The 2020 essay contest “What is Your Vision for Canada?” winners were presented with their certificates virtually at our annual Student, Alumni and Community Recognition Awards Zoom Ceremony on November 26, 2020. This on-line event was attended by close to 100 guests from the SPPA community. Congratulatory remarks were made by Professor Joanne Magee (Undergraduate Program Director) and Khushbu Dhaliwal (President) of our Public Policy and Administration Student Association (PPASA).
Congratulations to the award winners!
First Prize
Erin Rebello | Grade 12
Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School
Toronto, ON
Prioritizing the Healthcare Needs of Black and Indigenous Persons of Colour (PDF)
Second Prize
Noah Smale | Grade 10
Middleton Regional High School
Middleton, NS
Third Prize
Selina Alora | Grade 11
St. Joseph’s College School
Toronto, ON
Climate Change in Canada (PDF)
Thank you so much for this incredible award. As a student interested in pursuing a career in healthcare, I really decided to take this essay contest as a challenge to explore and dive into the many intersections between healthcare, society, and law and politics. Furthermore, the healthcare needs of Black and Indigenous People of Colour in Canada is a topic that I’m extremely passionate about, and I’m really glad that my enthusiasm shone through my writing, and that I was chosen as the first-place winner of the York Public Policy Essay Contest.
— Erin Rebello
I would like to thank the School of Public Policy & Administration for holding this essay competition. The act of writing this essay helped broaden my thoughts about what are the most pressing issues of our times. Lessening inequality brings us together, even though we remain our different selves.
— Noah Smale
The essay I composed was a direct response to witnessing the severity of the climate crisis and how it has impacted my life. It is imperative to understand that the climate crisis will affect everyone involved. It knows no borders between the young and old, the rich or the poor. This is a problem we need to come together to solve, and I was especially influenced by watching young climate activists mobilize to fight for what they believe in, by means of campaigning on digital platforms and in previous years, through climate strikes. To see individuals my age be so passionate for a cause awakened my own desire to create change. I would like to thank everyone involved in hosting this competition for the opportunity given to me and it was a pleasure to participate and share my thoughts.
— Selina Alora