Tag: YFile

Internal YFile sub-tag

York University’s Tracey Taylor-O’Reilly named one of Top 100: Canada’s Most Powerful Women

Image announcing Awards

York University’s Tracey Taylor-O’Reilly, assistant vice-president of continuing studies, has been named one of this year’s top 100 most powerful women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN).

Tracey Taylor-O’Reilly
Tracey Taylor-O’Reilly

Launched in 2003, the Top 100 Awards celebrate the incredible accomplishments of Canada’s top female executive talent as well as their organizations and networks. 

Taylor-O’Reilly joined York University in 2013, where she founded and launched the new School of Continuing Studies in 2015, one of the largest of its kind in Canada and an award-winning global leader in professional and English language programs. In its first five years, professional program enrolment grew 10-fold under her leadership. The school continues to partner with employers to create innovative educational experiences designed to fill Canada’s most pressing skills gaps. 

“The labour market continues to be greatly affected by technology and automation, and under Tracey’s visionary leadership, York University’s School of Continuing Studies has quickly gained an impressive reputation for providing accelerated professional programs that combine the technical and cross-functional skills sought by students and employers,” said York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton. “She has not only enhanced York’s continuing studies programming, but has contributed significantly to the vision of the University and to the lives of our students by strengthening our commitment to accessibility and social mobility. I am delighted to have the opportunity to congratulate Tracey on this well-deserved recognition.” 

Taylor-O’Reilly has also contributed to closing the labour gender gap and diversifying the workforce by increasing the number of women and under-represented communities enrolled in technology programs, working as instructors and serving as program advisers at the school. 

The success of this strategy is particularly evident in its impact on gender diversity in the field of information security. The percentage of women enrolled in the school’s cybersecurity program, for example, exceeded the percentage of women working in the field in Canada last year. In less than five years, two of that program’s female graduates earned recognition as leaders in the industry and returned to inspire others as instructors at York University. 

“It is a tremendous honour to be recognized by the WXN and join the ranks of some of the most innovative and influential business leaders in our country. Transforming the way professional education is delivered to help Canadians and newcomers to Canada advance their careers while meeting urgent industry needs is something I am truly passionate about,” said Taylor-O’Reilly. “The role universities now play over the course of a career has never been more important. We are living in times where people will need to upskill every few years throughout their career. At York University, our vision is to become a lifelong partner to adults to help them navigate each stage of their working life. We have an incredibly talented team who are bringing this ambitious vision to life.” 

Tracey Taylor-O’Reilly reflects on her Women’s Executive Network award and the importance of continuing studies

Her influence for change goes beyond York. She serves as board director and Chair of the Human Resources and Compensation Committee for Achēv, one of the largest non-profit human capital corporations in Canada. Her leadership has meaningfully influenced change in the boardroom and society by ensuring growth in employment, youth, newcomer and language services.

Taylor-O’Reilly will receive the Women’s Executive Network award in the CIBC Executive Leaders category, which recognizes women who exemplify what it means to be a great leader, build confidence, champion equality and break down barriers for the next generation of leaders. A virtual awards gala will take place on Nov. 25.

The full list of recipients can be found on WXN’s Canada’s Most Powerful Women website.

York U in the news: climate action, North Korean escapees and more

COP26: Four ways rich nations can keep promises to curb emissions and fund climate adaptation
An op-ed by York University Adjunct Professor Bruce Campbell was published in the Conversation Oct. 24. Read full story.

‘We’re giving North Koreans hope and a home.’ Pilot program gives escapees from Pyongyang a pathway to resettle in Canada
York University student Sam Kim was profiled in the Toronto Star Oct. 26. Read full story.

Parry Sound athlete named Top 100 in Canada with RBC Training Ground
York University student-athlete Alisha Edington was profiled in the Parry Sound North Star Oct. 25. Read full story.

Rogers family drama: What to know and why you should care
York University Professor Richard Leblanc was quoted in Global News Oct. 25. Read full story.

Who will win the battle to control Rogers? Experts say Edward has the upper hand
York University Professor Richard Leblanc was quoted in the Toronto Star Oct. 25. Read full story.

