York experts on solar storms, forest fires, the city’s budget, ethics in politics, and more
Professor Afshin Rezaei-Zare discusses the 1859 geomagnetic storm, and others that have followed. Geomagnetic storms are often linked to a “mesmerizing display” of the northern lights but carry the potential to wreak havoc on our modern technological infrastructure. Rezaei-Zare leads a program that received a $1.65-million grant to help mitigate their potential impacts in Canada and the world. “Perhaps most concerning is their effect on our power grids,” Rezaei-Zare tells Toronto.com. “Modern electrical grids, satellite systems, and communication networks are highly vulnerable to the massive GICs such storms produce.”
In an op-ed for The Conversation, Professor Jack L. Rozdilsky writes about the challenges facing recovery from the Jasper Complex Wildfire, which burned an estimated 32,722 hectares in July. Visiting the site as a researcher and to observe recovery efforts, he describes the “disfigured skeletal remains” of structures littering the charred landscape and how clean-up efforts will be complicated by snowfall. “Despite best efforts being made, if large tracts of disaster debris become frozen in place over winter, such a situation will impede recovery progress in 2025,” writes Rozdilsky.
Professor Joe Mihevc, who served on Toronto City Council for nearly 30 years, comments on the city collecting resident feedback on the 2025 city budget through an online survey. Mihevc says Toronto needs to look for new revenue streams to pay for the priorities identified by residents. Mihevc tells CBC that the city should pressure other levels of government to help pay for programs outside municipal jurisdiction, like continuing to ask the federal government to help cover the cost of shelters used by refugees or lobbying the province to cover the health and housing costs associated with growing homelessness.
Professor Ian Stedman writes about the looming federal election campaign, accountability, transparency and ethics for The Conversation. “Regardless of which party holds power, a striking flaw in Canada’s political ethics framework is the lack of clear consequences for violating the Conflict of Interest Act,” writes Stedman. “Ethics issues must be kept in public view and political parties should be pressured to offer meaningful reform ideas in their campaign and party platforms.”
Ahead of Wednesday’s Liberal caucus meeting where some MPs were expected to confront Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about his dropping popularity, Professor Dennis Pilon spoke to CityNews about the tactic. He says that the Liberals have traditionally been less focused on rules around leadership reviews than other parties.
Professor Valerie Ann Preston talks to Toronto Star about a report by Statistics Canada that found international students and temporary foreign workers are paying more in monthly rent than Canadian-born tenants living in the same metropolitan areas. When differences were adjusted for neighbourhood, type of home and household size, international students paid less for shelter but temporary foreign workers still pay more than Canadian-born tenants. “Discrimination cannot be ruled out because the rent premium for temporary farm workers persists even after you control for neighbourhood and you control for welling characteristics,” says Preston. She adds that individuals in both groups tend to be newer to Canada with less knowledge about local rental markets, which puts them at a disadvantage. International students and temporary foreign workers are also primarily short-term renters. “Housing where you get international students and temporary foreign workers living is also housing that comes back on the market more often,” she says. “The rents rise every time it becomes vacant.”
York’s Markham Campus is prioritizing experiential education through its innovative biotechnology programs. Two standout offerings are the master of biotechnology management and graduate diploma in biotechnology programs. Dan Palermo, the interim deputy provost says the campus was designed to offer students hands-on learning experiences and aligns with the university’s broader goal of expanding experiential education across the institution. “This is what students are asking for,” Palermo tells YorkRegion.com. “It prepares them more effectively for the workforce.”
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