With Toronto on yet another smog alert it couldn’t be more timely that political science Professor Terry Fowler will be chairing a conference later this month at York’s Glendon Campus on Kyoto and urban sprawl, noted the Toronto Star July 3. Fowler specializes in local government. He will be leading a workshop on “Sprawl and Life in the City”. “Because this form of urban development is threatening us as a species, we have to wake up and confront its implications,” said Fowler in explaining the genesis of the conference. Pollution-related illnesses in Ontario are estimated to cost more than $1 billion in yearly health care outlays, while gridlock sucks billions from the Ontario economy.
Cohort crunch?
In the Richmond Hill Liberal June 29, an article on university acceptance rates – which opens, “Crunch? What crunch?” – notes York University is listed as still accepting applications for 10 programs, mostly in the science and information technology faculties. The article quotes VP Academic Sheila Embleton as saying, “I think there was a lot of hype around [the double cohort] in the beginning.” Embleton said 46 per cent of students were accepted into the program of their choice, well within the normal range despite this year’s circumstances. “In any uncertain circumstance, there’s going to be nervousness and that’s just human nature. But people ignored the four to five years of planning that universities have done to deal with it,” she said.
York grad/jazz musician wows NYC audiences
A Toronto Star July 3 article on York grad Brenda Earle (BFA ’98) extols her as a pianist, singer and songwriter. Earle, who’s from Sarnia, is making waves in New York’s music scene, treading confidently in the footsteps of other Canadian jazz artists proving themselves against the world’s best – like another singer/pianist, Diana Krall, and a host of instrumentalists such as reedman Seamus Blake, guitarist Peter Leitch and pianist Renee Rosnes. Earle will be at the Senator this week through Sunday showcasing material from her new cd, All She Needs.
On the air
- York biology Professor Dawn Bazely talked on “Maritime Noon” (Halifax CBH-FM) June 30 on “bio-invaders” – the introduced species that spread insidiously and wreak havoc on maritime ecosystems.