Ted Rogers’s wishes for family control of company have complicated the power struggle
York University Professor Richard Leblanc was quoted in the Globe and Mail Oct. 22. Read full story.

Le Barreau de l’Ontario, une institution délinquante?
York University Professor Agnes Whitfield was quoted in Le Droit Oct. 18. Read full story.

Bulk buying, couponing and urban farming: 3 ways of fighting high food prices
York University PhD candidate Zsofia Mendly-Zambo was quoted in CBC News Oct. 23. Read full story.

Ice loss, toxic algae blooms: Canadian study looks at Northern Hemisphere’s warming lakes
York University Professor Sapna Sharma was quoted on CTVNews.ca Oct. 23. Read full story.

Northern lakes losing ice coverage due to climate change, finds study
York University Professor Sapna Sharma was quoted in CBC News Oct. 22. Read full story.

Study finds Northern Hemisphere lakes losing ice coverage due to climate change
York University Professor Sapna Sharma was quoted in the Digital Journal Oct. 26. Read full story.

Canadian supply delays come as a warning that future interruptions could be worse
Johnny Rungtusantham, Canada Research Chair in Supply Management at York University’s Schulich School of Business, was quoted in CBC News Oct. 25. Read full story.

Teachers, parents find rocky return to school for kids adjusting to in-person class
York University Professor Sarah Barrett was quoted in the Red Deer Advocate Oct. 25. Read full story.

Study suggests learning second language boosts cognitive function
Ellen Bialystok, a Distinguished Research Professor at York University, was quoted in Lokmat Oct. 25. Read full story.

Nearly 33,000 British Columbians displaced by wildfire in 2021
York University Professor Yvonne Su was quoted on VancouverIsAwesome.com Oct. 22. Read full story.

Fanshawe hires lawyer as first director of equity, diversity and inclusion
York University alumnus Joseph Pazzano was profiled in the London Free Press Oct. 25. Read full story.

Mini-workshop with award-winning author Bianca Lakosaljac
York University alumna Bianca Lakosaljac was profiled in Muskoka411 Oct. 25. Read full story.

Canada: The Hellenic Heritage Foundation and Heritage Toronto honour site of the first Greek community centre
York University Professor Sakis Gekas was mentioned in Greek City Times Oct. 25. Read full story.

Adaptation: The journey from literature to film
York University Professor Walid ElKhachab was mentioned in Ahram Online Oct. 24. Read full story.

Ontario law schools and Mitacs partner to provide Intellectual property strategy internships
York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School was mentioned in Canadian Lawyer Oct. 24. Read full story.

Vietnamese ambassador to Canada on diplomacy during COVID-19
York University was mentioned in Forbes Oct. 25. Read full story.

Ontario universities set to ‘unenroll’ unvaccinated students from campus
York University was mentioned on insauga.com Oct. 23. Read full story.

Remembering pioneering psychologist and piano soloist Marcia Weiner
York University was mentioned in the Hamilton Spectator Oct. 24. Read full story.

Canadian Institute naming revamped center after Greek-born film studio pioneer
York University was mentioned on ekathimerini.com Oct. 25. Read full story.

Northern lakes warming six times faster in the past 25 years

Image shows a lake with ice on it

Lakes in the Northern Hemisphere are warming six times faster since 1992 than any other time period in the past 100 years, research led by York University has found.

Lake Superior, the most northern of the Great Lakes, which straddles the Canada-U.S. border, is one of the fastest-warming lakes, losing more than two months of ice cover since ice conditions started being recorded in 1857. In Japan’s Lake Suwa, ice formed close to 26 days later per century since 1897 and is now only freezing twice every decade, while Grand Traverse Bay in Lake Michigan had one of the fastest ice-off trends, melting about 16 days earlier per century.

Sapna Sharma
Sapna Sharma

“We found that lakes are losing on average 17 days of ice cover per century. Alarmingly, what we found is that warming in the past 25 years, from 1992 to 2016, was six times faster than any other period in the last 100 years,” said Faculty of Science Associate Professor Sapna Sharma, who led the study with Professor David Richardson of the State University of New York at New Paltz, N.Y., and climate scientist Iestyn Woolway of the European Space Agency Climate Office in the U.K.

