In a firm support of the right to counsel, the Supreme Court has told police that they need to be prompt and pro-active in helping suspects find a telephone to call their lawyer…. “This is a really good example of the court saying, ‘This is one right where we won’t allow the police to be sloppy or play games,’” said Ben Berger, who teaches the right to counsel at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School, in The Globe and Mail July 18. Read full story.
Toronto judge upbraided for errors, still on the job
Several legal experts said the confidentiality provision is so broad and sweeping that it could violate Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. “The (charter) says we have freedom of expression, including freedom of the media,” said Ian Greene, an expert in judicial administration at York University, in the Toronto Star July 19. “Democracy is always a work in progress. If there’s unnecessary secrecy, that can provide a cover for unacceptable things to happen.” Greene said this case “certainly shows” that the law “needs to be revisited.” Read full story.
Drake’s got ‘The 6’ sense when it comes to branding the city
Drake is making Toronto sexy, said Schulich School of Business marketing Professor Alan Middleton in the Toronto Star July 17. “Because of his music background and his connections through various networks, he begins to get Toronto popping up just a little bit more than it used to be, so it gives the city sex appeal.” Place-branding is the fastest-growing area of interest in branding, with countries, regions, provinces and towns fighting the same battles for attention and differentiation as products in the grocery store, Middleton said. Read full story.
Tim Bosma murder: Direct indictment makes trial more difficult for defense, experts say
Preliminary hearings can be valuable for the Crown to see how their witnesses react to being on the stand, said Osgoode Hall Law School Professor Alan Young in the Toronto Star July 16. A direct indictment is considered exceptional because there is an understanding and an expectation that an accused on trial for a serious crime will have the opportunity to assess the case they have to meet, Young said. Read full story.
Reports of Little Portugal's death have been greatly exaggerated
In many ways, Toronto’s Portuguese community has resisted the tide of downtown gentrification…. “They still have need of the commercial facilities that are there,” said York University geography Professor Robert Murdie in the Toronto Star July 18. “They’re not inclined to move to Mississauga.” Read full story.
High-priced Wagyu steak makes debut at grocery chain
Alan Middleton, an associate professor at York University’s Schulich School of Business, says Loblaws is not only competing with these small shops but also with other high-end grocers like Pusateri's, reported CBC News July 18. He said advertising the small quantity of scarce meat is a marketing technique. "This is a marketing ploy designed to push customers to upgrade the quality of food they buy and the price they are willing to pay for it," said Middleton. Read full story.
Navy feared frigate's excessive noise made it an easier target
Defence analyst and York University Professor Martin Shadwick said noise reduction is essential on the Halifax-class frigates, which have an anti-submarine warfare role. “When those ships were being built, the navy went to great lengths to keep the noise signature as low as possible,” said Shadwick in the Edmonton Journal July 20. “Any increase in the acoustic signature in a naval ship is not good news.” Read full story.
Canada joins mission to asteroid that could some day hit Earth
Canada will join NASA in a mission to bring back rocks from an asteroid that’s considered a potential threat to hit the Earth some day, reported the Ottawa Citizen July 17…. York University says this mission will study the “Yarkovsky effect,” the slight push created when an asteroid absorbs sunlight then re-emits that energy as heat. Read full story.
What CBC VP Bill Chambers should learn about public broadcasting
“The only viable strategy for the survival of our much-loved, much-criticized and grievously afflicted CBC is for it to rediscover what it means to be a true public broadcaster, and to follow that path,” wrote York University communication studies Professor Wade Rowland in The Huffington Post July 18. Read full story.
Will charges against Mike Duffy further hurt the Tory government?
Dennis Pilon with York University says the Tories have dealt with repeated black eyes over the Senate expense scandal, and he believes this is the outcome people who have been following it expected, reported News1130 July 17. But he says there is a lesson here: “We’ve seen lots of bad press about lots of politicians. But not this kind of bad press. I think this is the problem when you choose, basically, ‘celebrities’ to be senators.” Read full story.
Physical activity needs for health payoffs often underestimated
About 15 per cent of adults and fewer than 10 per cent of teens meet physical activity guidelines for health benefits, with some not really realizing what it takes to make gains, according to Statistics Canada…. The findings come on the heels of a study published in May by researchers at York University in Toronto, reported CBC News July 16. They found adults underestimate what the national guidelines for moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity are and overestimate how much they do. Read full story.
Bored to death? Tips on surviving the ennui
Boredom is among the least studied epidemics inflicting the world, with brain doctors still being largely clueless about how tedium affects people’s lives, reported the Hindustan Times July 12. In Perspectives on Psychological Science, psychologist John Eastwood of York University in Toronto describes boredom as “an unfulfilled desire for satisfying activity,” where a person wants to be stimulated and do something, but is unable to connect with the world around. Read full story.