York University, in collaboration with the Ontario Climate Consortium (OCC) and the Toronto & Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), will host the 2017 Ontario Climate Symposium on May 11 and 12. The theme for this year’s symposium is “Just Transformations: The Next 150.”
“In the context of Canada’s 150th anniversary of confederation, the objective is to foster the development of positive narratives and visions of a just future – ones that cross boundaries between natural science, social science, law, humanities and the arts,” said Ian McVey, a York FES alumni and current project manager with the OCC.
The two-day symposium includes more than 70 leading thinkers, changemakers and disruptors of the status quo, including special guests Diane Saxe, Ontario’s environmental commissioner; Kyle Powys-Whyte of Michigan State University; and David Miller, former Toronto mayor and current president and CEO of the World Wildlife Federation (WWF).
“We are also mindful that from many Indigenous perspectives, the collective responsibility we bear for ensuring the well-being of our Earth and its communities (both human and non-human) applies to at least seven generations into the future,” said Noël Sturgeon, dean of York University’s Faculty of Environmental Studies. “Inherent to this responsibility is the importance of caring for marginalized and vulnerable communities and sharing fairly the benefits of our transition towards a more sustainable society. This perspective will inform the symposium throughout the program.”
Undergraduate and graduate-level students are encouraged to submit poster presentations with a focus on climate change adaptation and/or mitigation, or to join the urban design challenge in teams of three to five.
Benefits for student participants include:
- networking opportunities with industry leaders, potential employers, senior researchers and other students;
- the opportunity to showcase your research and its relevance to practitioners from a wide range of sectors; and
- an opportunity to win cash prizes.
This event is hosted by York U in collaboration with the Ontario Climate Consortium. York University delegates are eligible for a 20 per cent discount on regular symposium rates by entering the discount code “OCC20OFF” when registering at climateconnections.ca/2017-symposium/register.