,” says Wiktorowicz.

The researchers note that containment of zoonotic outbreaks and prevention of spillovers into pandemics could become more difficult to manage with increased globalization and urbanization, and this calls for an international institutional arrangement that accounts specifically for these possibilities.

“The current pandemic treaty negotiations present an opportunity for a multilateral approach, to address deep prevention,” adds Viens.

Read the full study “Global governance for pandemic prevention and the wildlife trade.”

Wiktorowicz and co-author Eduardo Gallo Cajiao (University of Washington) will present the paper in a seminar at the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research on April 26 at 1 p.m. See the event listing online for more information and details on how to attend.

Award for research on cardiac rehabilitation during COVID-19

March 31, 2023

A paper co-authored by York University researchers that investigates how COVID-19 impacted the delivery of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) worldwide has earned the Best Global Heart Journal Paper Award for 2023 from the World Heart Federation.

The award, which recognizes work that advances heart health and fights cardiovascular disease, will be presented at the World Heart Summit, May 19 to 21, to the team of researchers that includes York University Faculty of Health Adjunct Professor Gabriela Lima de Melo Ghisi (lead author), Professor Sherry Grace (senior author) and Adjunct Professor Susan Marzolini.

The team – including researchers from University Health Network, Shanghai Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Nursing, NYU Langone Health, Sydney Nursing School, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, University of Saskatchewan, University Centre Shrewsbury and Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital – studied the impacts of COVID-19 on cardiac rehabilitation around the world, with a focus on closures and the associated effects on patients and providers.

Taking a cross-sectional approach, the team surveyed 1062 cardiac rehabilitation programs from 70 different countries, and found the pandemic resulted in the temporary closure of roughly 75 per cent of programs. As well, the programs that continued to run were found to offer less comprehensive care, changed to virtual delivery, and stopped accepting new patients.

“Given the estimated number of CR programs globally, these results suggest approximately 4,400 CR programs globally have ceased or temporarily stopped service delivery. Those that remain open are implementing new technologies to ensure their patients receive CR safely, despite the challenges,” reads the paper, titled “Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cardiac Rehabilitation Delivery around the World” published in the Global Heart journal.

The paper concludes that alternative cardiac rehabilitation delivery models are necessary to ensure safe, accessible heart rehab care.

“This work all began from a Faculty of Health Minor Research Grant for the first Global Audit in 2016. We had really laid the groundwork of our international network of cardiac rehab, and so were poised to assess the impacts of COVID-19 as soon as the pandemic hit,” says Grace. “We are proud to contribute to York’s leadership in global health, and plan to repeat the audit again soon with the pandemic waning in many regions of the globe. We hope to see that programs have re-opened and virtual rehab delivery is reimbursed.”

York-led study finds most COVID-19 border closures ineffective

March 8, 2023

Closed boom barrier with stop sign against the Canadian flag. Restricted entry or certain ban in Canada. 3D rendering

A research team from the Global Strategy Lab (GSL) at York University looked at border closures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic and concluded that many were ineffective, illegal and even when they did work, were so disruptive that in the future they should only be used when absolutely necessary.

The new study, among the first to evaluate the effectiveness of border closures initially put in place three years ago to slow the spread of the then novel coronavirus, found that targeted closures did little to curb the crisis, and, if evaluated based on what we know now, would likely be considered illegal under international law. The most extreme shutdowns, on the other hand, were temporarily effective but came at a great cost. Border closures should be used as a means of last resort and decisions around closures would be most effective if co-ordinated globally by the World Health Organization, says the paper’s lead author Mathieu Poirier.

The Global Strategy Lab will host a presentation of the paper at 9 a.m. on March 17, the three-year anniversary date of Ontario declaring a provincial emergency and the day after Canada barred entry to non-residents. Poirier, along with co-authors York Professor Susan Rogers Van Katwyk and GSL data analyist Gigi Lin will present, in discussion with Kelley Lee, professor of public health with Simon Fraser University and Canada Research Chair Tier I in Global Health Governance.

The one-hour webinar will present research findings by the authors and provide an opportunity for questions from the audience. Those interested in attending the event, titled “Three Years Later: A Look Back At The Impact Of Border Closures On COVID-19,” can register here.

“People just assumed at the time that these measures were effective, but that’s not necessarily the case,” says Poirier, Faculty of Health social epidemiology professor and York Research Chair in Global Health Equity and co-director of GSL. “Our study shows, using real-world data, that for most countries, in most situations, border closures are not going to be the best approach.”

The research was published this week in PLOS Global Public Health. Poirier and his GSL co-authors – which also includes York Professor and GSL Director Steven Hoffman – looked at available information from 166 countries and evaluated whether border closures curbed spread both domestically and internationally.

