York experts on the impact of climate change on lake ice, the value of major party leaders’ pensions, and more
CTV News reports on a new study by Professor Sapna Sharma and Postdoctoral Fellow Joshua Culpepper. The study has found that warmer winter weather has impacted the quality of lake ice, making Canada’s frozen rivers and lakes potentially treacherous for skaters, hockey players, snowmobilers, ice anglers and others. Total ice thickness has been getting thinner over time, with less black ice being formed, causing unstable and unsafe conditions. “Ice quality is becoming weaker because of climate change,” says Sharma.
Professor Vijay Setlur comments on the Argonauts’ uncertain future with Rogers gaining control of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment with an acquisition — pending approval — from Bell. “Rogers is a quintessential Canadian company, yet they haven’t really had an interest in CFL,” Setlur tells Toronto Star.
Professor Yvonne Su writes about rising xenophobia, fuelled by false narratives about immigrants, in an op-ed for Toronto Star. “We have to ask ourselves — who benefits from this rhetoric? The answer is no one. Blaming migrants for crimes doesn’t make us safer; it distracts from the real issues of inequality, underfunded public services, and the need for affordable housing. When we focus on scapegoating migrants, we lose sight of the systematic problems that actually affect our communities,” says Su. In a separate op-ed for The Conversation, Su writes, “This rhetoric, while politically expedient, carries dangerous consequences: it legitimizes discrimination, dehumanizes immigrants — especially racialized people — and often turns them into scapegoats for broader societal problems and collective anger.”
Blaming migrants for crimes doesn’t make us safer; it distracts from the real issues of inequality, underfunded public services, and the need for affordable housing.
Su writes for The Conversation
Following comments by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accusing NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh of supporting the government until February so that he can become eligible for his MP pension, Professor Shanker Trivedi calculates the value of major party leaders’ pensions for CBC, saying Poilievre’s pension is much larger than Singh’s because he’s been an MP for over 20 years. Singh has been in the House of Commons for almost six years.
Professor Alison Macpherson weighs in on a study that found kids started walking and biking to school more after the proliferation of clean air zones — designated regions within a city where vehicles must meet strict pollution standards or pay a fee to operate within them. In London, which has the largest ultra-low emissions zone in the world, two out of every five students in the study switched from “passive” to “active” ways of getting to school, reports Grist. “Walking and biking and scootering to school is better for the child, better for the family, and better for the environment,” says Macpherson.
Professor and Dean of the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design Sarah Bay-Cheng and a former student (BFA ’24) pen an op-ed for The Conversation about the future of moviegoing, a topic of debate at the Toronto International Film Festival Industry conference. Despite declining box office sales, Gen Z is driving in-person attendance. This is a demographic that values immersive, multi-sensory experiences. The future of cinema may rely on blending traditional moviegoing with new, embodied experiences to attract audiences.
Last Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau explicitly ruled government intervention in the Air Canada labour dispute. It’s perhaps unsurprising then that the airline reached a tentative agreement with the pilots’ union on Sunday. In an op-ed for The Globe and Mail, Professor Steven Tufts wrote about Air Canada misjudging the government’s willingness to refer negotiations to arbitration to avoid a strike. “The company is not always popular with Canadians — and politicians know it,” writes Tufts. In an article by The Canadian Press, Professor David J. Doorey weighs in on calls for government intervention in sectors like transportation during this era of increased strike activity, and union power and popularity.
Tufts writes in The Globe and Mail
In an op-ed for The Conversation, Professor Jack L. Rozdilsky writes about Donald Trump being the target of an alleged second assassination attempt. “With this second act of political violence directed towards Trump, a deeper look at assassination attempts is needed to begin to interpret this troubling turn of events,” writes Rozdilsky.
Professor Paul Delaney speaks to CTV News about Comet C/2023 A3. Known as the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, it will make an appearance in the night sky this fall. Delaney says the comet could shine as brightly as the planet Venus. “In and around October 15, 16, 17, in evening twilight, when the sun has set and the sky is getting somewhat darker, that’s going to be our first opportunity to see it, if it is, in fact this bright,” says Delaney. “As October stretches on, it will get more visible in darker skies.” Professor Elaina Hyde talks to Toronto Star about Tuesday night’s partial lunar eclipse and supermoon. “Remember that when you look at the shadow being cast on the moon, you’re actually seeing Earth’s shadow,” says Hyde.
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