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Yearly Archives: 2010

CLPE Lecture by Dr. Virginia Mantouvalou (March 26)

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COMPARATIVE RESEARCH IN LAW
AND POLITICAL ECONOMY NETWORK and the NATHANSON CENTRE
are proud to invite Students and Faculty to attend a CLPE Lecture by:

Dr. Virginia Mantouvalou,
School of Law, University of Leicester, United Kingdom

“Social and Economic Rights in Europe”

Time:Friday, March 26, 2010, 12:40-2:00
Location:Osgoode 104

Sandwiches and Refreshments will be served.

RSVP please to Joanne Rappaport (jrappaport@osgoode.yorku.ca)

Dr Virginia Mantouvalou is Deputy Director of the Centre for European Law and Integration at the University of Leicester, UK, and currently a Visiting Scholar at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington DC. She holds a PhD and an LLM in Human Rights from the London School of Economics and an LLB from the University of Athens. Her areas of research are human rights and labour law, two areas that she examines separately, as well as looking at the interaction between the two. Her book, entitled Debating Social Rights, where she argues for social rights in a debate with Professor Conor Gearty (LSE), is due to be out in August 2010 (Hart Publishing). In 2009, Dr Mantouvalou received an award from the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council to work on a project on the socio-economic implications of civil and political rights documents.

Abstract: The constitutional protection of civil and political rights is widely accepted in Europe. This paper argues that social rights, defined as rights to the satisfaction of basic needs, are constitutional essentials, as much as civil and political rights are. Drawing on examples from the Council of Europe and the European Union and focusing on courts, the paper argues that the judicial enforcement of social rights can lead social change, and advance, rather than undermine, democracy. The challenge is how best to give effect to social rights that are haunted by Cold War ideologies. The key question involves the complex balancing that courts have to employ in resource-demanding claims, an issue that is well-illustrated in labour-related disputes.

City Seminar: The Vast Suburbs of Cairo (April 9)

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The City Institute at York University (CITY) presents:
The City Seminar

An interdisciplinary series of presentations and discussions on urban landscapes, past and present.

Karl Schmid

Anthropology, York University

"The Vast Suburbs of Cairo:
Slums, Desert Studios and Tarnished Dreamlands"

Karl Schmid is a contract faculty member in the Department of Anthropology at York University. He has conducted research in Egypt on inequality and spatial control, included ethnographic, corporate, and archival analyses of tourism development, as well as the respatializations of the city of Luxor by the Egyptian government, World Bank, UNESCO, and the UNDP. He has published on methodologies of enclave-based ethnography and tourist imaginaries involved in the control of public space.
His new research projects include grasping the diversity of suburban Cairo and the relationships between its highly segregated areas, and the potential social and cultural implications of peak oil and an energy transition within the Greater Toronto Area.

Time: Friday April 9, 2010
12:30-2:00 pm
Location: 142 HNES Building
York University

For more information see the attached poster.
Everyone is welcome.

Research Assistant position with the Centre for the North

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Project Coordinator / Research Assistant, Centre for the North

The Conference Board of Canada recently launched a new five-year initiative called the Centre for the North. The Centre brings together Aboriginal leaders, businesses, governments, communities, educational institutions, and other organizations to achieve a shared vision of sustainable prosperity in the North. We are seeking a Project Coordinator / Research Assistant to act as a prime liaison with project partners and to support the numerous research initiatives that are under way.

Reporting to the Director, the Project Coordinator / Research Assistant will work closely with members of the project team, as well as with external partners and stakeholders. This position is a 6-month contract to start (potentially renewable for up to four years), is available immediately, and is located in Ottawa.

Characteristics
We are seeking a bright, energetic individual who will represent the Centre for the North and the Conference Board in a professional manner. A significant portion of this role involves liaising with key external stakeholders and their contacts. This will require travel to Northern/remote regions of Canada.  To be successful in this role you must have solid organization, research, and customer relationship building skills. A strong customer service orientation, mature judgment, positive attitude and strong work ethic are essential.

This is a unique and exceptional opportunity for someone comfortable working in a fast-paced, professional environment, who can produce high quality work, has well developed interpersonal skills, is culturally sensitive, who is well organized and can meet tight deadlines.

Principal Duties

  • Act as the primary contact/coordinator for the Centre’s outreach program. This includes: relationship building with key stakeholders (and their contacts), collecting and coordinating advice and information from contacts/partners; communicating and updating contacts/partners on the work of the Centre; creating and updating profiles for all contacts/partners; writing reports/summaries; updating the Centre’s website; and coordinating other activities and initiatives as the program evolves.
  • Provide research support to the Director and other research staff as required ( e.g. conducting literature reviews; assisting with briefing papers, bibliographies and other research related activities; assisting with the design/development of surveys and the collection of data).
  • Create and maintain a master database of contacts/partners.
  • Fully contribute and provide project support to the Centre in various capacities as required.
  • Communicate effectively with the project team, project partners and other internal and external stakeholders.
  • Deliver high quality work and customer service.

