Incarceration often leads to homelessness, wrote The Record (Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo), June 23, in a feature article on research done by Steve Gaetz of York University’s Faculty of Education, lead researcher Bill O’Grady of the University of Guelph, and researchers from the John Howard Society of Ontario.
Funded by the National Homelessness Initiative, Gaetz and O’Grady interviewed convicts incarcerated in provincial jails. They also interviewed inmates who’d recently been released and were living with friends, had found their own accommodations or were living on the streets.
The report for the National Homelessness Initiative recommends government ensure all inmates receive discharge planning. Discharge planning should be extended to people who are not convicted but in custody awaiting a court date.
The flog of war
Your article on Captain George Vancouver (Scurvy, Spruce Beer And A Liberal Dose Of History, June 22) suggests he used the lash infrequently on his Pacific expedition, wrote Nick Rogers, history professor in York’s Faculty of Arts, in a letter to The Globe and Mail June 23. This is incorrect. Even by 18th-century standards, Vancouver was a hard-nosed disciplinarian. On HMS Discovery, he flogged no less than 45 per cent of his crew, more than James Cook on his three Pacific voyages and the infamous William Bligh of the Bounty. The figures can be found in Greg Dening’s magnificent book, Mr. Bligh’s Bad Language.
Universities pushed for green education program
Students across the province will see their lessons infused with an environmentally conscious curriculum starting next January, wrote the Kingston Whig-Standard June 23.
Part of the impetus for the new initiative came from universities and colleges, who complained that students coming out of high school had remedial environmental knowledge, said Brian Kelly, director of the Sustainable Enterprise Academy in York’s Schulich School of Business.
"Many leading businesses are very supportive of getting environmental sustainability education into the formal school system, because they know the decision makers of the next generation are being educated today," he said.
York alumna went from unfit to fabulous!
Before she became a knockout swimsuit model, motivational speaker and bestselling author, Tosca Reno (BEd. ’00, then Tosca Corradetti) was a miserable out-of-shape homemaker, wrote The Edmonton Sun June 25. It’s hard to imagine, but the former Edmonton resident – who stands at 5-foot-8 – once tipped the Toledo at 204 pounds. The turning point came sometime in the summer of 1999 when she was 40 years old. That’s when Reno saw some vacation photos that included her in a bathing suit – a sight that disgusted her.
Turning her life around involved several almost simultaneous life-altering events: leaving her unhappy dead-end marriage, going back to school for a teaching degree, joining a gym and cleaning up her diet. While she studied at York University’s Faculty of Education, Reno began exercising on a regular basis. At the same time, she also educated herself on the finer points of nutrition and adopted healthier eating habits.
Non-compete fees idea dates back to 1935, says Osgoode’s Li
A reader wrote to the Ottawa Citizen, June 24, saying "I would like to see an article on non-compete fees and why they do not pay taxes on them. Why would Conrad Black not pay taxes on millions of dollars for not doing anything and I pay more taxes?"
The fraud trial of former media baron Conrad Black in Chicago is giving many people a bigger lesson in non-competition clauses and taxes than most would ever want to get. Jinyan Li, professor at York’s Osgoode Hall Law School, told the Black trial that the idea of tax-free non-compete payments dates back to a British decision in 1935, noted the.
Inspiring deaf students is Oshawa woman’s goal
Jenelle Rouse (BA ’06) is hoping to become a role model for deaf children, wrote the Ajax-Pickering News Advertiser June 22. A deaf student herself, Ms Rouse just moved one step closer to her goal of becoming a teacher for deaf-and-hard-of-hearing people. She graduated from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology June 1, with straight As and the privilege of carrying the faculty of education gonfalon while leading her classmates into the ceremony.
At age 23, she received her bachelor of arts with honours from York University, and now that she has her bachelor of education from UOIT, she’s on her way back to York for its deaf-and- hard-of-hearing education program.
Dancer returns home to lead fine arts camps
York student Kara MacDonald loves to dance, wrote BC’s Delta Optimist June 23. She started dancing at four and now at 22, she is focusing on a dance career. After graduating from high school, MacDonald auditioned and was accepted into the dance program at York University. After her first year of studies, she was also accepted into the Teacher Training Program at the National Ballet School of Canada. MacDonald will be leading a fine arts camp for children ages three to 13 this summer. The dates are:
Johnston to debut as drama instructor
Hailing from Toronto, Carla Johnston is excited to be teaching drama for the very first time this year at Kirkland Lakes’ Junior School of the Arts for Northern Ontario, wrote the Kirkland Lake Northern News June 25. She is entering her fourth year of theatre studies at York University specializing in creative ensemble while co-registered in the Concurrent Education Program. She is also completing a minor in English. Carla thoroughly enjoyed her teaching placement this year in the Drama department at Toronto’s Weston Collegiate Institute, and feels very fortunate to have to opportunity to once again combine her two passions: theatre and education.
Argos release Durie but may call him back
Among the notable releases made by the Toronto Argonauts over the weekend was Canadian rookie running back Andre Durie, wrote The Toronto Sun June 24. It is expected that Durie and freshman Canadian receiver Brad Smith will be named to the practice roster in the next couple of days, however. Durie, the former York University star who was coming back from reconstructive knee surgery, impressed the coaching staff throughout camp.
- CBC News and Canadian Press also reported on Durie’s release.
To Kenya from Frankford with love
A Frankford family is investing their summer holidays and a substantial amount of money to work with AIDS victims in Kenya, wrote the Belleville Intelligencer June 23.
Mark Norman, 51, his wife, Sandra, 48, and their three daughters – Madeleine, 21, Chloe, 18, and 16-year-old Abbey – are part of a 10-member team embarking on Project Kenya. From Aug. 5 to 24, they will work with three organizations in Kenya devoted to improving the lives of children, women and families affected by AIDS and poverty. They will care for children, help with building projects, visit hospitals, prisons and schools and assist with the completion of an electrification project.
Each participant is raising his or her own travel and living expenses. It will cost the Norman family of Fish and Game Club Road more than $10,000 for the three-week humanitarian journey. "It’s a worthwhile investment for my family because it transforms their outlook on their lives and on the world they live in," said Norman, a leadership development consultant and instructor for the Schulich Executive Education Centre at York University.
Ex-official gets jail reprieve in sex case
A former York University administrator has been spared more jail time after being convicted of having sex with a 15-year-old prostitute, whom he met through an Internet adult chat line, wrote the Toronto Star June 23. "It was an aberration," Superior Court Justice Frances Kitely said as she sentenced Leon Wasser to a year’s probation on top of the 62 days she credited for pre-trial custody. In March a jury convicted him of knowingly having sex with the underage prostitute, although he was acquitted of six other charges, including sex assault, and trying to gain access to two other girls to drug them and have sex, the Star said.
On air
- A study by the Institute for Social Research at York University, which says that although a shortage of family doctors is easing, a million Ontarians are still looking for one, was featured on radio and television broadcasts over the weekend in Ottawa, Toronto, London and Hamilton.