A trust fund has been set up in honour of sisters Isabel, 23, and Vanessa Diceglie, 19, who died last month after being involved in a tragic collision at the intersection of Mayfield and Airport Roads in Caledon, wrote the Caledon Enterprise Oct. 3.
The Brampton sisters died just days apart after being struck by a southbound dump truck while they waited in the intersection to make a left-hand turn to head west on Mayfield Road. Their deaths have sparked an outcry from the public who are demanding that something be done to improve safety on roads that trucks share with cars, and hold truck drivers more accountable for their actions.
Half of the money collected through TD Canada Trust will be donated to the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) and the other half will be donated to York University, where both women studied before they were killed, through the York University Foundation.
The trust fund has been set up at a Brampton TD Canada Trust located at 55 Mountainash Road, where Isabel Diceglie had worked for several years prior to the accident.
Donations can be made at any TD Canada Trust, however. Cheques need to be made out to Connie Consiglio in Trust of Isabel and Vanessa Diceglie, Account #6423513, branch transit #1185.
York professor runs for NDP in Mississauga-Streetsville riding
I am a social activist, sociologist, professor and academic adviser at York University, wrote Gail McCabe, academic adviser in York’s Calumet College, in an election profile published in Brampton’s South Asian Focus Oct. 3.
Explaining her stand on numerous provincial issues, McCabe said she would ensure post-secondary education is accessible to all regardless of ability to pay; reject public-private partnerships in all public services (health, transportation, energy); protect Ontario’s resources including water, energy and air from human degradation and private exploitation; and provide political solutions for protecting our manufacturing, industrial and agricultural base. “I urge everyone to vote ‘Yes’ to the question: ‘Do you support Mixed Member Proportional representation?’ So that every vote counts the way we intended it,” McCabe said.
Alumnus Peter Kormos runs again in Welland
His long history as a politician who speaks for the people is what York alumnus Peter Kormos (BA ’75, LLB ’78) is confident will help him maintain his seat at Queen’s Park (Niagara Centre), wrote the Welland Tribune Oct. 3. As a New Democrat, Kormos may have spent most of his time in opposition but he has still managed to get things done for people, he said while canvassing for the upcoming provincial election at an apartment complex on King Street in Welland.
His own personal history, he said, helps him to relate to working people, as well as those living in poverty. At 16 Kormos said he was on his own in the world and went off to find work. He worked in construction, manufacturing and copper mines. After being in the workforce for a while he decided it was time to pursue his education.
Student runs for NDP in Brampton riding
Mani Singh, 47, a York student and realtor from Brampton, is running for the NDP in the riding of Brampton-Springdale, wrote the Brampton Guardian Oct. 3. A first-time candidate and a member of the Association of Concerned Guyanese, Singh says he is running to help give working families a decent living wage. He said funding the construction overrun at the new civic hospital caused by public/private partnership is the most pressing issue in his area.
Health dean inducted as fellow
York University Faculty of Health Dean Harvey Skinner has been inducted as a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, the national advisory body that counsels government on health issues and public policy, wrote the North York Mirror, Oct. 2.
A psychologist, Skinner was one of the first to focus on linking behaviour change, organizational improvement and information technology (e-Health). He has been a pioneer in the use of computer technology to assess health and change behaviour, and developed three assessment instruments that are used internationally to measure alcohol dependence, detect drug problems and assess how well families are functioning.
Milevsky prefers milder descriptor for annuity product
Manulife Financial Corp. has taken another crack at Income Plus, a variable annuity designed to provide ageing Baby Boomers reliable income for life no matter how long they live, wrote the National Post Oct. 3. However, the income trust lobby denounces these hybrid financial innovations as "financial junk food."
Moshe Milevsky, finance professor at York’s Schulich School of Business, says a life guarantee makes Income Plus a true form of "longevity insurance." He says Canadians need to be prepared to live 30 or more years in retirement. Milevsky would still like to see Manulife step up the level of income more frequently than every three years. As for financial junk food, Milevsky says a better descriptor is "comfort food. Investors feel more comfortable taking equity-based risk when they have these guarantees."
York offers certificate in marketing
It’s unanimous: there’s a scary lack of training in marketing, wrote Strategy magazine Oct. 1. The Association of Canadian Advertisers offers a master’s certificate in marketing communications management in cooperation with York’s Schulich Executive Education Centre, the magazine noted.
On air
- Sarah Chu, a graduate student at York researching people who become obsessed with video games, spoke on CBC Radio’s “Sounds Like Canada” Oct. 2.
- Gordon Roberts, professor of finance in York’s Schulich School of Business, spoke about Canadian banks on the international scene, on Radio Canada’s “L’heure des comptes” Oct. 2.