 

Skills and Qualifications

  • Association with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis issues, and experience working in Northern and Aboriginal communities, is required.
  • A minimum of a BA or BSc.,  preferably in social sciences or Northern issues, or 2-3 years of experience providing research support in a professional or academic research environment.
  • Knowledge of, and some exposure to, quantitative and qualitative research methodologies.
  • Knowledge of, and experience with, Northern sustainable prosperity issues would be advantageous.
  •  Advanced communication and interpersonal skills
  • Cultural sensitivity.
  • The ability to write clearly, concisely and quickly.
  • Demonstrated ability to multi-task, perform high-quality work, meet tight deadlines, and keep yourself and others organized.
  • Proficiency in the use of computers in an MS Office environment.
  • Experience with spreadsheets and databases (e.g. Excel, Access) is an asset.
  • Ability to travel to Northern/remote regions of Canada.
  • Ability to speak Inuktitut or another Aboriginal language would be a definite asset.

MAY: UBC Int’l Field Studies in Sustainable Agriculture Cuba

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Just a quick note to say registration is now open for our May 3 credit course UBC LFS302 Int'l Field Studies in Sustainable Agriculture Cuba. Open to international students and other interested parties through ACCESS UBC, the course runs from April 30th to May 22nd. I have some discount air seats held till March 31.

Here is the UBC link. Be sure to click on the videos of Brittany Buchanan (former student), Gregory Biniowsky and Mavis Alvarez.

Interested? Call me at 604-947-2893. Its a GREAT experience!

Toronto Consultation Session: Students interested incontributing to the Toronto Food Strategy (March 19)

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Calling all students with an interest in food issues!

Here is your chance to participate in the consultation process for the Toronto Food Strategy's consultation report - Food Connections: Towards a Healthy and Sustainable Food System for Toronto - (www.toronto.ca/foodconnections).
Members of Toronto Public Health's Food Strategy team will facilitate a consultation session on March 19, 2010 from 9AM-11AM. Light refreshments will be provided. Location to be confirmed (later this week).

Come prepared with your suggestions and questions regarding the strategy to be presented to Toronto City Council.

Changing the World by Changing Our Organizations (March 19)

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CHANGING THE WORLD BY CHANGING OUR ORGANIZATIONS

Time: Friday, March 19
3:00pm - 4:30pm
Location: Centre for Social Innovation
Alterna Savings Boardroom
Free

Presented by Organization Unbound and the Centre for Social Innovation

Many of us involved in social service and social change work have been frustrated by the incoherence that can exist between our organizations' overarching visions and their internal cultures and practices. How many community organizations have we encountered that don't feel like communities? How many advocacy groups that forget to practice the things they themselves advocate?

Our experiences and early research suggest that the distinction between serving the world and nurturing our organizations is a false one. Some of the most vibrant and socially catalytic organizations we have seen are places where there is a promising confusion about who is serving whom - schools where teachers learn and grow, food banks where staff and volunteers are nourished, hospitals where doctors are healed, social justice groups where activists are surprised to find their vision of a better world taking root in their own offices. These organizations are invoking the power of something we might call expressive change - a pattern of change rooted in who they are as much as in what they do. They ask themselves: "How can we become what we seek?"

Organization Unbound presents Changing the World by Changing Our Organizations, an exploration and dialogue into the specific practices of expressive social change. RSVP to  warren@organizationunbound.org.

About the Presenters

Warren Nilsson and Tana Paddock are co-founders of Organization Unbound. Warren is a teacher and writer with a Ph.D. in organization studies from McGill University. His work focuses on how social purpose organizations can foster deep engagement and on how such engagement might lead to broader institutional transformation. Tana has spent fourteen years working in the United States and Canada as a facilitator, organizer, and trainer on a variety of community-based projects including sustainable design, micro-enterprise development, community economic development, food security, public education, the arts, and affordable housing. Her work explores ways of creating more vibrant community organizations through reflection, dialogue, and appreciative attention.

Event description link: http://socialinnovation.ca/changing-world-changing-our-organizations

YCISS Guest Lecture: War on … What? Security as Pacification (March 18)

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The Distinguished Critical Thinkers in World Politics Seminar Series

War on ... What? Security as Pacification

Mark Neocleous

Time: Thursday, 18 March 2010
2:30–4:30 pm
Location: Room 519, Fifth Floor
York Research Tower

Mark Neocleous brings together two concepts with very different histories. On the one hand, what is probably the major political fetish of our times: security. On the other hand, a concept about which nowadays virtually nothing is ever said: pacification. The paper will explore the ways in which these terms resonate through their early history, with the aim of unravelling the logic of pacification to contemporary security politics. In doing so, Professor Neocleous will criss-cross through the terrains of war and peace, and law and police, making links between original accumulation and the current war on 'terror'.

