Hospitals should think twice about using lotteries for fundraising, because it puts those vulnerable to gambling at risk, says an editorial published Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal by editor-in-chief John Fletcher….York University Professor Thomas Klassan, who wrote the book Casino State: Legalized Gambling in Canada, agrees with Fletcher’s opinion in the editorial. “I see hospital lotteries as a problem and a contradiction,” he said in the Toronto Star Sept. 3. “On one hand we expect our government and hospitals to take care of us; on the other hand, the government and these hospitals and foundations are encouraging us to take part in what could be a dangerous activity for a certain vulnerable group of people in society.” Read full story.
G20 leaders must solve the stagnation puzzle
“When the leaders of the world’s most powerful economies meet at the Group of 20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Wednesday and Thursday, they face an economic puzzle only half-solved,” wrote Andrew Jackson, the Packer Professor of Social Justice at York University, in The Globe and Mail Sept. 3. “Coordinated monetary and fiscal stimulus by the G20 in 2008 and 2009 narrowly prevented a repeat of the Great Depression. However, almost five years after the onset of the global financial crisis, the world economy remains mired in slow growth and high unemployment.” Read full story.
Why real estate doomsayers continue to be wrong
James McKellar, professor and director of the Program in Real Property at York University’s Schulich School of Business, predicts smooth waters ahead, reported the Financial Post Sept. 4. His response to an admittedly leading question about a Canadian real estate bubble was met with, “There is no bubble so I don’t know how it can burst. Each time I share this view with the media, the story dies. So many journalists embark to prove an assumption that is false.[…]The good news is that the readers aren’t listening and people are still buying.” Read full story.
Growth factor
Though charting a course for global economic recovery and bolstering investor sentiment would be high on the agenda of global leaders during the Group of 20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, attention would also be drawn on how China, the world’s second largest economy, is combating slower growth. The meeting will also be an important platform for Chinese President Xi Jinping to reassure the global community that the economic climate and growth pipeline still remains robust in China. “China is way ahead of other economies in competitiveness and productivity, and still has the best credentials for sustained long-term growth,” said York University political science Professor Gregory Chin in China Daily Sept. 4. Read full story.
Right-to-work laws are no solution to manufacturing job woes
“A new study by the Fraser Institute argues that introduction of anti-union ‘right to work’ laws in Canada would boost manufacturing output and jobs. While they are right that these laws, which make dues payments voluntary, severely weaken unions, it is far from evident that unionization comes at the cost of poorer economic performance,” wrote Andrew Jackson, the Packer Professor of Social Justice at York University, in The Globe and Mail Sept. 3. “This is because collective bargaining has benefits for employers as well as for workers, and because collective bargaining outcomes reflect economic realities.” Read full story.
Like at first site
For smaller firms in particular, creating a digital media strategy is a way to build their brands up and down the supply chain to be seen and gain credibility. “If your customers, competitors and professional-development providers are on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube, you will be conspicuous by your absence and miss out on opportunities,” said David Phipps, executive director of research and innovation services at York University, in CA magazine’s September 2013 issue. “Twenty years ago we were wondering if we needed to invest in enterprise e-mail systems. Today, you wouldn’t consider going into business without one. We’re at that same tipping point with social media where you have to be there.” Read full story.
Data science: An end to survey calls
Cathia Badiere was one of four students in the inaugural year of the Master of Science in Business Analytics program at York University’s Schulich School of Business. Her unlikely career path has led her from studying labour market issues of immigrants to devoting herself to analytics. Here’s the how, why and why now, reported Marketing magazine Aug. 22. Read full story.
Scales of justice tipped against disabled children
Dawn Roper launched a human rights appeal and an appeal for home care on behalf of her daughter Carolyn, who had an intellectual disability, reported the Waterloo Region Record Sept. 3. The experience taught her a lot about the process, the law and the way to argue a case….Recognizing her own limitations, Roper consulted some of Ontario’s top lawyers, disability experts, social policy analysts, family counsellors and legal aid veterans. Eleven joined her advisory board. With the help of Lorne Sossin, dean of York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School, she obtained a $68,000 grant from the Law Foundation of Ontario and $25,000 from the federal justice department. Read full story.