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Yearly Archives: 2011

Acadian artistic icon Herménégilde Chiasson and renowned environmental economist Peter Victor win Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prizes

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Ottawa, June 8, 2011 – Winners of this year’s Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prizes Herménégilde Chiasson and Peter Victor have forever changed their respective fields through their innovative and important artistic and scholarly contributions.

 

Mr. Chiasson, winner of the Molson Prize in the arts, has had exceptional achievements in many disciplines including literature, theatre, film and visual arts and is the first Acadian to win this award. Through his research, Peter Victor, winner of the Molson Prize in the social sciences, paved the way for a new discipline called ecological economies. He continues to find new ways to manage economic growth that are easier on the planet and the population.

 

Read the complete news release here or by copying and pasting the following URL into your web browser’s address bar: www.canadacouncil.ca/news/releases/2011/un129519436996714950.htm

Ethical thinking: York professor’s book shows how it can work in business

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The following is from the Tuesday June 7, 2011 edition of YFile

In the wake of disasters such as the BP oil spill, the term “corporate social responsibility” (CSR) is prevalent. But what does it mean and why is it important? And how does it relate to businesses, stakeholders and the public?

In his new book, Corporate Social Responsibility: An Ethical Approach (Broadview Press, 2011), Professor Mark Schwartz (right) clarifies the fundamentals and importance of CSR and details how a conscientious way of doing business is possible in today’s profit-driven world.

As a teacher of business ethics and corporate social responsibility at the School of Administrative Studies in York’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, Schwartz felt that students needed a book that examined the ethical obligations of a business and which approach is the most appropriate for a company.

“Business students – when they end up becoming managers, executives and CEOs of their company – are going to be making important decisions,” explains Schwartz. “It’s critical for them to have a theoretical position on this debate, which will help guide them to more ethical and socially responsible decisions.”

In his book, Schwartz focuses on several aspects to clarify CSR: the key moral standards that need to be applied in a business decision; the debate between narrow (or profit-based) CSR and broader (or ethics-based) CSR; an examination of the separate and intertwined economic, legal and ethical obligations of a company; and the belief that companies need to engage in providing goods and services that generate value to society in a balanced manner, while remaining accountable to stakeholders.

Looking at four classic, high-profile case studies – the Ford Pinto case, Union Carbide’s Bhopal disaster, Johnson & Johnson’s Tylenol crisis and Merck’s river blindness cure – students can apply their own ethical beliefs to decide on the best outcome. “Many students may discover their theoretical position doesn’t match what they would do when faced with a real business case,” says Schwartz. “That’s the main goal of the book: to force students or managers to realize there are implications with their position on social responsibility.”

Movie villain Gordon Gekko’s “greed is good” credo and the rise of Wall Street showed us the conflict between making money and being ethical; it’s a constant struggle in business. With MBA graduates entering the workforce in unprecedented numbers, how can we expect business people to choose? In his book, Schwartz proves they don’t have to.

“Business students should make money – it’s OK to make money. I think the real question is prioritization,” says Schwartz. “Are you maximizing profit at the expense of harming others? Students need to recognize that they have ethical obligations when they go out into the workplace.”

Although Schwartz recognizes that “good CSR does not always maximize the bottom line,” it’s the long-term effects on the business, its employees, customers and the environment that should be taken into consideration. “Ethics should still take priority to the bottom line when there is a conflict,” he says.

CSR can be complex, with room for potential misinterpretation. By demystifying the topic, Schwartz has provided students with information they need to grasp the concepts and understand how to implement them successfully. Armed with this knowledge, students choose their own way of achieving ethics in business.

“There is a need for a greater awareness in terms of what the ethical obligations are. It’s not simply maximizing the bottom line and abiding by the law. Ethics goes beyond the law.”

Education and Outreach Internship

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Organization: Canadian Youth Climate Coalition

Job Type: Internship

Location: Toronto, ON

Posting Date: Jun 03, 2011

Deadline: Jun 15, 2011

Website: http://www.ourclimate.ca

Organization Description:
Job Description:

The Education and Outreach intern will work closely with the National Director and the CYCC council to develop education and outreach materials as well as strategies for the implementation of the CYCC’s Wings of Change campaign. They will also be responsible for local coordination of logistics and fundraising for the Ontario date of the Power Summer camps this July. Throughout the summer the intern will also be involved in developing connections with local schools and universities in order to promote and disseminate the CYCC’s educational materials and workshops for the coming school year.

