TORONTO, Oct. 17, 2016 – “Re-imagining refuge” for millions of people who have been displaced from their homes and their countries will require ensuring people are welcomed and valued as neighbours rather than merely accommodated, and will require action locally, nationally and internationally, according to speakers at a symposium at 91��ɫ’s Glendon College today.

The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson, 26^th Governor General of Canada (1999-2005) and co-founder and co-chair of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, opened the symposium on Re-imagining Refuge.

“Refugees coming to Canada present us with a unique opportunity for Canada to gain new talent, new opportunities, and new horizons for economic prosperity,” said Mme. Clarkson, who said Canada offered her many opportunities after her family came here as refugees in 1942.

��Organized by 91��ɫ and 91��ɫ’s in collaboration with Universities Canada, the symposium was part of a Universities Canada speaker’s series called .

"The global refugee crisis is one of the most pressing and challenging issues of our time, and given 91��ɫ’s historic commitment to social justice, this Mindshare symposium is consistent with our ongoing aim to contribute meaningfully to global conversations and advance solutions to global challenges," said Mamdouh Shoukri, President and Vice-Chancellor of 91��ɫ. "From student and community groups who have mobilized to sponsor and welcome refugees, to the valuable work being done at our Centre for Refugee Studies and by researchers across the University to engage with issues of migration and resettlement, I am justifiably proud of 91��ɫ's leadership in this area."

Panellists discussed the importance of re-imagining refuge based on human rights and dignity and committing to actively engaging with people who are seeking refuge. Local and national groups, along with individual Canadians, can have a major impact in the response to an enormous international humanitarian issue, they said.

Professor Jennifer Hyndman, director of 91��ɫ’s Centre for Refugee Studies, said local and national actions are especially important because the global refugee system, its laws and policies are based on an outdated postwar model. The term “protracted refugee situation” is a euphemism for failure, she said.

“The existing international refugee regime is sorely outdated and just not working. We have a lot of mechanics tinkering with a very old mechanism. What is needed is an inventor, an architect who can redesign the way we engage refugees.”

��is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes��unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91��ɫ students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91��ɫ U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 26 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91��ɫ is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 295,000 alumni.
91��ɫ U's fully bilingual Glendon campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

��Media Contact:
Barbara Joy, Media Relations, 91��ɫ, 416 736 5593 / barbjoy@yorku.ca

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Prominent judges, lawyers and scholars from Canada and Israel will explore the role of the judiciary in the 21^st century at a symposium on September 26 and 27, 2016 in honour of Dr. Asher D. Grunis, former President (Chief Justice) of the Supreme Court of Israel.

Hosted by Osgoode Hall Law School and the Centre for Public Policy and Law at 91��ɫ, Institutions, Constitutions: The Judiciary's Role in the 21st Century will examine ��comparative constitutional ideas and the role of the courts in advancing constitutional values in Canada and Israel.

The symposium will also recognize the many contributions of Grunis, a 1977 Osgoode DJur graduate who has had a distinguished career as a law professor, practising lawyer and judge. He served as President of the Supreme Court of Israel from February 2012 until January 2015 when he reached mandatory retirement age.

“We are delighted to welcome back an Osgoode alumnus who, as the 10^th president of the Israeli Supreme Court, served to safeguard the democratic values of Israel,” said Osgoode Dean Lorne Sossin. “This symposium honours Dr. Grunis for his unwavering commitment to law and justice and a lifetime of service to society.”

Among the notables who will be participating in the symposium are Aharon Barak, former President of the Israeli Supreme Court; Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella of the Supreme Court of Canada; Chief Justice George Strathy of the Ontario Court of Appeal; and Irwin Cotler, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. In addition, academics from about a dozen universities in Canada and Israel will take part in the event.

The symposium, which is being held at Osgoode Professional Development Centre, 26^th floor, 1 Dundas Street West, Toronto, will begin on Monday, September 26 at 2:15 p.m. with welcoming remarks followed by panel discussions on “Efficiency and Justice” and the “Institutional Role in Protecting Human Rights.” A cocktail reception will follow at 6:15 p.m. at which Cotler will deliver a keynote address in honour of Grunis.

The second day will feature sessions on the “Institutional Role in Appointing Judges,” “Multiculturalism and Minority’s Rights” and “The Judicial Role.”

For a detailed agenda, please visit . Please note that the registration fee is waived for members of the media.

is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91��ɫ students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91��ɫ U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 26 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91��ɫ is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 295,000 alumni.

Media Contact:
Virginia Corner, Communications Manager, Osgoode Hall Law School of 91��ɫ, 416-736-5820, vcorner@osgoode.yorku.ca

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TORONTO, May 25, 2016 –Environmental justice (or injustice) issues underlie many of the environmental challenges Indigenous peoples in Canada face daily, but proposed solutions seldom include their voices. To help change that, 91��ɫ is bringing scholars and Indigenous peoples together Thursday to talk about environmental justice issues and the policies and laws needed to address them from an Indigenous perspective.

The will include the voices and experiences of Indigenous peoples as they engage directly in knowledge-sharing to help participants better understand the core concepts of Indigenous environmental justice.

“Canadian conceptions and practices of justice have routinely failed, and continue to fail, Indigenous peoples,” says organizer Deborah McGregor of the and . “Environmental justice is no exception.”

Environmental justice usually pertains to the inequitable distribution of the costs and benefits of environmental degradation. In Canada, it is a constant undercurrent for most environmental challenges faced by Indigenous peoples.

