Call for Submissions: University-wide Creative Writing Competition open to all 91亚色U students. Apply now!聽

The annual President鈥檚 Creative Writing Awards, the Lorna Marsden Prize for Creative Writing in French and the Daniel Whittaker-Van Dusen Prize for Emerging Poets are accepting unpublished and original writing submissions.

The President鈥檚 Awards and the Lorna Marsden Prize are open to all full or part-time 91亚色 undergraduate students only. The Daniel Whittaker-Van Dusen Prize is open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

The President鈥檚 Creative Writing Awards accept submissions in the following three categories: poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction.

Submissions should comprise a single poem or a short story. Creative nonfiction submissions can include personal essays, memoir, autocriticism, travel writing, and literary journalism, as well as any other form of narrative prose nonfiction that is neither reportage nor academic work.

Submissions for the Lorna Marsden Prize for Creative Writing in French are accepted in any of the above creative genres, as long as the work is written in French.

Any undergraduate submissions to the President鈥檚 Awards in Poetry will automatically also be considered for the Daniel Whittaker-Van Dusen Prize.

There is no minimum or maximum length requirement in each category, but submissions must fall within the above genres. The awards are not open to novels or opera librettos, for example. Contestants may enter a writing piece in each category but may not submit more than one entry in each category.

The winning submission in each category for the President鈥檚 Awards and the Lorna Marsden Prize will receive $1,000. The Daniel Whittaker-Van Dusen Prize winner will receive $1,500.

The competition results will be announced in the spring, and prizes will be awarded at the annual Creative Writing Awards reception. Names will be published in yFile and on the English Department and Creative Writing Program website.

Please note that any use of generative AI must be declared and specified or the submission will be automatically disqualified. Grammar checks are acceptable.

The deadline for online submissions is Jan. 8, 2027. For additional information, submission requirements, contest rules and how to apply, please click here.

For further questions, contact Michelle Anacleto, Creative Writing Program Assistant, by email at lapscrwr@yorku.ca.

A newly released Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) report says Canada鈥檚 data-centre sector, while central to the country鈥檚 economy, AI ambitions and digital sovereignty, will also face risks of issues like cyberattacks, supply-chain disruptions and foreign interference. The report highlights the need for stronger security and Canadian-controlled infrastructure.  

In a recent article on the subject in the Calgary Herald, Natasha Tiskov, professor in 91亚色鈥檚 Department of Social Science, says it is vital to create additional safeguards of data to ensure it has extra protections and is not connected to an American company. While she agrees with the need for Canadian companies to store data, there are currently no companies able to do this at the required scale.  

Tusikov鈥檚 research examines the intersection among law, crime, technology and regulation. She is also a senior fellow at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo and a visiting fellow with the Justice and Technoscience Lab (JusTech Lab), School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet) at the Australian National University.鈥疕er research interests include information technologies, crime, law and technology, private security industry, regulatory theory and criminology. 

Read the full article in the .

Jesse Thistle, an assistant professor in the Department of Humanities, has been recognized by CBC for his memoir From the Ashes. To mark World Mental Health Day on October 10, CBC published a list of 24 Canadian books focusing on mental health, with Thistle鈥檚 book listed as recommended reading. Thistle鈥檚 memoir recounts his difficult childhood and overcoming addiction and homelessness.  

Thistle is a P.E. Trudeau and Vanier doctoral scholar, as well as a Governor General Silver Medalist. He was the Resident Scholar of Indigenous Homelessness at the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness where he drafted the National Definition of Indigenous Homelessness in Canada. His historical research has been published in numerous academic journals, book chapters and featured on CBC Ideas, CBC Campus and Unreserved. Thistle teaches M茅tis Studies at 91亚色. 

See the full list of books on the .

An article in the Toronto Star examines how the Canadian government will soon implement 鈥渆qual treatment鈥� provisions in the Canada Labour Code. This will prohibit federally regulated employers from paying different wage rates based solely on a worker鈥檚 status as part-time, temporary or permanent when they perform the same work. Some experts point out the amendment requires workers to request wage reviews and file complaints themselves, rather than placing responsibility on employers, which might limit the law鈥檚 effectiveness if employees are vulnerable or don鈥檛 know their rights.  

Leah Vosko, a distinguished research professor of political economy in 91亚色鈥檚 Department of Politics, says she worries that since employees will need to complain or seek a review, this law may not help support them. She says the government should make it mandatory for employers to review wages, make pay structures transparent and confirm their compliance. 

Vosko鈥檚 research examines labour market insecurity/precarious employment, employment standards enforcement, international mobility programs and deportability among workers labouring transnationally. 

Read the full article in the (behind paywall).听听

A recent article in CityNews discusses how business leaders and advocacy groups have become concerned about the economic impact of Alberta separatism. Richard Leblanc, a professor in the School of Administrative Studies, says executives are often reluctant to enter political debates due to the risk of disrupting relationships with customers and stakeholders. He notes however, that if the political situation poses a greater risk than speaking out does, there is a greater incentive to take a stance. Some corporate leaders in Alberta have showed support to remain part of Canada, since separatism could affect business operations. 

