Described by loved ones and colleagues as a humble man whose long-time passion was teaching, Abshir Hassan was gunned down outside his Lawrence Heights apartment building Tuesday morning in what Toronto police say was a mistaken hit, reported the Toronto Star July 8. . . . Hassan earned a bachelor of arts from York University in 2008. He went on to complete his bachelor of education at York in 2011 and took an introductory course in special education. Read full story.
Nike opts out of Manchester United jersey deal -- will Adidas step up?
Hours after Manchester United unveiled their new Chevrolet-sponsored game jerseys, apparel powerhouse Nike quietly announced it wouldn’t seek to renew its deal with Man U when it expired after the upcoming season. . . . “Nike can still build on its position without having to shell out 60 million Euros a year on a shirt partnership,” said Vijay Setlur, who teaches sports marketing at York University’s Schulich School of Business, in the Toronto Star July 9. “Paying [Man U star] Wayne Rooney is a lot less than paying the whole club. Maybe the partnership outlived its usefulness.” Read full story.
Trend towards marketing and ‘buying’ votes ‘hurting democracy,’ says professor
York University political science Professor Robert MacDermid says it’s a troubling trend. When pollsters and ad groups take over the role of key advisers and adapt marketers’ methods, “these are not the techniques that are supportive of the kind of democratic decision-making we all need”, he said in the Richmond Hill Liberal July 3. Negative advertising, especially, can be bad for democracy, because it suppresses turnout, he explained. Read full story.
Canadian postsecondary institutions receive CASE awards
York University won bronze in the Best Uses of Social Media category for: Fall Campus Day Insta-Print Photo Booth at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s (CASE) 2014 Circle of Excellence Awards, reported Masthead July 8. Read full story.
What the Trudeau Effect has done for the Liberal party
Bill Morneau's decision to stand for public office for the first time is a concrete example of the Trudeau Effect, reported The Huffington Post July 8. The same is true for another, Sven Spengemann, who is a candidate for the Liberal Party nomination in Mississauga South. . . . He is BMO's Visiting Fellow at York University's Glendon School of Public and International Affairs, where he teaches on Middle East politics. Read full story.
Sales jumped when firm focused on condo balconies
As Kandy Outdoor Flooring looks at expansion, possibly through franchising, a niche market offers them an approach to sharing their way of doing business more easily with franchisees, said Moren Lévesque, professor of operations management and information systems at York University’s Schulich School of Business, in The Globe and Mail July 4. “I think they are smart on focusing,” she said, “because if they want then to be able to put in place this structure they can share with a franchisee, that is much harder to do if they are all over the place.” Read full story.
What Maple Leafs should look for in assistant coaches
As he watched the Toronto Maple Leafs collapse in the latter part of the 2013-14 season, York University psychology Professor Gordon Flett couldn’t help but wonder if Randy Carlyle and his coaching staff were simply being too hard on their players, reported the Toronto Star July 7. . . . Elite athletes, Flett says, are perfectionists by nature, which means they are hard enough on themselves. Their fans expect perfection. The media is always in their face. So assistant coaches don’t need to be. Read full story.
Big ideas: A new island to anchor the Port Lands
The Port Lands themselves were created in a fit of ambition in the early 20th century, according to Gene Desfor, professor emeritus at York University and co-editor of the 2011 book Reshaping Toronto’s Waterfront. . . . “It’s interesting that in the space of 100 years essentially they’ve gone from an industrial vision for the waterfront to a post-industrial vision,” said Desfor in the Toronto Star July 8. “There is a close relationship and a much more natural relationship between the city and nature. I think it’s important that we’re no longer concreting nature – we’re integrating it more with our cities.” Read full story.
Theatre review: Titus Andronicus at Shakespeare in High Park
Shakespeare’s first tragedy, Titus Andronicus, doesn’t have the memorable soliloquies of his better known plays, but the Canadian Stage/York University Theatre Department collaboration now on stage at Shakespeare in High Park is a bloody good show, action-packed and easy to follow, reported Post City July 7. Read full story.
It happened to me: I became an academic expert on motherhood without ever having a kid
“I am a PhD candidate in gender, feminist and women’s studies at Toronto’s York University. By virtue of my several years of graduate training, I am now technically considered an academic ‘expert’ in my sub-field, which is motherhood studies,” wrote York University PhD candidate Sarah Sahagian in xoJane July 3. “The thing is, while I may be considered extremely knowledgeable about the study of motherhood, I have never been a biological or custodial mother.” Read full story.
Welland native promoted within Order of Canada
Fred Gorbet, who now calls Don Mills home, was promoted to an Officer of the Order of Canada just days ago. . . . He was a faculty member at the Schulich School of Business at York University from 1999 to 2013, reported the Welland Tribune July 2. Read full story.
Supreme Court expands land-title rights in unanimous ruling
In what legal observers called the most important Supreme Court ruling on aboriginal rights in Canadian history, the court determined that native Canadians still own their ancestral lands, unless they signed away their ownership in treaties with government, reported The Globe and Mail June 26. . . . The ruling “goes back to the Royal Proclamation of 1763,” said Brian Slattery, a professor at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School, citing the foundational promise of the British Crown to secure ancestral lands for native use. “This is the fulfillment of that promise, held out by the Crown 250 years ago.” Read full story.
Health Canada keeps flu plant inspection report secret
Health Canada is keeping the most recent completed inspection of Canada’s largest flu vaccine supplier secret despite a startling report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration raising questions about quality control. . . . “Health Canada seems to be prioritizing what the companies claim is confidential business information over patient safety and that really isn’t acceptable,” said drug safety expert and York University health policy Professor Joel Lexchin in the Toronto Star June 27. Read full story.
4 out of 5 Liberal MPPs from York Region in Kathleen Wynne's cabinet
York University Professor Robert Drummond doubts the appointment of Helena Jaczek and Steven Del Duca in their new roles has much to do with their backgrounds prior to their being elected as MPPs. Instead, Wynne likely elevated them into their new roles as she saw them as potential assets, he said in the East Gwillimbury Era June 26. “I suspect Del Duca and Jaczek were chosen because they had impressed the premier as useful voices to have at the cabinet table,” he said. Read full story.