York University Retirees' Association

Earth Day Intergenerational Climate Café

Join us Tuesday, April 22 at 10:30 a.m. for our Earth Day Intergenerational Climate Café, a unique event that brings together York University retirees and students to celebrate Earth Day through meaningful connections and conversations.

This café-style gathering offers a welcoming space to share stories, explore different perspectives on climate action, and foster community connections over coffee and light refreshments.

This is an in-person event to be held in Room 140 of the Health, Nursing & Environmental Studies (HNES) Building on the York University campus.

Why Attend?
Engage: Connect with people of different generations and build lasting relationships.
Learn: Share and gain insights about climate action, mental wellness, and community resilience.
Celebrate: Honour Earth Day by promoting dialogue, understanding, and collaboration.

The Earth Day Intergenerational Climate Café is hosted by the Wellness Impact Lab of the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research and sponsored by the York University Retirees’ Association (YURA). Facilitators are Susan Harris, MSW and Dr. Harvey Skinner, professor emeritus of psychology and global health and founding Dean of York University’s Faculty of Health

Please register in advance. Click here 

Join us for a morning of connection, coffee, and community!

Retirees Sought for Research Studies at York University

One of the most important contributions retirees can make to the University is through participation as research subjects in projects that focus on older adults.  This is especially meaningful for York University, which has a Faculty of Health as well as the Centre for Aging Research and Education (YU-CARE).  Participation of YURA members is crucial for the doctoral students who are undertaking studies that will contribute to discovery and new knowledge.

YURA members are encouraged to take part in the studies described below for which University ethics approval has been obtained. Participation in these studies is not limited to retired employees.  Spouses, other family members and friends who meet the participant criteria are also welcome to contact the doctoral students leading these studies.

Lifespan Play Perspectives

This study, being conducted conducted by Nicole Faull, Deanna Vervaecke, and Dr. Brad Meisner, Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science, explores why “play” is often seen as a type of physical activity for children rather than a lifelong pursuit. Individuals aged 40 years and greater are being sought to learn about how they have engaged in play in their lives so far, and if/how play may be a way to promote well-being across the lifespan. For this study, “play” includes the physical movement of one’s body, but is otherwise open and broad. This approach welcomes the interpretation and description of play in your own terms. One-on-one interviews are being conducted through Zoom or over the phone. The interview will last approximately 45 to 60 minutes and will be guided by a few general questions to guide the discussion. All information will be anonymized and kept private, confidential, and secure.  The project has received ethics approval from the University. If you are interested in participating in this project, or have any questions about it, please reach out to Nicole Faull, Research Assistant, faull@my.yorku.ca

Macular Degeneration Study

People with age-related macular degeneration as well as healthy individuals without eye disease are being sought to participate in a neuroimaging study at the Perceptual Neuroscience Lab, under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Steeves (Professor of Psychology).  The study is approximately 2 hours long and compensation will be provided.  If requested, participants will also receive their brain images.  Please note that people who have had cataract surgery are assessed to see if they can be added to the pool of healthy participants because having the surgery has been shown to reverse the visual brain changes that occur due to cataracts.  If you are interested in helping with this study, please reach out to the study leader, Aysha Kinakool (PhD candidate), by e-mail at: ayshak@yorku.ca   To view for the poster for this study, please click here.

Shoulder Pain Study

This study will explore whether shoulder pain Influences muscle health and movement quality.  Forty adults 55 years and older with and without existing shoulder pain (20 with pain and 20 without) are being sought, hopefully with an even balance across both genders.  Exclusion criteria include having metal present in the body, current pregnancy and any other contraindications to MRI.  The study will take place in the Sherman Health Science Research Centre on the Keele campus.  Participants will be asked for a commitment of approximately 3 hours where they will undergo MR imaging of their right shoulder, ultrasound imaging of the same shoulder, movement analysis during multiple elevations and activities of daily living, and a series of force exertions.  The study leader is Stephen Boulanger, PhD candidate in Kinesiology and Health Science, supervised by Dr. Jaclyn Hurley.  The attached poster provides an overview of the project. If you are interested in participating in this study, please reach out to Stephen by e-mail at:  sbou11@yorku.ca   To view for the poster for this study, please click here.

"The Curious Incident of the Nobbled College and University Retiree Associations"

Walter Archer, President of CURAC, the College and University Retiree Associations of Canada, has published an article in University Affairs with the title "The Curious Incident of the Nobbled College and University Retiree Associations." YURA members are encouraged to read this article. Please click here.

Report on the 2024 YURA AGM

The 2024 Annual General Meeting of the York University Retirees’ Association took place on Friday, November 1^st.

The guest speaker was Dr. Glen A. Jones, Professor of Higher Education, and former dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto.  Dr. Jones holds the Ontario Research Chair in Postsecondary Education Policy and Measurement, and he is the Director of the Centre for the Study of Canadian and International Higher Education. 

Dr. Jones is a past president of the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education, a former editor of the Canadian Journal of Higher Education, and is regarded as a leader in education with considerable insight on both the current state and future direction of higher education in Canada, North America and beyond. More information about Dr. Jones, a summary of his comments and photos taken at the event along with the agenda, minutes and reports for the AGM's business meeting can be found by clicking here.

YURA Walkers Raise $16,000 for Student Food Support

Thirteen members of the York University Retirees’ Association, accompanied by three members of university staff, walked 5 km around the Keele Campus on October 1^st to raise funds for student food support.  In total, $16,000 has been raised from donations received to sponsor walk participants from retirees, friends, family and former co-workers and colleagues.

For the full story with photos, please click here.

Memberships for 2024-2025

YURA memberships for the 2024-2025 year (October 1 through September 30) are available -- the membership renewal form is available by clicking here.