Leblanc is a leading expert in corporate governance and accountability. He is鈥痑鈥痩awyer, public speaker and consultant and has taught corporate governance at Harvard University. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Certified Management Consultants of Ontario and an academic fellow of the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes.鈥��� 

Read the full article in .听听

On September 18, Alan Corbiere, associate professor in the Department of History, received the 2026 Indigenous Niagara Outstanding Achievement Awards (INOAA) in the category of Intellectual Advancement. Now in its seventh year, the awards honour those contributing to the Indigenous cultural, educational and artistic landscape across the Niagara region, determined each year through a peer-review process. 

The awards ceremony was held in Niagara College鈥檚 Yerich Auditorium, and was hosted by Tim Johnson, president of the Niagara Academy for Indigenous Relations, and Jennifer Brant, board member of the Academy and associate professor in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. Recipients represented a wide range of achievements across six categories including: Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Intellectual Advancement, Language and Culture, Empathic Traditions and Two-Row Alliance. An additional category was created for this year, entitled the Special Service Distinction Award. 

Corbiere鈥痠s an Anishinaabe from M鈥機higeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island.鈥� His research鈥痠nterests鈥痠nclude鈥疘ndigenous鈥痯eoples,鈥痟istory,鈥疉nishinaabe鈥痩anguage revitalization,鈥痶reaty鈥痳esearch鈥痑nd鈥痳elationships.鈥��  

Read the full article in the .

Aurora municipal election candidates are divided over whether mayors and councillors should face term limits. Opponents argue voters already have the power to remove elected officials every four years and that experienced representatives provide valuable continuity and institutional knowledge. Supporters say term limits would prevent the concentration of power, encourage fresh ideas and create opportunities for new candidates. The debate comes amid concerns about low voter turnout and engagement in municipal politics.  

Dennis Pilon, professor in the Department of Politics, notes in the Aurora Today article on the topic that local elections tend to get overlooked compared to elections focused on other levels of government, which can make it harder for voters to assess candidates and issues. He says that some structural reforms could make municipal elections more democratic.  

Pilon holds a PhD in Political Science from 91亚色. His research interests include politics and government, labour, elections, democratic reform, class鈥痑nalysis鈥痑nd Canadian/comparative politics.鈥�

Read the full article in .

The research of Kristin Andrews, professor in the Department of Philosophy, and PhD candidate, Marriah Alcantara, has been featured in several media stories regarding the ethics of using artificial intelligence (AI) to facilitate communication with animals. The topic was recently highlighted in the and on .   

Andrews and co-author Alcantara explore this topic in their work, , published by Springer Nature on April 4, 2026. The scholars examine how machine learning is being used to identify patterns in the meaning of animal sounds and how these technologies could be employed to communicate with animals. 

The authors explore the ethical considerations that should guide this emerging field of research, as well as its possible outcomes. Their research suggest that while advances in interspecies communication could provide important benefits for animal communities, it may also pose risks.  

Kristin Andrews is 91亚色 Research Chair in Animal Minds and professor of philosophy at 91亚色, CIFAR fellow in the Future Flourishing program, and was elected to the College of the Royal Society of Canada. She works on questions related to animal consciousness and animal culture, and the impacts these have on conceptions of human nature.鈥� 

Marriah Alcantara is a PhD candidate in philosophy at 91亚色. Her research focus is on the complexity of the social lives of nonhuman animals and how this should inform interspecies interactions. 

Read the full article in with additional articles in the and .

Political parties in Vancouver and Surrey are pushing to replace the current 鈥渁t-large鈥� municipal election system with a 鈥渨ard鈥� system, where smaller districts would elect their own councillor. The ward system is currently used in every other major city in Canada and parties argue it would improve local representation, accountability and voter engagement. Supporters of the proposal say voters would have fewer candidates to assess, and councillors would serve the specific needs of neighbourhoods. While recent polling shows growing public support for wards, experts caution the transition to a new system could be difficult.

Dennis Pilon, professor in the Department of Politics, is quoted in the article, stating that reform on this scale rarely happens on its own, and that it usually requires a crisis to galvanize changes. He points to Vancouver鈥檚 history, where the current at-large system was implemented to limit working-class and left-wing political influence.   

Pilon holds a PhD in Political Science from 91亚色. His research interests include politics and government, labour, elections, democratic reform, class鈥痑nalysis鈥痑nd Canadian/comparative politics.鈥�� 

Read the full article in the .听听

A new CBC podcast series titled How to Defeat Authoritarianism examines what history can teach us about resisting authoritarian rule. The podcast brings scholars together to discuss the rise and fall of authoritarian regimes and the lessons they offer today. Aitana Guia, associate professor in the Department of History, is featured on the panel for an episode on Benito Mussolini鈥檚 Italy.  

Guia is a social and political historian of modern Europe, particularly Spain. Her areas of research interest include social movements, nationalism, migration and minorities in the post-war period.聽

Listen to the podcast series on .