91亚色 researchers are calling for such a coordinated global action to govern artificial intelligence (AI). They say establishing effective frameworks to prevent the intensified risks of digital colonization, deepening inequality, intellectual property (IP) violations and workforce exploitation is crucial.

Associate Professor and Assistant Professor i, both in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, are leading key research and academic initiatives related to AI governance, supported by significant funding for their groundbreaking research in emerging areas.

Dagne, the Ontario Research Chair in Governing Artificial Intelligence in the School of Public Policy & Administration at 91亚色鈥檚 Markham Campus, has received funding for three collaborative research projects 鈥� as co-lead or principal investigator 鈥� from the International Development Research Council, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grants and French Development Agency.

His research explores the role of existing IP laws in shaping AI innovation and highlights how global legal frameworks often fail to account for diverse realities, particularly in the Global South.

鈥淢ost of the impact of IP rules on AI relates to whether there have been copyright violations during the training of AI and the development of its datasets, and whether AI-generated content is protected under IP law,鈥� Dagne explains. 鈥淚n the context of the Global South, it鈥檚 far more complex, with
issues of fairness, access, ownership and cultural rights adding important layers to the discussion.鈥�

His current research focuses on African startups and innovators who face barriers in accessing open data and navigating IP frameworks. 鈥淭his leaves African developers vulnerable to exploitation, as their data and innovations are often used without proper compensation or recognition.鈥�

"In the context of the Global South, it鈥檚 far more complex, with issues of fairness, access, ownership and cultural rights adding important layers to the discussion."

He adds that current global rules reflect the legal traditions and economic priorities of countries in the Global North. 鈥淭hese laws, focused on property rights, often don鈥檛 align with how innovation occurs in the Global South, where knowledge-sharing tends to be informal, non-proprietary and rooted in open, collaborative practices.鈥�

Li, whose expertise lies in the geopolitical dynamics of AI governance, points out that academic research capacity in the Global South is also limited, affecting how AI-related policies and laws are developed.

鈥淎I governance research remains dominated by high-income Western nations and elite institutions,鈥� says Li. She received support through 91亚色鈥檚 Global Research Excellence Seed Fund and almost $100,000 in SSHRC funding for her project with the University of Texas at Austin 鈥� Shaping the Future of AI: Artificial Intelligence Governance in Global Dynamics. 鈥淢uch of the Global South, including South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, remains underrepresented in knowledge production and global policy discourse, reinforcing deep inequalities in institutional capacity and participation.鈥�

Her SSHRC-funded research investigates how geopolitical dynamics influence the development and dissemination of AI regulation and research, mapping which countries and institutions act as decision-making hubs. It also looks at how these structures reproduce, or sometimes challenge, existing hierarchies in the world system.

A 91亚色 Centre for Asian Research Faculty Associate, Li says the AI governance research is heavily concentrated in the United States, China, the European Union and the United Kingdom. These regions lead global discussions due to imbalances in both knowledge production and funding distribution across the world.

鈥淐ertain universities and research centres act as global hubs, driving much of the research agenda. This concentration raises concerns about limited perspectives and potential bias,鈥� she says, noting that funding, researchers and publications on AI governance are highly concentrated in a small group of elite institutions.

As AI reshapes societies and economies worldwide, the call from these researchers is clear: the future of AI must be governed by frameworks that are as diverse, inclusive and interconnected as the world it aims to serve.

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Wood and Rossiter鈥檚 book reframes the issue of land claims as historical attempts by the Crown in B.C. to acquire Indigenous territory.

In a Q&A with graduate student researcher Danielle Legault, Wood talks about her new book.

Q: How does this book build on your previous research work, and what inspired you to write it?

A: David Rossiter and I have been researching the historical, political and legal geography of Indigenous title in B.C. for about 20 years. It started with a project on the referendum that the provincial government, under (former) Premier Gordon Campbell, held in 2002 about the 鈥減rinciples鈥� of treaty negotiations. That became our first published article together, in The Canadian Geographer, in 2005. Several more articles, presentations and op-ed pieces followed on specific aspects, but there was a larger story that we wanted to tell that needed a book-length manuscript to
do properly.

