Rob Ford insists he is in L.A. promoting Toronto – in particular, the city’s booming film industry . . . Alan Middleton, assistant marketing professor at York University’s Schulich School of Business, scoffed at the suggestion that Ford was in L.A. to “promote Toronto”. “Bah humbug,” he said in the Toronto Star March 3. “He’s trying to get a bit of sex appeal going so he can shore up his constituency. The fact that he can’t justify it internally as a business expense . . . is kind of a giveaway that it really is personal.” Read full story.
Homeless youth
One in five people in a homeless shelter is a youth. On March 3, Gill Deacon of CBC’s “Here and Now Toronto” spoke with York University Professor Stephen Gaetz, who has published a report on the needs of homeless youth and how to help them stay off the streets. Watch video.
MBA all-stars
Osgoode-Schulich JD-MBA alumna Kathleen Taylor is featured on the cover and profiled on pages 20 to 22 of Financial Post Magazine's March 2014 issue. The issue also quotes Schulich MBA student Blakeley Wilson, who is specializing in Global Mining Management, throughout its “MBA primer” article on pages 38 to 42. Read full story.
OPP faces scrutiny over DNA testing sweep
Ontario's police watchdog has launched a review of the DNA sampling practices of the Ontario Provincial Police after a complaint alleging racial profiling in the case of 100 migrant workers. . . . Ricardo Federico, a criminal lawyer and adjunct professor at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School, noted the complaint focuses on racial profiling, but the practice of DNA sweeps raises many other broad questions. "How far do we want the dragnet to go? Do we want the science police knocking on everybody's door, is what I ask," said Federico in the Toronto Star March 4. "What happens if you refuse such a request? Do you become a greater suspect? That's worrisome." Read full story.
Better job needed in transitioning youth out of foster care: Canadian report
Canada needs to do a better job transitioning youth out of foster care and into adulthood, says a report released today by a Canadian expert on youth homelessness. The report, "Coming of Age: Reimagining the Response to Youth Homelessness in Canada," is written by Stephen Gaetz, a professor at York University in Toronto whose research specializes in solutions to homelessness, reported the Vancouver Sun and others March 4. Read full story.
Campaign money subject of debate
Should political candidates refuse to take money from developers and unions to bankroll their shot at municipal office? . . . York University Professor Robert MacDermid’s study looking at corporate and union funding during the 2006 municipal race in several GTA communities concluded the development industry was the biggest financier for the majority of winning candidates, reported the Aurora Banner March 3. MacDermid believes the influence of the development industry, especially in 905 municipalities, is unhealthy for a democratic society. Read full story.
MP Kyle Seeback and York University prof drum up support for democratic reform
Brampton West MP Kyle Seeback, along with York University political science Professor Dennis Pilon, were at the Royal Canadian Legion over the weekend to inform residents of how a recent private members' bill could cast off an MP's fear of repercussions when voting, reported the Mississauga News March 3. . . . Pilon, who has written extensively on Canadian electoral reform, told the Brampton crowd that our country would see many benefits moving away from a single-member plurality to a proportional representation system where the number of seats a party gets is proportionate to the number of votes they receive. Read full story.