York experts weigh in on local and international issues: from $18.4M in bonuses at CBC to Kamala Harris’ campaign, and bats in Belize
Weekly roundup highlighting York University faculty offering their academic expertise in the news
CBC paid out $18.4 million in bonuses this year after hundreds of jobs were eliminated. “I think this is a teachable moment for all Crown corporations when they award incentive pay,” says Prof Richard Leblanc speaking to Toronto Star. He adds that while the public broadcaster did not do anything out of the ordinary, it should have been transparent about why it was awarding bonuses.
Does Kamala Harris’s brat summer have enough momentum to sustain her campaign through the fall, and into four more years of a Democratic-led America? Professor Yvonne Su and York alumna Tegan Hadisi explore the viral opportunity being presented to the Democratic presidential nominee in an op-ed for The Conversation.
PhD student Gliselle Marin is looking to discover whether bats regularly diversify their diet, or if they’re being forced due to habitat loss. “I’m going to extract the DNA from the feces,” she tells NPR. “And that will tell me every single thing that they’ve been eating.” Marin attended this year’s 16th annual “Bat-a-thon” in northern Belize, a gathering of 80-some bat researchers who converge to study the winged mammals. In another audio story, also by NPR, Marin spoke about the implications of her research and how community engagement is important for conservation efforts. “We have an amazing wealth of resources in Belize, and I don’t think that’s lost on Belizeans, to be honest. I think sometimes we just need a reminder. Some people feel like they don’t have a voice or a role to play, but I think everyone does,” she said. Faculty of Science Professor Elizabeth Clare also attended “Bat-a-thon” in July and spoke to NPR about her research. Clare worked diligently to identify the species of all 1,132 bats (38 species in total) captured over the two weeks.
We cannot use the excuse of security to allow these kinds of practices to continue unchecked.
Petra Molnar, associate director of the Refugee Law Lab
Petra Molnar, an associate director of the Refugee Law Lab, weighs in on complaints about the screening process at Ottawa International Airport. Travellers accused screening officers of unprofessional, rude and invasive behaviour during body and bag searches. “We cannot use the excuse of security to allow these kinds of practices to continue unchecked,” Molnar tells CBC. She also talks to The Canadian Press about the Canada Border Services Agency’s plan to implement an app that uses facial recognition technology to keep track of people who have been ordered to be deported from the country. Molnar says there is a power imbalance between the agency implementing the app and the people on the receiving end. It’s “very troubling that there is basically no discussion of … human rights impacts in the documents,” says Molnar.
Professor Suzanne MacDonald talks to Real Simple, sharing her tips for how to keep raccoons from getting into your garbage bins and making a mess.
Last week, alumni and Canadian beach volleyball duo Melissa Humaña-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson won an Olympic silver medal. “We’re normally a winter sport country,” Humaña-Paredes told National Post, “but we are fricking good at beach volleyball, as well. I’m tired of ‘Don’t you live in igloo?’ questions. We play beach volleyball.” The pair finished with the best result in the country’s history in the sport. “It was not lost on me that we could create some magic together, so I’m not surprised,” Humaña-Paredes told CBC. Humaña-Paredes was just three years old when Canada won its first beach volleyball medal — a bronze for the men’s team. Humaña-Paredes’ father Hernan Humaña was their coach. “That medal opened up possibilities and opportunities and resources. And so that created a big shift in beach volleyball. It was a big impact,” Humana told The Globe and Mail.
Professor Amanda De Lisio, co-author of a recent study into the impact of sport mega-events on sex workers in Rio, talks to Dazed for an article about how the Paris Olympics were impacting sex workers in the city. French police established an ‘anti-pimping brigade’ in Paris, and De Lisio says crackdowns are already happening in L.A. ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games.
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