Total border closures – defined as barring non-essential travel from all other countries and implemented by the vast majority of countries in March 2020 – did temporarily slow COVID-19 transmission globally. However, the wave of targeted border closures a month earlier aimed at travellers from hotspots did not slow down the global pandemic. On a national level, targeted closures did work in some situations, but the most effective were implemented early and were so extensive that they approached a total closure. Border closures can also divert resources away from other pandemic measures and reduce global co-operation when it is most needed during a pandemic crisis.

Border closures have a huge effect on people’s lives and the economy when compared to other measures such as quarantines, restricting public gatherings and test-and-tracing approaches. But if other less disruptive measures are not possible, then applying border closures early is key. Poirier acknowledges that deciding how early is not a straightforward process.

“If you’re not making those difficult decisions early on, then that decision-making process might already be too late, but if you are the first country to implement a closure, that’s likely going to be very unpopular.”

This challenge is further complicated by the lack of reliable real-time information available to decision-makers.

“Some countries may not be reporting what they know, and many more countries aren’t testing or don’t have the infrastructure to actually know what’s happening on the ground in the first place,” he adds, noting data is not solely an issue in autocratic regimes. “With these fast-moving pandemic threats, it’s probably best to assume that we don’t know what’s happening.”

Under the International Health Regulations, restrictions should not be more stringent than necessary and methods like border closures should only be implemented if supported by science.

“Looking back, most countries’ border closures were likely illegal, but that science was not available to decision makers at the time,” Poirier concludes. “This research suggests closures may have a role to play in future pandemics but should be implemented with strong caution and in co-operation with other countries.”

Learn more at News @ York.

Doris Anderson Award honours for two York University grads

January 18, 2023

The awards, which commemorate the trailblazing legacy of Chatelaine magazine editor Doris Anderson, celebrate Canadians who exemplify the grit and ingenuity, two characteristics often used to describe Anderson.

The iconic Canadian magazine announced the awards earlier this month. York grad Birgit Uwaila Umaigba (MEd ’18, BScN ’16) leads the list of recipients of the award, and Osgoode Hall Law School grad Michelle O’Bonsawin (LLM ’14) received an honorable mention.

The two York grads were named among a 2022 cohort that includes such luminaries as Canadian politician Anita Anand and Olympian Marie-Philip Poulin.

Birgit Uwaila Umaigba

Umaigba was named a Doris Anderson Award recipient for elevating the voices of Canadian nurses on the front lines of pandemic care. Umaigba has a masters of education and a bachelor of science in nursing from York University.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Umaigba was on the front line highlighting to the media the stories and struggles of Canadian nurses. A clinical instructor and professor at Centennial College’s nursing program, Umaigba has an intimate understanding of the issues Canada’s nursing sector faces.

As a new mother, clinical instructor and master’s student, Umaigba decided to work as an agency nurse while she juggled the many demands in her life. Agency nurses work outside the facilities where they are employed and have no benefits, paid sick days or job security. During the pandemic, she became well known as she spoke out about the challenges that health-care workers and in particular, agency nurses, faced during the pandemic.

Through her advocacy, Umaigba has raised awareness about how racialized and poor communities have borne the brunt of the pandemic, the mental health struggles nurses face and the injustice of Ontario’s Bill 124.

Michelle O’Bonsawin

In 2022, O’Bonsawin became the first Indigenous justice named to the Supreme Court of Canada. A member of the Abenaki First Nation of Odanak, she’s a champion of using Gladue principles – a judicial approach that takes into consideration Indigenous oppression.

With a distinguished legal career that has spanned more than 20 years, O’Bonsawin is a highly respected jurist. She was first appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Ottawa in 2017. Prior to her appointment, she was general counsel for the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group for eight years. In this role, she developed a thorough understanding of legal issues related to mental health and performed significant research regarding the use of Gladue principles in the forensic mental health system, appearing before various administrative tribunals and levels of courts, including the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the Consent and Capacity Board, the Ontario Review Board, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Court of Justice, and the Ontario Court of Appeal.

She began her legal career with the legal services at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and was then counsel with Canada Post, specializing in labour and employment law, human rights, and privacy law. O’Bonsawin has taught Indigenous law at the University of Ottawa’s Common Law Program and was previously responsible for the Indigenous Relations Program at the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group. She is a frequent guest speaker on Gladue principles, Indigenous issues, as well as mental health, labour and privacy law.

More about the Doris Anderson Awards

In 2021, Chatelaine magazine renamed their annual Women of the Year honours to celebrate Doris Anderson, who began as the magazine’s senior editor in 1957. Over the course of her 20-year tenure as editor of the magazine, Anderson became well-known for her her tenacity, grit and determination. In her vision for Chatelaine, Anderson set out to create a women’s magazine that gave its readers information to re-imagine their lives, moving away from the “perfect, little hem-stitched housewife” that magazines during the 1950s were urging woman to be. Instead, Anderson published features on abortion, birth control and reproductive rights, equal pay, universal childcare and more, long before many of these topics were covered by other forms of media. Anderson died in 2007, the awards commemorate her enduring legacy.