City of Vaughan Archives | Research & Innovation

Harnessing the power of many: 91��ɫ participates in crowdfunding summit

muellerm — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 08:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ is an academic partner in a new summit exploring the power of crowdfunding. Hosted by the 91��ɫ Region Business Innovation in Changing Times Conference Series, which focuses on��providing businesses access to ideas, insight and resources to help them adapt to the fast-changing marketplace, the Crowdfunding Revolution summit is set for Thursday, Aug. 22, from 8:30am to 12:30pm, at the Vaughan City Hall.

Crowdfunding, which is also known as crowdsourcing, crowd financing or equity crowdfunding, harnesses the power of a group of individuals who network and pool their money to support people or organizations, research or new business ventures. Crowdfunding is used by the film industry to gather startup costs for new productions, and it supports disaster relief, citizen journalism, new product development and more. The Crowdfunding Summit will highlight strategies to successfully crowdfund a business venture, social enterprise or social cause. Participants will have an opportunity to network with leaders in the field and hear about potential regulatory changes to address the opportunities presented by crowdfunding.

Debra Chanda, founder of launch120.com and the global ambassador for Singularity University, is one of the featured presenters at the Crowdfunding Revolution summit

“We look forward to participating in the Crowdfunding Summit,” said Lisa Philipps, 91��ɫ’s associate vice-president research. “Our involvement ��in this conference series highlights one of the many ways in which 91��ɫ works with government, industry and community partners to mobilize knowledge to meet the needs of this rapidly growing, diverse region.�� These events are outstanding opportunities to learn about what is going on in 91��ɫ Region and to network with potential research and learning partners.”

Those who attend will:

gain a better understanding of the impact of crowdfunding on business, not-for-profits and social ventures;
get an overview of crowdfunding platforms and systems available in Canada;
learn the steps to designing a crowdfunding campaign;
hear about best practices and strategies to employ;
receive updates on the innovative Social Venture Exchange (SVX) initiative from the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing;
get the latest updates on proposals and issues about crowdfunding for equity in Ontario; and
join a discussion with other organizations about collaborating on a crowdfunding pilot in 91��ɫ Region.

This conference series is the result of a collaboration among the 91��ɫ Small Business Enterprise Centre, chambers of commerce, and municipal, region and provincial governments. The Regional Innovation Centre, the United Way of 91��ɫ Region and local enterprises of all sizes are also involved in the conference series. 91��ɫ and Seneca College are academic partners in the series.

Christopher Charlesworth, co-founder of HiveWire.ca and Centre for Social Innovation’s Catalyst will also be a featured presenter at the summit��

Speaking at the crowdfunding summit are: James Turner, vice-chair of the Ontario Securities Commission; Debra Chanda, founder of and the global ambassador for ; Adam Spence, manager of social venture exchange for the ; Christopher Charlesworth, co-founder of and Centre for Social Innovation’s ;�� Daniele Zanotti, CEO of the United Way of 91��ɫ Region; and Jeff Dennis and Tracy Hooey of Fasken Martineau, an international business law firm based in Toronto.

Tickets are $50 plus HST. For more information, visit the website. Click to register for the conference.

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Conference on Friday will examine law and ethics in investigative journalism

fmaquito — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Leading investigative journalists, media lawyers and academics from Canada, the US and the UK will gather at Osgoode Hall Law School at 91��ɫ on Friday, Oct. 14,��for a day-long, original program dealing with such hot topics as freedom of the press, defamation law, media accountability, confidentiality of sources and access to information.

The conference, titled “In the Public Interest: The Law and Ethics of Investigative Journalism”, is hosted by the Law Commission of Ontario (LCO),��Osgoode Hall Law School and 91��ɫ. Key sponsor is Torstar Corporation and the conference is also supported by the LCO and Osgoode, as well as the Ontario Press Council, Blake Cassels and Graydon LLP and the Harry Arthurs Collaborative Grant.

The conference program, which is available , will involve high profile reporters and editors from a number of media outlets including CBC Radio and TV, The Globe and Mail,��the Toronto Star and The Wall Street Journal as well as prominent media lawyers such as Mark Stephens,��a partner with Finers Stephens Innocent LLP (UK), and Mark Jackson, the��executive vice-president & general counsel with Dow Jones & Co. In addition, several journalism school chairs, academics and public officials such as the City of Vaughan’s Integrity Commissioner will join the discussion.