Q: What inspired your choice of British Columbia as the site of exploration in this book?

A: British Columbia is an important site of Indigenous-settler relations because the vast majority of the territory the Crown claimed was never 鈥渃onquered鈥� nor ceded by treaty. The Crown鈥檚 claim, even according to its own law, is without solid moral or legal foundation. It is thus inherently unstable.

Q: Can you discuss the unique approach of Unstable Properties in reframing the topic of Aboriginal claims to Crown land?

A: We would emphasize that the question is one of Crown claims on Indigenous land, not the other way around. This is at the heart of our approach. It has always been the Indigenous claim that is subjected to scrutiny, as a 鈥渂urden鈥� on the Crown claim. This is backwards; it is the legitimacy of the Crown鈥檚 claim that needs to be examined. It is Canada that needs to reconcile its actual history and present with its alleged principles of democracy and justice.

We also want to emphasize that what progress has been made on resolving these questions and moving forward towards a more just relationship should be credited to Indigenous individuals and organizations who did the political and legal work to compel the Canadian state to 鈥� start to 鈥� recognize the hypocrisy, injustice and violence of settler-colonial land claims.

Our argument about the instability of the settler claim to Indigenous land in British Columbia isn鈥檛 intended to suggest British Columbia is exceptional and everywhere else is fine, but rather that it exposes the problems of settler-colonial claims across Canada, and should lead us to question what existing treaties mean, under what circumstances they were established, and what kind of relationship we want to pursue from here.

Research is not politically neutral, and a lot of talk about 鈥渞econciliation鈥� can be pretty superficial. We鈥檙e trying to contribute to a path that is more meaningful and material, where Indigenous sovereignty and land rights are part of the plan. Facing our history and decolonizing our thinking is not just in our publications; bringing this to the curriculum and the classroom is just as important.

Q: Having completed this book, how do you see your work moving forward in the future?

A: We know we still have miles to go, and Dave and I plan to continue to pay attention to specific cases that Indigenous organizations raise to see where we can help with research that exposes the instability of the settler claim, in hopes that it helps pressure settler governments to come to the table and negotiate honestly and fairly. 

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That鈥檚 one of the fundamental issues that Osgoode Professor Estair Van Wagner wrestles with in her research and teaching around the often controversial areas of property law and natural resources law. 

Along with her work on homelessness and public space, Van Wagner also focuses her research on Indigenous land rights and property law. 

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she鈥檚 been a sought-after expert on the topic of homeless encampments, especially in the wake of a recent decision by an Ontario Superior Court judge rejecting the Region of Waterloo鈥檚 application to forcibly remove a homeless encampment from property it owns because of the lack of shelter space in the area. 

Influenced by a series of B.C. court decisions starting with Victoria (City) v. Adams in 2008, Justice M.J. Valente ruled that the legal remedies sought by the Region of Waterloo violate the encampment residents' rights to life, liberty and security of the person under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

Van Wagner, who also serves as the co-director of Osgoode鈥檚 Environmental Justice and Sustainability Clinic, has overseen or contributed to research that takes a human rights approach to homeless encampments, including an analysis of the City of Toronto鈥檚 approach to the encampments during the pandemic and an overview of homeless encampments across Canada, prepared for the Office of the Federal Housing Advocate. 