Position details:

• Starting Date: no later than June 20, 2011
• Compensation: $10.25 per hour, 32 hours per week, 8 weeks
• Based out of Toronto, ON

Qualifications:

Position Requirements

• Experience with environmental and climate organizing (other social justice organizing)
• Goal oriented with the ability to work independently
• Understanding of climate change, climate justice and local impacts
• Experience in group and meeting facilitation and consensus decision making
• Experience in developing education programs and materials
• Desire to create positive change towards a cleaner, more just world
• Experience organizing events or actions
• This position is funded by a grant which requires the candidate to have been a student at the end of the last semester, and planning on returning to school in the fall

Assets

• Bilingualism
• Proven fundraising experience
• Previous experience with the CYCC
• Media experience

Apply To:

Please send your C.V. and Cover Letter to info@ourclimate.ca to apply.

Applications will be considered on an as received basis until the position is filled.

The Canadian Youth Climate Coalition is an equal opportunity employer. People from marginalized communities, including women, Aboriginal people, visible minorities, people with disabilities, Deaf people, gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, two-spirited people, transgendered and transsexual people, and working class people are especially encouraged to apply. Please indicate in your proposal if you would like to be considered for employment equity.

Register with WorkCabin and send your resume and cover letter directly to this employer.

Canada confirms that it will reject a new Kyoto Protocol

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Today at the Bonn talks, Canada confirmed that it has no intention of renewing the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012. Canada will not be taking a target under the second commitment period. The prospects of a 2012 deal at the UNFCCC seem increasingly unlikely. Last week, Christiana Figueres, head of the UN Climate Secretariat concluded that there is no longer any time between Durban and 2012 to develop a new legally binding text, which will likely lead to a gap in the global climate governance regime.

Moreover, the US which remains the largest emitter of GHGs in the world, continues to push for a  voluntary approach to emissions reductions. It also refuses to sign any agreement without China committing to emissions reductions, as well. However, China, which is now the second largest emitter in the world, has explicitly stated that it has no intention to take any action that will curb its economic growth.  As such, the international climate talks have reached a stalemate and solutions to bring down global emissions continue to remain unlikely from the UNFCCC process.
Follow the talks and read more at Reuters.

Climate Change in the Himalayas Positions

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ICIMOD is looking for a gender expert with good, solid experience on adaptation  to climate change, and in particular in the Hindu Kush Himalayas and/or mountain  contexts.  It would be great if you could share our vacancy announcement for a  gender and climate change expert among your networks.  http://www.icimod.org/?q=3702

The Centre is also looking for a climate change programme coordinator for the  Himalayan Climate Change Adaptation Programme.  http://www.icimod.org/?q=3701

Peter Victor appointed head of Greenbelt Council of Ontario

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The following appeared in the Thursday, June 2, 2011 edition of Y-File. Peter Victor is an IRIS Senior Fellow.

The provincial government announced Tuesday that Professor Peter A. Victor of York’s Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES) has been appointed chair of the Greenbelt Council of Ontario. The greenbelt permanently protects 1.8 million acres of agricultural and environmentally sensitive land around the Greater Golden Horseshoe – an area larger than Prince Edward Island.

An economist who has worked on environmental issues for 40 years as an academic, public servant and consultant, Victor teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in ecological and environmental economics and management at York.

Right: Peter Victor

“Dr. Victor brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and insight to the Greenbelt Council,” said Rick Bartolucci, minister of municipal affairs & housing. “I look forward to working with Dr. Victor and council as they provide advice on the ongoing implementation of the greenbelt.”

Victor said he is looking forward to working with the council, which advises the Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing, on the greenbelt and related issues. “We have come to understand economies as subsystems of the biosphere and realize that a healthy environment and a strong economy go hand in hand,” said Victor.

From 1996 to 2001, Victor was dean of FES, and before that an assistant deputy minister at the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. He continues to provide advice to public, private and non-governmental organizations on areas such as air pollution and health, emissions trading, emerging issues, and full cost accounting at national and corporate levels.