Click to view a��live��webcast of the��conference proceedings.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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United Way and 91��ɫ launch Change Inc. to address complex social issues in 91��ɫ Region

fmaquito — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Collaboration to incubate new ideas and support social entrepreneurs

and 91��ɫ have launched Change Inc., a collaboration that will incubate and invest in promising innovations to tackle complex social issues and build capacity in 91��ɫ Region.

Daniele Zanotti, CEO of United Way, and Stan Shapson, vice-president research & innovation at 91��ɫ, made the announcement at Deloitte’s head offices in Vaughan as part of United Way Week (Oct. 4 to 8).

“We are proud to announce Change Inc. − a critical strategy in United Way’s impact agenda − in collaboration with 91��ɫ and our advisory group of business leaders,” said Zanotti.�� “For our region to be great for all residents, we need a new infrastructure to incubate ideas and shift the way we solve social problems.”

“Change Inc. is transformative for 91��ɫ, for United Way and for capacity building in our community,” said Shapson. “Change Inc. will provide seed funding, space and support services to social innovators and entrepreneurs. It will provide better access to 91��ɫ’s research, graduate students and the programs − such as knowledge mobilization − that support their work with the region. It will match social innovators with business-leader mentors. This approach advances and broadens 91��ɫ’s innovation agenda, builds on our strong partnership with United Way, and engages 91��ɫ Region’s corporate leaders in social innovation, which is a persistent gap in Canada’s innovation agenda.”

Change Inc. will work with its Innovation Advisory Board, established in June, to actively develop a sustainable strategy. Co-chaired by Zanotti and Shapson, its current members include:
·�� Charles Beer, board chair, United Way of 91��ɫ Region.
·�� Anthony Gallo, vice-president, Social Media, OpenText
·�� Pat Horgan, vice-president, Manufacturing, Development and Operations, IBM
·�� Debora Kelly, editor-in-chief, 91��ɫ Region Media Group
·�� Young Park, sector vice-president, CGI
·�� Avi Pollock, head, Applied Innovation and Strategic Planning, RBC

“Change Inc. builds on the United Way’s Strength Investments announced earlier this week,” said Zanotti. “Together with our current program funding, Strength Investments and Change Inc. provide a continuum of support for people, groups and agencies doing good work across 91��ɫ Region.”�� Information about the .

“Congratulations to United Way, 91��ɫ and the business advisory board for disrupting the status quo with the announcement of Change Inc. − an opportunity to research, try and scale new ideas to address social challenges,” said Lorrie King, partner, , and member of the 2010 United Way Campaign Cabinet. “Deloitte is a champion of United Way and a champion of innovation. At Deloitte, innovation is at the very cornerstone of our corporate strategic directions, and our own leading-edge research, across all sectors, clearly identifies innovation as the driver of long-term success and sustainability.”

Over the coming months, Change Inc. will announce its office location and release information about a community innovation summit, pilot projects and funding opportunities.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

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91��ɫ researchers receive $10 million in funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

fmaquito — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Researchers, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at 91��ɫ have been awarded over $10 million from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The grants, part of $190.5 million in funding and awards invested across the country, will support over 220 innovative 91��ɫ research projects to improve Canadians’ quality of life while addressing important socio-cultural and economic issues.

“SSHRC’s investment in humanities and social sciences research allows our scholars to substantially contribute to Canada’s knowledge base, to culture and to quality of life,” said Stan Shapson (right), 91��ɫ’s vice-president research & innovation. “This basic research helps us to better understand the world while responding to the pressing social issues of our time.”

Forty-seven 91��ɫ faculty members received $4.4 million to fund their research projects through ’s Standard Research Grants program. 91��ɫ also received over $560,000 to support 17 projects funded through the:

Research Development Initiatives competition
Image, Text, Sound and Technology competition
International Opportunities Fund
Aid to Research Workshop competition

Graduate students and doctoral fellows also benefited from the announcements: 148 91��ɫ master’s and doctoral students have won over $5 million in scholarships and fellowships. More than 2,000 graduate and postdoctoral projects across Canada received funding.

Reflecting knowledge mobilization’s status as a core SSHRC priority, the competition also included special calls for Public Outreach Grants that support existing and ongoing projects that mobilize research results to a range of audiences beyond academia. Nine 91��ɫ projects were funded, securing over $1 million for the University.

In this category, 91��ɫ researchers enjoyed a 67 per cent success rate; in comparison, 2009 SSHRC applicants averaged a success rate of 33 per cent across all categories.