鈥淢y hope,鈥� she says, 鈥渋s that our research is useful to groups working on the ground to mobilize change at the local level 鈥� saying to municipalities that the way you鈥檙e dealing with homeless encampments is violating human rights and is a manifestation of our failure to realize the right to housing.鈥�

鈥淯ltimately,鈥� she adds, 鈥渕y research is really aimed at understanding how property and property law contribute to various forms of injustice.鈥�

Under Canada鈥檚 colonial system of property law, says Van Wagner, the concept of ownership is often understood as exclusionary: 鈥淚t鈥檚 our property, we own it, and we get to decide.鈥� 

鈥淲e need to really rethink that in order to put human rights and social justice and equity at the centre of our decision-making,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here needs to be a much more nuanced approach to how we share property.鈥� 

In this regard, said Van Wagner, there is much to learn from Indigenous legal orders and property relations, which go beyond ownership to encompass complex systems of obligations and responsibilities with regard to culture, spirituality, the environment and all that live within these ecosystems. One of her other research projects explores Indigenous jurisdiction and private property in the territory of the Hul鈥檘ui鈥檓in鈥檜m Treaty Group on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

鈥淯ntil we address the violations of the right to housing that are going on across the country,鈥� she added, 鈥渨e will continue to see court cases, but litigation is not the way this issue (of homelessness) will be resolved.鈥�

So what about that right to housing? 

While the individual right to adequate housing is recognized in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to which Canada is a party, and in the federal National Housing Strategy Act, which came into force in July 2019, Van Wagner said Canadian courts have not recognized a right to housing under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. However, some municipalities such as Toronto have recognized a right to housing in their policy documents. 

鈥淚n my view, this is still an open question,鈥� said Van Wagner, 鈥渂ecause while we don鈥檛 at the moment have a court decision that says there鈥檚 a Charter right to housing there absolutely is a right to housing in international and now federal law and that should be informing government decisions at all levels.鈥� 

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Ododo Wa 鈥� 鈥渙ur stories鈥� in the Acholi language 鈥� features artwork, short films, photographs and Amony and Acan鈥檚 personal belongings in order to help detail their stories of survival and their paths to freedom.

The pair helped develop the exhibit alongside Isabella Masson, curator at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, and in partnership with Professor Annie Bunting, 91亚色 researcher and the director of a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grant project, Conjugal Slavery in War: Partnerships for the study of enslavement, marriage and masculinities.

鈥淚t is our hope that the exhibit helps survivors open up about their experiences and helps them find the courage to advocate for their needs,鈥� said
Amony, now a human rights advocate in Uganda, and co-founder of the Women鈥檚 Advocacy Network, alongside Acan.

The exhibit is one of the outcomes of the SSHRC grant and aims to amplify the experiences of women in war, and the advocacy and work of survivors. It mobilizes what Bunting refers to as 鈥渄ifficult knowledge鈥� by employing creative methods to share these experiences.

鈥淭he traveling exhibit has been shared in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and now in Sierra Leone, facilitating important conversations about justice and reparations from the perspective of survivors and mobilizing community-based research,鈥� said Bunting, a professor of law and society in the Department of Social Science.

Bunting and the research team, alongside Amony and Acan, flew to Sierra Leone earlier this year to launch the exhibit at the Sierre Leone Peace Museum in Freetown. It was a significant trip as the Peace Museum stands on the site of what once was the Special Court of Sierra Leone (SCSL) 鈥� the first international court to find abduction for forced marriage in conflict situations to be a crime against humanity.

For Acan, taking the exhibit to Sierra Leone helps continue her and Amony鈥檚 advocacy work for justice and reparations.  

鈥淪urvivors must not be forgotten,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey need to be supported to heal in a holistic and survivor-centred manner for them to live meaningful and productive lives.鈥� 

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The hub is directed by three co-leads, Professors Muriel P茅guret and Dominique Scheffel-Dunand and researcher Mirela Cherciov. The trio developed Camerise in response to a call for applications by Heritage Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Education, to help address recruitment and retention of FSL educators.

鈥淲ith its Open Science Framework, Camerise aims at supporting the involvement of all FSL stakeholders in the development of networked research and educational practices that give teachers, learners and researchers new opportunities in knowledge co-creation,鈥� says Scheffel-Dunand.

Camerise, in English, is the haskap berry, an indigenous berry that thrives in boreal climates, grows in clusters, and is now cultivated in Canada for its nutritional value. The hub aspires to make similar contributions in terms of vitality and evolution 鈥�  an ever-blooming community of practice around FSL. The hub is already on its way to achieving its objectives through the launch of its second prototype. 