The researchers reassessed ice trends of 60 lakes for the first time since 2004 by studying ice phenology records ranging from 107 to 204 years old, dating from prior to the Industrial Revolution. “Many of our lakes may be approaching a tipping point to ice-free conditions, which will have vast cultural and ecological implications,” said Sharma.

On average, these lakes were freezing 11 days later and thawing 6.8 days earlier. Extremely warm winters over the past several decades have contributed to the increasing rate of ice loss, especially in larger lakes and in southern and coastal regions.

“In addition, we found that the duration of winter ice cover has decreased, particularly since 1995, to the point where some lakes are beginning to have more winters with minimal or even no ice cover. For example, some deep lakes in Switzerland and Germany, which historically used to freeze each winter, have permanently lost their ice cover in the past few decades,” said Richardson.

Of the lakes studied, 40 are in North America, including lakes Michigan and Superior, Detroit Lake in Minnesota, lakes Monona and Mendota in Wisconsin, Cazenovia and Oneida lakes in New York, and several in Ontario – Lake Simcoe, Lake Nipissing and Lake of Bays – 18 are in Europe and two are in Asia – Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia, and Lake Suwa in Japan.

Ice breaking up on Oneida Lake in New York in the spring of 2021. Photo by Professor Lars Rudstam, Cornell University
Ice breaking up on Oneida Lake in New York in the spring of 2021. Photo by Professor Lars Rudstam, Cornell University

“The findings were in line with our expectations, as air temperature has increased over recent decades,” said Woolway. “Air temperature is one of the most important climatic drivers of lake ice dynamics, owing to its additive effects on various components of the lake energy budget.”

Lake ice phenology is considered an important sentinel of climate change. A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is necessary if increases in air temperature and decreases in lake ice cover are to be mitigated. The researchers say this would also help limit ecological, cultural and socioeconomic consequences, including increased evaporation rates, warmer water temperatures, degraded water quality and the formation of toxic algal blooms.

Records have been kept for several decades to centuries detailing lake ice-on and ice-off times because of its importance to refrigeration, transportation, recreation and cultural traditions, as well as economic impacts.

The paper, “Loss of Ice Cover, Shifting Phenology, and More Extreme Events in Northern Hemisphere Lakes,” was published in the October issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences.

Richard Leblanc

Richard Leblanc
Richard Leblanc

School of Administrative Studies Professor Richard Leblanc weighs in on the boardroom battle for control of Rogers Communications Inc.

Learn why arts venues are critical to innovative society at next Scholars’ Hub

People at theatre

For the Oct. 27 edition of the Scholars’ Hub @ Home speaker series, David Weitzner, an assistant professor of management in York University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, will host a discussion about the importance of arts venues in post-pandemic society.

David Weitzner
David Weitzner

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything, and with governments overtaking markets in deciding economic winners and losers, arts spaces have ended up among the biggest losers. Research demonstrates that honing imagination and wonder is essential to creating cultures dedicated to innovative social and business practices, which is why, as Weitzner will argue, CEOs and policy-makers need to take note: any society hoping to build back better must start by supporting their arts venues, the training ground for wonder.

Brought to you by York University’s Office of Alumni Engagement, the Scholars’ Hub @ Home speaker series features discussions on a broad range of topics, with engaging lectures from some of York’s best and brightest minds. Students, alumni and all members of the community are invited to attend. All sessions take place at noon via Zoom.

Events are held in partnership with Vaughan Public Libraries, Markham Public Library and Aurora Public Library.

To register for the event, visit bit.ly/3pyJrih.

Schulich instructor raises $1M for parenting app

person holding a smartphone

A new app launched by a Schulich School of Business instructor and her team aims to improve the health and happiness of parents.

A student’s academic journey can last several years, but a parent’s journey lasts a lifetime. Schulich entrepreneurial studies instructor Althea Wishloff aims to help new mothers and families on their parental journey with the launch of the new subscription-based app Koble.