Through the Public Outreach Grants, 91��ɫ researchers will:

Make literary research available to a broader community of researchers, students, teachers and educators, and policy makers in a sustainable way through the (ORION).
Empower young mothers by exploring what they need to achieve economic, social, familial and personal wellness and prosperity.
Share research conducted with marginalized youth with educators, community organizations and other stakeholders to help them understand the alienation and disengagement new migrants and ethno-racial minority youth experience as their families move from Toronto’s inner city and inner-suburban neighbourhoods to the outer suburbs, such as Peel, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, Ajax and Pickering.
Enhance microcredit program success for economic development through social performance ratings by making the information accessible and designing program evaluation instruments.
Share new scholarship on the immigration of African American refugees from slavery to Canada with educators, community groups, libraries and government agencies, among others.
Mobilize knowledge on the political economy of women’s rights—specifically, connections among macroeconomic policy, public policies that impact the paid and unpaid work of women, and women’s access to human rights—to local human rights organizations that focus on women.
Provide experts in performance making, theatre design and green technology with a three-day opportunity to share practices, approaches and technological innovations.
Mobilize the Aboriginal peoples of Canada’s disparate experiences with and knowledge of conservation by bringing together Aboriginal community representatives, academics, policy-makers, and conservation practitioners.
Inform climate change policy and practice by making climate change research and evidence available to policy partners in four GTA municipalities (, , and ), and the .

“These awards also build upon 91��ɫ’s amazing success earlier this year in SSHRC’s large-scale collaborative competitions,” said Shapson. “91��ɫ received $6 million through SSHRC’s Major Collaborative Research Initiatives (MCRI) and Community-University Research Alliances (CURA) programs. Professors Roger Keil, Pat Armstrong and Carla Lipsig-Mumme are already collaborating with their international research teams to study global suburbanisms, long-term residential healthcare, and work in a warming world.”

“Their work, coupled with the projects funded through this announcement, addresses key social issues facing Canadian society while demonstrating our leadership in creating and sharing new knowledge across the social sciences and humanities.”

“Our government continues to invest in world-class research to improve Canadians’ quality of life and increase the supply of highly qualified graduates that Canada needs to be successful,” said the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry. “The social sciences and humanities show us how to harness and interpret innovation from a human perspective, which translates into benefits for society.”

has posted a complete list of funded projects on their website.

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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Panel to highlight two suburbia research projects based in 91��ɫ Region

fmaquito — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0000

A lunchtime panel featuring presentations by 91��ɫ researchers and urban planning professionals will wrap up two recent research projects tomorrow��– "In-Between Infrastructure: Urban Connectivity in an Age of Vulnerability", based out of��the City Institute at 91��ɫ (City),��and geography Professor Lucia Lo's "Infrastructure in 91��ɫ Region: A GIS Analysis of Human Services".

The panel discussion, "Suburbia in Transition: Infrastructure and Planning in��Toronto's In-Between City", will take place Thursday, March 25, from 12:30 to 2pm in the 7th Floor Lounge of the 91��ɫ Research Tower, Keele campus.

Suburbia, long a feature of Canadian urbanization, has begun to change face. One of the pervasive features of the new suburbia has been its growing diversity in ethnocultural and socio-economic terms. Part of the challenge of coming to terms with this growing diversity has been the provision of hard and soft, technical and social infrastructures in a rapidly expanding region.

Between 2006 and 2010, 91��ɫ held two grants under their Peer Reviewed Research Studies program to study these challenges with specific reference to the suburbs of Toronto. At the same time, suburban communities such as Vaughan have begun to reassess their future development and have developed ambitious new official plan documents. This panel of researchers and planners will examine the pressing problems and emerging solutions in the new suburban infrastructural landscape and report back on recent research findings.

"In-Between Infrastructure: "Infrastructure in 91��ɫ Region: A GIS Analysis of Human Services" was funded by Infrastructure Canada and Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

"In-Between Infrastructure: Urban Connectivity in an Age of Vulnerability" was a three-year research project funded in large part by Infrastructure Canada with a contribution from Toronto Community Housing. It explored the infrastructure in what is called the "in-between city", the part of the urban region that is perceived as not quite traditional city and not quite traditional suburb. As a concept, the in-between city explodes the myth of the city and country divide, and opens new ways of understanding infrastructure needs in a globalizing Canadian urban region. A key goal of this research project was to explore the connectivity between different scales through the lens of urban infrastructure.

