In order for Ford to have violated the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, the money involved has to be enough that it can “reasonably be regarded as likely to influence the member,” according to James Morton, an Osgoode Hall Law School professor at York University and past president of the Ontario Bar Association. “When you look at this man and you look at the kind of money he deals with in business, things like that, I would say probably the dollar amount is immaterial,” Metro News reported Morton as saying Sept. 6. "I just don't think at the end of the day that he'll be removed from office," Morton said. Read full story.
A growing industry – with a degree to match
This fall, Ben Burkholder will become one of the first graduate business students in the world to specialize in mining. Entering the second year of his MBA at York University’s Schulich School of Business, Burkholder will be part of the first class of students to participate in the school's new and one-of-a-kind specialization in global mining management, reported the Toronto Star Sept. 6. "This specialty fits in with a sector I'm familiar with and interested in, and one that offers a lot of career opportunities," says Burkholder. Read full story.
Taking the research lead
York University’s Schulich School of Business is similarly blazing trails. This year, they are launching the country's first master of science program in business analytics - the practice of acutely analyzing stats to predict outcomes of business decisions, as made famous by the Oscar-nominated film Moneyball, reported the Toronto Star Sept. 6. Read full story.
Rob Ford to take the stand in case that could oust him
Trevor Farrow, a legal ethics expert at York University's Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, said the conflict-of-interest rules were designed to allow for human mistakes while ``setting a fairly high standard to protect an important institution, which is our municipal government structure,” reported the Hamilton Spectator, the Guelph Mercury, Herald News and others Sept. 5. ``It'll be key what evidence is given at that hearing in terms of what the mayor knew or should have known, in terms of this notion of inadvertence, ignorance or an error in judgment,'' he said. Read full story.
Iqualuit metal dump at North 40 pollutes nearby creek: researcher
By the scrap metal dump at the end of Federal Road in Iqaluit, you can see two different shades of green in the stream of water known as Airport Creek — there’s a natural green from algae and a glistening green chemical trying to separate itself from the water. This dismal view drew researcher Chris Luszczek, a graduate student at York University, to study the area six years ago with the help of the Nunavut Research Institute, reported the NunatsiaqOnline Sept. 6. His study found the scrap metal dump continues to release harmful chemicals into Airport Creek. Read full story.
Woman convicted of killing ex-lover’s nephew granted day parole
"The best recourse she had for vindication has pretty much been taken away," said Alan Young, a lawyer and professor at York University's Osgoode Hall Law School, as reported in a Canadian Press story online Sept. 6. Read full story.
Voyager 1 celebrates its 35th anniversary on the verge of interstellar space
There's at least one Canadian connection that I know of on the Voyager missions. Jack McConnell, a professor of atmospheric science at York University, in Toronto, studies planetary atmospheres and worked on the Voyager Ultraviolet Spectrometer team. The UVS collected atmospheric data as Voyager 1 flew by Jupiter and Saturn, giving Dr. McConnell and his colleagues a glimpse at the dynamics and chemical interactions in the upper atmospheres of these planetary giants, writes Yahoo! News’ Daily Brew. Sept. 5. Read full story.
Why are women less likely to lobby for promotion
Both his reading of the literature and consulting experiences have convinced Ronald Burke, professor of organizational studies at York University’s Schulich School of Business, that women are less likely than men to put themselves forward for promotion if not fully convinced they are ready, The Globe & Mail reported Sept. 6. Read full story.
Bricks, mortar and the future of learning
As more than a million university and college students resume their studies, institutions of higher learning face an unprecedented challenge. Not a lack of money, as might be supposed, but their own creation: the Internet, says York University political science Professor Thomas Klassen in an Ottawa Citizen opinion piece Sept. 5. Read full story.
Toronto’s fashion boom: New brands hitting the streets and what we still want
The retail rush is due to the strength of the Canadian dollar, says Alan Middleton, professor of marketing at the Schulich School of Business at York University, in a Toronto Star article about American stores invading Ontario’s shores and the possibility it could dampen cross-border shopping enthusiasm Sept. 6. Read full story.
YMCA of Oakville Leadership Award winners
This is the second year in a row that Michelle Ng, 23, has won the Peter Gilgan Leadership Award. She is attending York University this fall, working towards a Bachelor of Health Studies, reported Inside Halton Sept. 6. Read full story.
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