The bitter battle for guardianship of Gary Ford has been settled, reported the Toronto Star Oct. 17. The intellectually challenged man who was once a resident of the now closed Huronia Regional Centre will continue living with his longtime caregiver while his sister is entitled to a number of visits and unlimited telephone access….Emoke Jozsvai, a York University psychology professor hired by Ford's caregiver Shelley Klintworth, found that despite some intellectual disabilities, including notable difficulties in “verbal comprehension and abstract reasoning,” Ford had the capacity to execute a power of attorney for personal care. Read full story.
News correction for Oct. 17
An Oct. 5 article about Living Waters, a Christian program that has worked with homosexuals who hope to be “healed” of their sexuality, misquoted York University neuroscientist Blake Martin, reported the Toronto Star Oct. 16. Martin did not say, “I’m not sure that a gay person can be healed.” In fact, he said: “I don’t think homosexuality is something to be healed of.” As well, the article incorrectly referred to Martin as the program’s “own scientist.” In fact, Martin has no official role with Living Waters. Read full story.
How to shield against interest-rate and housing dangers
RioCan chief executive Edward Sonshine is intimately aware of two of the most pressing macroeconomic risks facing Canadian companies today: interest rates and volatility in the housing market. Since the end of April, the company that he runs, Canada’s largest real estate investment trust, has seen its share price tumble by more than $3 because of investors’ concerns about the implications of higher interest rates. . . . “Anyone in business today has to assume that their cost of capital will likely be more expensive in the future than it is today,” said James McKellar, professor of real estate and infrastructure at York University’s Schulich School of Business, in The Globe and Mail Oct. 15. Read full story.
Amid controversy, two Canadian universities financially back debate over Shakespeare's 'true identity'
Could Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, have been the real author of William Shakespeare’s plays and poetry? The short answer is: No, there’s no evidence whatsoever, reported The Globe and Mail Oct. 16. . . . This week, however, two major Canadian universities are for the first time putting their names and money behind a conference being held by the two largest North American organizations devoted to proving that de Vere was Shakespeare. Shakespeare and the Living Theatre – organized by York University theatre professor and self-proclaimed “reasonable doubter” Don Rubin on behalf of the Shakespeare Oxford Society and the Shakespeare Fellowship – runs from Thursday to Saturday at the Metropolitan Hotel in downtown Toronto. Read full story.
Come not between the Oxfordian and his wrath (to paraphrase Lear)
The Stratford Festival and a prominent Oxfordian have clashed in the lead-up to this week’s Shakespeare authorship conference in Toronto – leading a number of incoming enthusiasts of the idea that Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, wrote Shakespeare's plays to cancel tickets to productions at the Ontario theatre festival in protest. The Bard brouhaha began back in 2012 when David Prosser, Stratford’s director of communications, took part in a discussion as part of York University theatre Professor Don Rubin’s class on the so-called authorship question, reported The Globe and Mail Oct. 16. Read full story.
OSC's women on boards initiative won't work, Teachers CEO warns
Ontario’s proposal to create a voluntary disclosure rule to boost women on boards is unlikely to cause much improvement and will likely have to be turned into a quota, warns the head of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. . . . Osgoode Hall Law School Professor Aaron Dhir, who has studied the impact of board reforms in a host of countries, said it is very early to assess how well voluntary comply or explain rules have worked elsewhere, but said research suggests the pace of reform has been “sluggish and uneven. . . . So far we’re not seeing resounding endorsements,” he said in The Globe and Mail Oct. 16. Read full story.
Gender diversity can't wait
During Wednesday's panel discussion hosted by the Ontario Securities Commission – which is considering new rules to encourage or even force female representation on boards and in senior management – Aaron Dhir, a professor at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School, urged the OSC to tell the Ontario government that many groups and companies including Telus Corp. and the Canadian Bankers Association think the initiative should be broadened to include other aspects of diversity, reported the Ottawa Citizen Oct. 17. Read full story.
Welcoming home John and Tarek from Egypt
The detention of Dr. Tarek Loubani and York University film Professor John Greyson was at the forefront of all Canadians' concerns for the 50 days they spent behind bars at Cairo's Tora Prison, reported the Huffington Post Oct. 16. . . . I would like to thank and commend John and Tarek for keeping their spirits and hopes up during such a traumatic time for them both. They are clearly special Canadians who inspired great pride and determination in their fellow citizens. I am very pleased to be joining the rest of Canada in welcoming John and Tarek home. Read full story.
United Way of York Region kicks off weeklong fundraiser
As a continuation to the seven-part learning series "Responding to Youth Homelessness: A Systems Approach", United Way York Region and York University are hosting a research forum called "Re-Imagining Our Response to Youth Homelessness: What have we learned so far?" on Friday, Oct. 25, from 8:30am to 1 pm at the Markham Convergence Centre. Findings and next steps towards developing a comprehensive system’s response to this important issue will be shared, reported the Aurora Banner Oct. 16. Read full story.
U of R professor awarded honorary degree
Recognizing a career spent in the political trenches of constitutional law, a University of Regina professor has been awarded an honorary degree from York University, reported the Leader-Post Oct. 17. John D. Whyte accepted the award at a convocation ceremony in Toronto Wednesday morning. Throughout his career, Whyte taught law at universities across the country, including the esteemed Osgoode Hall Law School at York University. Read full story.