YURA members receive quarterly issues of the YURA Newsletter and ongoing bulletins and e-mail communications with information about YURA and activities available to our members.  This website includes links to key websites for retirees (“Retiring at York”) as well as information about member privileges, events, and YURA’s role in representing its members’ interests with York University.

Retired York employees who wish to join YURA are most welcome to do so.  For more information, instructions and the application form, please click here.

Join in the Conversation at the YURA Café

The YURA Café resumed on Tuesday, January 14th.   Hosted by Fran Wilkinson, professor emerita of psychology, these sessions provide an opportunity for members to share concerns and information, and to discuss topics of importance to retirees.   

The January session focused largely on recent political developments and our reactions -- from the proroguing of our federal Parliament and the recently-announced resignation of Prime Minister Trudeau, to the Trump inauguration and tariff threats and other menacing actions being directed at Canada, to the possibility of an Ontario election before the upcoming federal one. We also introduced the element of story telling at the end of the session where a couple of interesting experiences were shared.

On February 11th, the YURA Café discussed the six dimensions of "resilience in retirement" as presented by Dr. Donald Meichenbaum at the CURAC conference held in May 2024 (click here, then scroll down to watch the video recording). The March 11th session was an open discussion about current political developments, ranging from Doug Ford's re-election in Ontario to the launch of the tariff war with the US, to international concerns following Trump and Vance’s ambush of Zelensky, and the resurging popularity of the federal Liberals here at home, and the emergence of Mark Carney as successor to Justin Trudeau as Canadian prime minister. 

The final session of the YURA Café for the 2024-2025 cycle will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, April 8th at 10 a.m. Pour yourself a big cup of coffee (or other preferred morning beverage) and log-in to visit with former York colleagues and co-workers.  An announcement about this Café session, including the Zoom link, will be circulated by e-mail to YURA members several days before the session.

Re-cap of Fall 2024 sessions:

At the September 10th session, the new editors of the YURA Newsletter, Steve Glassman and Richard Weisman, shared some of their plans for the publication and participants offered comments and suggestions. {The Fall issue of the YURA Newsletter, the first produced by Steve and Richard, was circulated in late September.} Ideas for topics for future Café sessions were raised and discussed.

On October 8th, Shayne Dunkley, from the University's Pension & Benefits office, attended to answer questions and provide information about post-retirement benefits and pension administration. The session was well attended and there was a helpful exchange of comments and information. Toward the end of the session, Diane Woody, YURA Co-President and events chair, sounded out participants about possible future outings and events for YURA members. Those YURA members who indicated an interest in helping with events on their membership form will be contacted about a forthcoming planning meeting.

At the Café session on November 12th, participants shared their perspectives on the results of the US election. Much commentary focused on the likely set-back for progress that has been made on environment concerns and the impact of four years of environmental neglect on future generations.

The final YURA Café for 2024 held on December 10 offered a mix of topics ranging from libraries and artificial intelligence to resilience and hopefulness. Ideas for the Café sessions early in 2025 were also discussed.

Overviews of the eight sessions of the YURA Café during the 2023-2024 year can be read by clicking here.

College and University Retiree Associations of Canada (CURAC)

CURAC is the national organization of the postsecondary retirees' associations across Canada.  It speaks for the collective on a variety of public policy issues.  It provides a number of important services to its members, including an annual conference that highlights best practices among its member associations and promotes collaboration. YURA was among the founders of CURAC.  

All YURA members should check out the CURAC website to learn about the initiatives in which it is involved and the services and activities it offers to all retiree association members, including members of YURA. Also on the website are links to health bulletins and discussion papers on issues relating to seniors.

Of particular interest to YURA members may well be the videos of the key presentations at the CURAC Conference held at the University of Waterloo in May 2024. These are now available to view by clicking here. The YURA representatives at the conference highly recommend watching the presentation on "Resilience in Retirement" by Dr. Donald Meichenbaum and reading the handout that accompanies this video.

CURAC's affinity partners belairdirect and Johnson Travel Insurance offer contests from time to time open to members of all CURAC member associations, including YURA. belairdirect also initiated a scholarship program this year for which progeny of YURA members may be eligible. More info...

Fred Fletcher receives the 2024 CURAC Tribute Award

Fred Fletcher, who has made significant contributions to two retiree groups at York University and has assumed key roles at the national level within CURAC, the College and University Retiree Associations of Canada, has received the 2024 CURAC Tribute Award. He was jointly nominated for this distinguished honour by YURA and ARFL (the Association of Retired Faculty and Librarians at York University). The annual awards were announced at the 2024 Annual CURAC Conference, held at the University of Waterloo May 22 to 24.

At the conference in Waterloo, Fred was also presented with the CURAC Appreciation Award by the Board of Directors of CURAC for his exemplary leadership to the organization.

Click here for the full story.

Membership Survey Results Summarized

More than 60% of YURA members participated in a survey conducted in 2022 by the Association's Executive Committee to learn about what members thought about current activities and how YURA could better support its members in the future. A summary of survey results, prepared by professor emeritus and former YURA co-president Ian Greene, can be found by clicking here.

Donations for 2025

YURA members are encouraged to consider a tax-deductible donation to the one or more of the YURA sponsored student awards or other worthwhile YURA-sponsored projects at the University.  Among these are the YURA Graduate Student Award, the William Small Award, the YURA Mature Student Bursaries, the Food Insecurity Fund for Students, the York Camps Subsidy Fund (for local kids from disadvantaged families) or the Access to Postsecondary Program (aimed at middle school youth from the local Black Creek community). Charitable tax receipts for such donations are provided by York University.

To make an on-line donation or to arrange monthly contributions, please click here.

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