From 2000 to 2004, he was president of the Royal Canadian Institute for the Advancement of Science, Canada’s oldest science organization, and from 2004 to 2006, he was chair of Environment Canada’s Science & Technology Advisory Board. Currently, he is a member of the Advisory Committee on the National Accounts for Statistics Canada, the Academic Advisory Panel of TruCost, the Ontario Government’s Advisory Committee on Transboundary Science and the board of the David Suzuki Foundation. In addition, he is author of Managing without Growth: Slower by Design, not Disaster (Edward Elgar, 2008).

IRIS Senior Fellow awarded 2011-2012 Labrador Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship

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Dr. Rachel Hirsch has been awarded the 2011-12 Labrador Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship <http://www.mun.ca/arts/research/labradorPostdoc.php> .

Dr. Hirsch holds a PhD (Geography) from the University of Western Ontario and is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University. Her research areas of interest include Arctic food insecurity, health and environmental governance, community resiliency, and knowledge sharing. In her work she is also concerned about issues of ethics and cooperation so that engagement with the public on policy issues can be made as transparent and equitable as possible.

Dr. Hirsch will be co-supervised by Dr. Trevor Bell (Geography, Memorial) and Dr. Chris Furgal (Indigenous Environmental Studies, Trent University). Her research will be conducted through the Labrador Institute, and it is funded by the Faculty of Arts, the Labrador Institute, and Drs. Bell and Furgal. Dr. Hirsch hopes to reside in Nain where she will work closely with Tom Sheldon (Nunatsiavut Government) for the duration of her fellowship. She will also be teaching a course for the Labrador Institute.

Dr. Hirsch’s postdoctoral research is entitled “Sharing research findings in Nunavut and Nunatsiavut: Assessing the integration of community-based knowledge in policy communications about climate change related food insecurity.” The main goal of her postdoctoral research is to determine how community-level indigenous knowledge is being integrated into local, territorial, and national climate change adaptation policy decisions about country food access insecurities in the Canadian Arctic.

Dr. Hirsch is currently affiliated with several other projects, her associated roles include:

  1. Coordinator of a virtual forum and workshop being co-hosted by York University’s Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS <http://www.irisyorku.ca> ) and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS <http://www.apecs.is/> ) in preparation for the 17th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties in Durban, South Africa (COP 17).
  2. Collaborator with Damian Castro (Memorial University), Glen Lesins (Dalhousie University), and Kaz Higuchi (Environment Canada and York University) on a project titled: “Cooperative food sharing in Sheshatshiu: Uncovering scenarios to support the 'emergent capacity' of Northern communities”.
  3. Postdoctoral Associate with working groups on intellectual property issues in cultural heritage (IPinCH at Simon Fraser University), the science to policy interface (ArcticNet at Laval University) and the promotion of interdisciplinary collaboration on climate change (CC-RAI at York University).

U.N. Unveils its Carbon Footprint

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The U.N. has made public its own carbon emissions for a second year in a row. In a new report, the U.N. found that its carbon emissions for 2009 were 1.7 million tonnes CO2eq in total, and 8.3 tonnes CO2eq per staff capita. It reports that more than 50% of the GHGs emitted by the U.N. are from air travel alone. Alarmingly, the U.N.'s goal is to reduce its GHG emissions by a mere 3% per year from 2009-2012. The UNFCCC accounted for 1,363 tonnes of CO2eq, most of which was also from air travel. This is concerning, given the fact that, despite COP after COP, and one round of international negotiations after another, the UNFCCC still has no serious plan of action to actually reduce GHG levels and avoid a temperature rise of the earth's surface. The report recommends that in order for the U.N. to achieve 'carbon neutrality', it should budget to purchase offsets and carbon credits  under the Kyoto Protocol. In addition, sustainable procurement practices are recommend. These recommendations are unlikely to lead to its goal of carbon neutrality. The system of carbon credits and offsetting is in a dire state, with concerns over verification, fraudulent practices, and ongoing issues regarding the social injustices related to afforestation schemes, technology transfers, and land enclosures.  In addition to these problems with offsetting, is the broader problem of addressing climate change via ecological modernist solutions that ignore the underlying social relations that cause GHG emissions in the first place.

For more, please read the U.N report.