Mark Neocleous is Professor of the Critique of Political Economy and Head of the Department of Politics and History at Brunel University, UK. His most recent book is Critique of Security (2008). His earlier books include The Monstrous and the Dead (2005); Imagining the State (2003); The Fabrication of Social Order: A Critical Theory of Police Power (2000); Fascism (1997); and Administering Civil Society: Towards a Theory of State Power (1996). He is a member of the Editorial Collective of Radical Philosophy.

For more information please refer to the attached poster.

Research Matters: LA&PS Researchers and Knowledge Mobilization (March 24)

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Research Matters: LA&PS Researchers and Knowledge Mobilization

Time: March 24, 2010
10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Location: Harry Crowe Room, 109 AK

Speakers:
Michael Johnny, KM Unit, "Knowledge Mobilization at York University"
Nick Mulé, Social Work, "LGBT Knowledge Development through Research: Knowledge Mobilization as Strategy"

RSVP: Lorraine Myrie (lmyrie@yorku.ca or 22464)

Please see the attached poster.

Invitation to Black Creek Pioneer Village Stakeholder Workshop (March 24)

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Please join us at a Stakeholders Workshop for the Black Creek Pioneer
Village Stormwater Management Facility proposed for the Schmidt Dalziel
property.  This property is 16 hectares (40 acres) and is located at the
northwest quadrant of Jane Street and Steeles Avenue, forms part of the
historic Carrying Place Trail, and further is the last remaining cultural
heritage landscape in the area.

Date:                March 24, 2010
Time:               7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Location:       Black Creek Pioneer Village Visitors Centre
Victoria Room
1000 Murray Ross Parkway

RSVP:                by March 17 to Lynn Collins, The Sernas Group Inc
905.686.6402 ext 312
lcollins@sernas.com

The Study:
The City of Vaughan is undertaking a Municipal servicing Master Plan Class
Environmental Assessment (EA) Study to assess what municipal servicing
improvements and/or modifications to the stormwater, water, and wastewater
services will be required to implement the development objectives outlined
in Official Plan Amendment (OPA) 620.

Background:
Currently within the Municipal Servicing Master Plan Study a stormwater
management pond, located within Black Creek Pioneer Village is being
considered for expansion as part of the stormwater management improvements
and/or modifications.  This pond is located southwest of the Schmidt
Dalziel Barn.

Invitation:
During the initial stages of this project a number of stakeholders were
identified as having a specific interest in the BCPV site.  The study team
is seeking input and is inviting you to attend the workshop.

The Process:
A brief presentation will commence at 7:30 p.m. after which City staff,
TRCA staff and the consultant will be available to answer questions and
receive your comments.  This workshop is designed to involve stakeholders
interested in or concerned about the project.  The input received during
this workshop will be considered in the evaluation of the alternative
solution(s).  The preferred solution(s) to be presented in the Municipal
Servicing Master Plan Class Environmental Assessment Study are determined
based on engineering requirements, environmental considerations, public
input, and information gathered during the study.

For further details and contact information please refer to the attached
document.

For more details please see the attached poster.

Earth Hour at York U!

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Earth Hour at York U

Earth Hour at York U

Please join us as we celebrate Earth Hour 2010 at York U! IRIS and the Ecologically Conscious Organization (ECO) are launching the first annual Earth Hour Symposium on March 24th.

Event Schedule - March 24th

305 York Lanes

Noon-1:00 pm Environmental Discounting: James MacLellan, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Environmental Studies
1:00-2:00 pm Post-COP15 Debrief: Ellie Perkins, Associate Professor, Faculty of Environmental Studies
& Jacqueline Medalye, PhD student, Department of Political Science, Faculty LA&PS

519 York Research Tower (same as new Archives building)

3:00-3:30 pm Climate Change & Sustainability at York U: YorkWISE: Energy Projects - presented by CSBO
3:30-4:00 pm IRIS Waste Survey Results: Alexis Esseltine, IRIS GA, and the Waste Team
4:00-5:30 pm Brainstorm on Campus Sustainability: Hazel Sutton, IRIS GA, and Coreen Jones, MES Student
ALL STUDENTS & FACULTY WELCOME!
5:30-6:30 pm Lantern Making: Melanie Skene, MES Student
6:30-8:00 pm De-Lighting Ceremony & Parade with Regenesis

Note - in order to be environmentally friendly, we ask that you bring your own travel mug and reusable containers.

Registration

No registration required, however, we'd love to know you are coming, and you can RSVP on our Earth Hour at York U Facebook event page.

Poster

Click here to download the Symposium Poster.

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