The project addressed whether it is possible to design a system of social and cultural infrastructure that has everything a community needs and meets global needs as well, and what the impact of economically driven decisions of hard infrastructure is��on communities. The geographical area that was the subject of this project lies partly in the City of Toronto and partly in the City of Vaughan.

Another team of 91��ɫ-led experts investigating the availability of infrastructure and services to recent immigrants, low income residents and seniors in 91��ɫ Region is finding that funding for services is not keeping pace with growth in the area. "Infrastructure in 91��ɫ Region: A GIS Analysis of Human Services" was funded by Infrastructure Canada��& Citizenship and Immigration Canada. The findings of the��project have implications for suburbs across Canada, according to principal investigator��Lo. The 91��ɫ infrastructure project has catalogued services and surveyed residents of 91��ɫ Region over a two-year period to determine where the most vulnerable populations lie and to identify gaps in services.

Preliminary findings suggest a divide between the northern and southern areas of 91��ɫ Region, whereby rural areas are paradoxically better served on a per capita basis than the more urban south, but find services less accessible due to existing transit infrastructure. Similarly, better educated residents are more able to find and avail themselves of existing services, creating an environment where the most in need are the least served.

“There is a traditional belief among politicians and others that people who move to the outer suburbs, to those big houses, that they are fine,” said Lo. “That is a kind of myth. Given the want [by politicians] for urban intensification, a lot of the resources are being poured in to the traditional city.”

Situated north of Toronto, 91��ɫ Region is an archetypal suburban area where the population increased from 169,000 in 1971 to 886,575 in 2006 and is estimated to grow to 1,280,000 by 2026. Immigration propels this growth and seniors and low-income households are growing proportions of the population. The project addresses the infrastructure needs that have arisen during the region’s rapid transition from a low-density, ethnically and socially homogeneous suburban region to a diverse, rapidly intensifying suburb.

, CITY director and principal investigator��of the "In-Between Infrastructure" project, will chair a panel with fellow project researchers 91��ɫ geography Professor Patricia Wood, 91��ɫ social science Professor Douglas Young and John Saunders, a resident faculty member of the CITY and the project's research coordinator. Other panellists include, Leigh McGrath��of��Urban Strategies Inc., who��will present on the firm's recent work on the Vaughan Official Plan, and Lo, chair of 91��ɫ's Department of Geography, who will address some of the results of the "Infrastructure in 91��ɫ Region" project.

Saunders, who teaches in 91��ɫ's Department of Geography and the Urban Studies Program, will talk about "The Landscape of Citizenship in the In-between City: Downsview Park, Toronto".

Wood will discuss "Residents' Vulnerability and Resilience in an Anti-Residential Landscape".��Her research focuses on diversity, identity politics and citizenship, particularly in cities. She does both contemporary and historical work in Canada, the United States and Ireland, and conducts research primarily with immigrant groups and indigenous peoples, with an emphasis on participatory, collaborative research practices. She is the author of Nationalism from the Margins: Italians in Alberta and British Columbia (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2002) and co-author of Citizenship��& Identity (Sage Publications, 1999).

Young will talk about "Planning Challenges in the In-Between City".��He has worked as an architect, municipal planner and developer of non-profit housing cooperatives and is co-author of a book on urban politics, Changing Toronto: Governing Urban Neoliberalism, (University of Toronto Press, 2009) and co-editor of the forthcoming book, In-between Infrastructure: Urban Connectivity in an Age of Vulnerability.

McGrath will look at "Social Services, Land Use Planning and Vaughan's New Official Plan".��Her professional work has included a breadth of projects from implementing elements of Ontario's Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe to research and development of an Environmental Master Plan for the City of Red Deer, Alta.��McGrath��is a member of the Urban Strategies Vaughan Official Plan team, a project underway since 2007 that is expected to be completed later this year.

Lo will discuss "Vulnerability and Human Service Provisions in 91��ɫ Region".��She is the former economics domain leader of the Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration & Settlement (CERIS), now known as CERIS - The Ontario Metropolis Centre, and the transportation and commerce research thrust leader, as well as a member of the Research Management Committee of Geomatics for Informed Decision Making, a Canada network centre of excellence. Her current��research interests��include vulnerability in the suburbs and human service provision; immigration and banking; recession and return migration; and entrepreneurship in mid-size cities.

Refreshments will be served. Everyone is welcome.

For more information, visit the CITY Web site.

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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