 

Waterfront Toronto – Emerging Green Builders Event

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Date: June 6th at 6pm (pizza provided), 6:30pm (presentations)

Location: Toronto Public Library, Rm 200.  40 Orchard View Blvd (Yonge + Eglinton)

Price: EGB Members: $5; Non-Members: $10.00 (taxes included)

Waterfront Toronto is the public advocate and steward of waterfront revitalization. Created by the Governments of Canada and Ontario and the City of Toronto, Waterfront Toronto is mandated to deliver a revitalized waterfront.

Lesley Sovran, from Waterfront Toronto will be joining us to discuss the waterfront revitalization projects.

After the presentation – join us and network with professionals, recent graduates and other students from a variety of backgrounds at the Duke of Kent Pub (2315 Yonge Street – across the street from the Toronto Public Library) in a relaxed and casual environment.

To Register:

- Click Here

- visit our Facebook page (EGB Greater Toronto), OR

- contact us directly at EGB@greenbuildingontario.ca.

Be sure to register early to confirm your spot!

Emerging Green Builders (EGB) Greater Toronto is a group of students and new professionals (within 5 years of graduation or 30 years of age or younger) dedicated to the green building movement. We are a working group of the Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC) Greater Toronto Chapter.

View poster here

New website offers one-stop shop for accessibility information

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The following appeared in the Wednesday, May 25, 2011 edition of Y-File.

Today marks the debut of York's new Accessibility Hub, a comprehensive online resource that gathers into one place all of the services, information and standards that are related to increasing accessibility at the University.

Accessibility builds and maintains standards for the inclusion of all individuals across the University in daily activities. Whether it is through face-to-face interaction, teaching, web or print materials, everyone has a role to play in making York accessible for people of all abilities.

York's new Accessibility Hub provides information on accessible website standards, accessibility legislation, tips on interacting with persons with disabilities, training and more, all in one convenient location. As new information becomes available, the hub will be adapted and enhanced. It will serve as a living laboratory to reflect new thinking and developments in accessibility.

A screen image showing the York Accessibility Hub. The image is linked to the actual website.

The push towards accessibility has its roots in the 1980s, when several provincial laws were passed to increase accessibility in the province. While progress has been made in some areas and by some organizations, accessibility in some areas still remains limited and people with disabilities do not have equal access to services, employment, transportation or buildings that others in Ontario enjoy.

In 2005, the provincial government addressed this inequality with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Under the act, businesses and organizations in Ontario, including all universities and colleges, will have to identify, remove and prevent barriers to accessibility. AODA, which will be reviewed every five years, sets out series of standards designed to move the province forward on accessibility in a number of key areas.

What does “disability” mean? 

Disability refers to any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness.

Disabilities can be visible and “invisible” and can include diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, a brain injury, any degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical coordination, blindness or visual impairment, or physical reliance on a guide dog or other service animal, or on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device.

Disabilities also include a condition of mental impairment or a developmental disability, a learning disability, or a dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in understanding or using symbols or spoken language. Disabilities include mental disorders, or an injury or disability for which benefits were claimed or received under the insurance plan established under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997.

These standards will be rolled out in stages over the next few years with a goal of completion in 15 years. A University AODA coordinating committee was convened to provide leadership for these new standards.

In 2010, York introduced to the University community the first set of standards to be implemented under AODA. The "customer service" standard ensured that  goods and services offered by the University and other public sector organizations are provided in ways that are accessible to persons with disabilities, see YFile, April 20, 2010. All individuals who deal with the University's customers (students, visitors, prospective community members and alumni) are required to complete an online training module.

“York University has an advantage over some institutions as it has been a leader in being an accessible place to work and study for some time,” said Mamdouh Shoukri, York's president & vice-chancellor. "As Canada’s third largest University, with more than 65,000 students, faculty and staff, we understand how important it is that people of all abilities are able to enjoy what York has to offer."

York's Accessibility Hub provides an accessible toolkit of web standards and will evolve as new information and developments become available. The hub also offers a comprehensive list of resources, training, an option to provide feedback and a list of documents community members can use to make the University more accessible.

"The Accessibility Hub is an evolution of the University's efforts to raise awareness of disabilities and accessibility," said Leanne De Fillippis, York’s AODA coordinator.  "it offers a home for all the services and information available on accessibility."

To learn more, visit York's Accessibility Hub online, or contact the AODA office at aodainfo@yorku.ca, or by telephone at 416-736-5310.

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