The symposium will look at the following questions:

• What does environmental justice mean in Canada and what are the necessary criteria to achieve it?

• What is the role of Indigenous law, justice and knowledge in understanding Indigenous environmental justice?

For a list of and , click .

WHAT: Indigenous Environmental Justice Knowledge Sharing Symposium

WHEN: Thursday, May 26 from 9am to 7:30pm

WHERE: Helliwel Centre, Ignat Kaneff Building, Osgoode Hall Law School, 91��ɫ, Keele campus (building 32 on )

��is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our 52,000 students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91��ɫ students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world's most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91��ɫ U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 24 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide.

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Media Contact:

Sandra McLean, 91��ɫ Media Relations, 416-736-2100 ext. 22097 / sandramc@yorku.ca

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International experts present findings in Toronto on bee-harming neonicotinoids

TORONTO, APRIL 18, 2016 — Canadian and international scientists are meeting at a symposium in Toronto tomorrow, April 19, 2016, to discuss the latest research on neonicotinoid insecticides, or neonics, which have been linked to declines in global populations of bees, butterflies and other biodiversity.

The one-day symposium is being hosted by the David Suzuki Foundation and 91��ɫ and will be attended by Canadian scientists and several members of the international Task Force on Systemic Pesticides (TFSP), whose groundbreaking research on neonics and other systemic pesticides has influenced policy and regulations in Ontario, Quebec and the European Union.

“The scientific body of evidence clearly documents that neonics are causing great harm,” said French researcher Jean-Marc Bonmatin, vice-chair of TFSP, which has analysed more than 1,000 peer-reviewed studies into the impacts of neonics and other systemic pesticides. “We are witnessing the greatest threat to the productivity and the diversity of our natural and farmed environment since DDT. Far from protecting food production, the use of neonics is threatening the very infrastructure that enables it.”

The TFSP study, published in the Journal of Environmental Science and Pollution Research last year, concluded that large-scale, prophylactic use of neonics is having significant, unintended ecological consequences on non-target species, including honeybees, and across terrestrial, aquatic, wetland and marine habitats. A growing body of evidence also shows these chemicals pose risks to ecosystem functioning, such as pollination, which is necessary for about one-third of crops grown in Ontario.

“Bees are essential for agriculture worldwide—not just domesticated honey bees, but also the thousands of species of wild bee, which in many cases are doing the bulk of agricultural pollination without most people noticing their existence,” says Laurence Packer, professor of biology at 91��ɫ.

The Ontario government brought in restrictions on neonicotinoid use last spring. New regulations prohibit the use and sale of corn and soybean seeds treated with three commercially available neonicotinoid pesticides, except under certain conditions. That means farmers will no longer be allowed to routinely plant neonic-treated seeds, starting this spring.

“The Ontario government is on the right track with its plan to dramatically reduce the use of neonics over a two year phase in period,” said Faisal Moola, Ontario director-general at the David Suzuki Foundation. “Evidence-based policy making is critical to the sound management of the environment and economy. We are encouraged by the participation of various government agencies, scientists and farming and conservation groups in today’s symposium.”

While mounting evidence has led some jurisdictions to reduce neonic use, the insecticides continue to be ubiquitously used in agriculture across the globe, as foliar sprays, soil drenches and seed treatments, in horticulture, turf grass production, golf courses and even in flea and tick treatments for pets. Five neonics are currently registered for use in Canada and are found in more than 100 pesticide products. The French National Assembly recently voted to ban all neonics, on all crops, starting in 2018.

More information about tomorrow’s symposium:

WHAT: The David Suzuki Foundation and 91��ɫ present a one-day symposium on impacts of and alternatives to systemic pesticides.

WHO: Opening remarks from Hon. Glen Murray, Ontario’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Speakers from the TFSP, including Dr. Maarten Bijleveld van Lexmond, Dr. Lorenzo Furlan, Dr. Kumiko Taira, Dr. Elizabeth Lumawig-Heitzmann and Dr. Jean-Marc Bonmatin. Dr. Laurence Packer and Dr. Amro Zayed, 91��ɫ; Dr. Nigel Raine, University of Guelph; Dr. David Kreutzweiser, Canadian Forest Service; Dr. Charles Vincent, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; and more.

WHERE: Room 103, Life Sciences Building, 91��ɫ, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto

WHEN: 9am – 5pm, Tuesday, April 19, 2016

For more information about the symposium, visit syspesticides.eventbrite.ca. To arrange interviews, contact:

Jode Roberts, David Suzuki Foundation, 647-456-9752, jroberts@davidsuzuki.org
Sandra McLean, 91��ɫ, 416-736-2100 ext. 22097, sandramc@yorku.ca

��is helping to shape the global thinkers and thinking that will define tomorrow. 91��ɫ U's unwavering commitment to excellence reflects a rich diversity of perspectives and a strong sense of social responsibility that sets us apart. A 91��ɫU degree empowers graduates to thrive in the world and achieve their life goals through a rigorous academic foundation balanced by real-world experiential education. As a globally recognized research centre, 91��ɫ U is fully engaged in the critical discussions that lead to innovative solutions to the most pressing local and global social challenges. 91��ɫ U's 11 faculties and 25 research centres are thinking bigger, broader and more globally, partnering with 280 leading universities worldwide. 91��ɫ U's community is strong− 55,000 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, and more than 275,000 alumni.

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