鈥淭he team behind Camerise are a group of passionate and innovative FSL stakeholders of different ages, backgrounds and expertise. Together they form the beginning of a Canadian community of practice around FSL, pioneering a culture of sharing and openness. With each iteration of the hub, new tools and opportunities for collaborating are being offered, and the community grows,鈥� says Muriel P茅guret. Now at the beginning of its third year, Camerise is working on its third prototype and is looking for ways to become self-sustaining.

Un p么le de connaissances num茅riques pour le fran莽ais langue seconde

Faculty Muriel P茅guret campus Glendon, Mirela Cherciov Chercheuse campus Glendon, Dominique Scheffel-Dunand Facult茅 des arts lib茅raux et 茅tudes professionnelles

Financement Patrimoine canadien; minist猫re de l鈥櫭塪ucation de l鈥橭ntario

Le bilinguisme anglais-fran莽ais est une caract茅ristique essentielle de la vie canadienne, mais le pays conna卯t actuellement une p茅nurie importante d鈥檈nseignants de fran莽ais langue seconde (FLS). Camerise, le nouveau centre dynamique de connaissances qui a 茅t茅 lanc茅 脿 Glendon, le campus bilingue de 91亚色, vise 脿 y rem茅dier.

Camerise fournit aux membres de la communaut茅 茅tudiante, du corps enseignant et des administrations de la communaut茅 FLS du Canada une plateforme num茅rique de ressources et d鈥檕utils ancr茅s dans l鈥橭pen Science Framework (OSF). L鈥橭SF est une application Web utilis茅e pour le partage en libre acc猫s de donn茅es et de ressources 茅ducatives qui promeut une culture de partage des ressources et outils p茅dagogiques et savants. 

Le p么le est codirig茅 par les professeures Muriel P茅guret et Dominique Scheffel-Dunand et la chercheuse Mirela Cherciov. Le trio a d茅velopp茅 Camerise en r茅ponse 脿 un appel 脿 candidatures lanc茅 par Patrimoine Canada et le minist猫re de l鈥櫭塪ucation de l鈥橭ntario afin de contribuer au recrutement et au maintien en fonction des enseignants de FLS.

芦 Avec l鈥橭SF, Camerise vise 脿 soutenir l鈥檌mplication de tous les intervenants en FLS dans le d茅veloppement de pratiques de recherche et d鈥櫭ヾucation en r茅seau qui offrent aux enseignants, aux apprenants et aux chercheurs de nouvelles possibilit茅s de cr茅ation de connaissances 禄, d茅clare Mme Scheffel-Dunand.

Le mot Camerise d茅signe une baie indig猫ne florissante dans les climats bor茅aux o霉 elle pousse en grappes. Elle est maintenant cultiv茅e au Canada pour sa valeur nutritionnelle. De m锚me, le p么le aspire 脿 apporter des contributions en mati猫re de vitalit茅 et d鈥櫭﹙olution afin de cr茅er une communaut茅 de pratique prosp猫re autour du FLS. Il est sur le point d鈥檃tteindre ses objectifs gr芒ce au lancement de son deuxi猫me prototype.  

芦 Les intervenants passionn茅s et innovants que l鈥櫭﹒uipe de Camerise r茅unit sont d鈥櫭es, horizons et expertises vari茅s. Ces personnes forment le d茅but d鈥檜ne communaut茅 de pratique canadienne autour du FLS et sont les pionni猫res d鈥檜ne culture de partage et d鈥檕uverture. 脌 chaque it茅ration du p么le, de nouveaux outils et de nouvelles possibilit茅s de collaboration sont propos茅s, et la communaut茅 s鈥檃grandit 禄, explique Muriel P茅guret.

Camerise, qui entame sa troisi猫me ann茅e d鈥檈xistence, travaille sur son troisi猫me prototype et cherche des moyens de devenir financi猫rement autonome.

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