Koble Head of Growth, Althea Wishloff (left) with Founder Swati Matta
Koble head of growth Althea Wishloff (left) with founder Swati Matta (right)

Koble’s goal is to reinvent the prenatal and post-partum experience by connecting parents and health-care experts to provide multidisciplinary care. The Koble team recently raised $1 million with the participation of Garage Capital and Panache Ventures.

“I’m very excited, alongside my team, to build a product that brings better prenatal and post-partum support to parents across the globe,” said Wishloff. “Schulich network has helped elevate Koble’s brand and convene a network of supporters as we bring our solution to market.”

In seeking health-care investors with expertise in recruitment and direct-to-consumer products, Koble also received funds investment from prominent executives from Telus, Shopify, Uber, League and Cleveland Clinic Canada.

Koble’s new focus is building a community within the platform by delivering cohort-based learning experiences, where new parents can start their journeys alongside other families. The company will then work to provide virtual one-to-one care early next year.

York U in the news: math lessons, climate planning and more

Four moves to make math visible with kids, using counters
An op-ed by York University PhD candidate Heather Bourrie was published in the Conversation Oct. 21. Read full story.

Cities and towns are key to reaching net-zero
Osgoode Hall Law School Professor Deborah McGregor was quoted in Canada’s National Observer Oct. 21. Read full story.

Edward Rogers out as Rogers chair after failed bid to oust CEO
York University Professor Richard Leblanc was quoted in CBC News Oct. 21. Read full story.

Northern lakes warming six times faster in past 25 years
York University Professor Sapna Sharma was quoted in the Eurasia Review Oct. 22. Read full story.

Ousted Rogers Communications chairman strikes back with plans to rejig board
York University Professor Richard Leblanc was quoted in Reuters Oct. 22. Read full story.

Academy reveals 2021 Student Academy Award winners and medal placement
York University student Salar Pashtoonyar was mentioned on BlackFilm.com Oct. 21. Read full story.

Markham Campus building starts to take shape

York University Boulevard unveiling during event at the Markham Campus

Exciting things are happening at the Markham Campus site, including progress on construction and the unveiling of a new “University Boulevard” street sign.

Construction is underway for York University’s much-anticipated Markham Campus, a state-of-the-art facility that will welcome its first students in Fall 2023. The new campus will embed York in the heart of Markham, Ont., one of the most diverse and dynamic cities in Canada and an ideal home for a community of positive changemakers. The high-quality, research-intensive campus located in the fast-growing York Region will offer opportunities for students and faculty to collaborate directly with employers, startups and community partners to right the future.

York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton and York staff recently toured the construction site with Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti, city staff, and members of the Stuart Olson construction management team to see how the building is starting to take shape. The City of Markham donated a parcel of land located at Enterprise Boulevard and University Boulevard (formerly Rivis Road) worth more than $50 million towards the $275.5-million campus. York Region also committed $25 million toward the project, which is expected to generate 2,000 jobs and $350 million in immediate economic benefits.

Markham Campus site visit

Markham Campus will be built to accommodate 4,200 students and is designed to facilitate collaboration between programs and Faculties. This will promote unexpected connections and will bring people together to create positive change. Markham Campus will also be co-located with YSpace and the IBM Innovation Space.

The building will feature:

  • 10 floors of teaching and learning spaces that are clustered around a dynamic, multi-story atrium – the Bratty Family Atrium;
  • large and small common areas that are spread throughout the buildings, providing spaces for students to study, meet and collaborate; and
  • a multi-faith space, Indigenous learning circle and enhanced accessibility features that create a welcoming environment.

A “University Boulevard” street sign was also recently unveiled by Lenton and Scarpitti, solidifying the University’s place in the heart of Markham.

Learn more and stay up to date on the campus progress by visiting the refreshed Markham Campus website.

York instructor Mark Terry’s new documentary to screen at COP26

Iceland mountain under white clouds

York University contract faculty member Mark Terry’s new documentary film, The Changing Face of Iceland, will screen at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, on Nov. 4.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has selected The Changing Face of Iceland, the third instalment in Terry’s trilogy of polar documentaries focusing on the impacts climate change on the island nation of Iceland, as an official Action for Climate Empowerment project under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. As such, it is scheduled for a screening at a two-hour event at COP26.

The Changing Face of Iceland. COP26. Official Screening: Thursday, November 4, 2021, 18:00 to 20:00
Mark Terry
Mark Terry

Terry – a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, an associate to the UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability at York and a contract faculty member in York’s Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change – will introduce his film at the event and take questions after the screening. 

The Changing Face of Iceland is a production of the Youth Climate Report, a partner program of the UNFCCC since 2011. The documentary examines the toll climate change has taken on Iceland’s glaciers, land, flora, fauna, fish, economy and people. The film also includes exclusive footage of the recent eruptions of Fagradalsfjall, an active volcano only 40 kilometres from Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík.

The two previous films in the trilogy, The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning (2009) and The Polar Explorer (2011), have been aired on CBC in Canada and released in the U.S. by PBS, as well as screened at past United Nations climate summits.

For further information, contact Terry by email at ycrtv1@gmail.com.

Students engage in land-based learning to understand health

Joce TwoCrows from SweetGrass Roots Collective teaching at the The Black Creek Community Farm
Joce TwoCrows from SweetGrass Roots Collective teaching at the The Black Creek Community Farm

Teachings set in nature, among the maple trees of Black Creek Community Farm, offered students at York University a new perspective on health.

A unique experiential learning opportunity for York students in the Faculty of Health’s School of Health Policy and Management (SHPM) offered first-hand teachings about what determinants shape health and how the land relates to health.

The land-based learning for two SHPM classes – HLST1011 Health on the Front Lines and HLST3012 Social Determinants of Indigenous Peoples’ Health, taught by assistant professors Jessica Vorstermans and Sean Hillier – was delivered in partnership with Sweet Grass Roots Collective at the Black Creek Community Farm (Sweet Grass Roots Collective stewards land at the farm).

About 30 students from two classes met in person at the farm, where they received teachings from Jennifer LaFontaine of Sweet Grass Roots Collective, an Indigenous collective that does land- and place-based education, earthwork, arts and storytelling, and stewards a Three-Sisters Medicine garden at the farm. The teachings took place among the maple trees, and students were given the opportunity to taste sweetwater (which is used in ceremony), braid sweetgrass and bundle sage.

  • Students from classes in the Faculty of Health’s School of Health Policy and Management tied bundles of sage during a land-based learning activity
    Students from classes in the Faculty of Health’s School of Health Policy and Management tied bundles of sage during a land-based learning activity
  • Students walking through the maple grove at Black Creek Community Farm, where they participated in land-based learning activities
    Students walking through the maple grove at Black Creek Community Farm, where they participated in land-based learning activities

“Having learners on the land, and able to connect with the land, takes the theoretical and philosophical discussions from the classroom of knowledge and how knowledge systems are validated and challenges long-held Western notions,” says Hillier. “By taking part in on-the-land learning, learners come to a deeper meaning of Indigenous Peoples and traditional knowledge.”

Land-based learning presents a different opportunity for students, explains Vorstermans, because it asks participants to be present in a different way – being present to the land, to the plants, to the trees, to the wind, to the sun. During this particular experience, LaFontaine asked the group to think about Indigenous Peoples’ access to land for ceremony, as the group stood below maple trees and shared sweetwater.

“This kind of learning was different, while standing under the trees that provide the sweetwater,” says Vorstermans. “It also asks students to think about ways their learning has been colonized, asks them to think about ways learning can look different, ask different things and prompt different responses. It asks them to think about ways their own learning from land shapes their health, their wellness and what this relationship has looked like over time and space.”

She hopes students will come away from the experience with a deeper knowledge of how health care looks different based on social locations, and how colonization has shaped the system of care, knowledge and wellness.

“As a white woman scholar, I have to navigate this space with care and reciprocity. I am responding to calls from students to decolonize their learning and am guided by the Indigenous Framework for York University: A Guide to Action,” says Vorstermans. “I work to make space in my classroom, curriculum and syllabus to engage with Indigenous world views and ontologies, led by Indigenous scholars and teachers. This is my responsibility, as I have been given the task of educating current and future health professionals; it would be irresponsible not to.”

Those who could not come to the in-person learning engaged through a video that premiered on the Faculty of Health’s YouTube channel.