91亚色 community members are invited to apply to be an audience participant for a limited number of available seats. Applications are due Friday, Oct. 22 and can be found online at the website.

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to the concept of "ideas worth spreading". Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago to bring together the worlds of Technology, Entertainment and Design, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at . Past TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Richard Branson,听Isabel Allende and Gordon Brown, among many other luminaries.

In the spirit of "ideas worth spreading", TED has created TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At TEDx91亚色U, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including at 91亚色, are self-organized.

TEDx91亚色U will explore the theme of "Ctrl-Alt-Delete", the ubiquitous computer command also called the 鈥渢hree-finger salute鈥�.聽 Speakers and participants will be asked to 鈥漴eboot鈥澛爐heir way of thinking as the event aims to explore how starting over is often the best way to discover something new. Dynamic presentations will be made by academic, business, political and community leaders, all connected to 91亚色, who have each hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete in their own way to create change and make the world a better place. TEDx91亚色U is supported by 91亚色 Alumni, Student Community & Leadership Development, the Division of the Vice-President Research & Innovation and Glendon College.

TEDx91亚色U speakers announced so far include:

(left) is a business success story as former president of HMV Music and, later, BMG Music. In 1999, he became president of Strategic Business Units of MP3.com and helped lead the company through one of the largest initial public offerings聽in Internet history.聽After leaving MP3.com, had a 鈥渓ife-altering experience鈥� while taking care of his mother, who passed away from breast cancer in 2002, and he became a key leader in the Canadian nonprofit sector. He is currently the president and CEO of , and recently served as the Board Chair of Covenant House. As a 91亚色 alumnus, Alofs聽won the 2007 Redefine the Possible Bryden Award.

91亚色 alumnus (right) is a music programmer, pop culture critic, author, broadcaster and journalist. He is also Canada鈥檚 foremost expert on hip hop culture. His latest book is聽, published by Groundwood Books/House of Anansi. As a print journalist, Higgins is a Canadian National Magazine Award recipient, and his articles have appeared in print and online mediums in the United States (Vibe, the聽Source,听Urb, amazon.com) and Canada (Saturday Night, Now Magazine,听Toronto Star,听Quill & Quire and many others). Higgins has hosted his own TV show, and has appeared on numerous Canadian television programs. His fourth book聽Fatherhood 4.0: iDad Applications Across Cultures spots trends across a newer generation of media-savvy, hip hoppy, multi-culti, Digital Dads influenced by everything from George Lopez and Bill Cosby to the Osbournes and Barack Obama.

(right) is an artist, designer and researcher specializing in augmented reality (AR). Hailed as being among the top 10 forces currently shaping the AR industry, has been working with AR since 2005, exploring the creative possibilities and theoretical implications for this exciting emerging technology. Recently, Papagiannis鈥� interactive artworks were . She is presently completing her聽doctorate in communication and culture at 91亚色 and is a senior research associate at the in 91亚色's Department of Film in the聽Faculty of Fine Arts. Prior to her graduate studies,听Papagiannis was a member of the聽Bruce Mau Design studio, where she was project lead on Massive Change: The Future of Global Design.

(left) is one of Canada鈥檚 most respected scholars and commentators on issues of corporate law, securities law, corporate governance, and corporate and white-collar crime. Appointed to 91亚色鈥檚 Osgoode Hall Law School in 1997 at the age of 25, and a 2005 recipient of Canada鈥檚 Top 40 under 40 award, Puri is a prolific scholar who was appointed as one of two research directors of the Canadian Ministry of Finance鈥檚 Expert Panel on Securities Regulation, which is seeking input on the best way to develop and implement a model Common Securities Act for Canada. Most recently, .

With more speakers to be announced, buzz about the Nov. 6 event is growing on campus. Student volunteer groups are also promoting the event through 鈥渟alon鈥� events that discuss innovative ideas and view TEDTalks videos. Applications to be an audience participant and more information can be found online at . Follow TEDx91亚色U聽at and on Facebook at .

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The immediate issues are the impacts of this trend. For one, the politicization of corporate governance has become a preoccupation for boards, arguably at the expense of other significant issues. Another is the fact that the process is now fuelled by a thriving cottage industry that has evolved around shareholder voting. This raises concerns about the separation of voting from investment decision-making, the delegation of the former to proxy advisory firms and the manner in which that process may serve to exacerbate short termism in corporate decision-making (measuring performance in, at best, annual cycles).

Somewhere along the line (in our rush to pile on new corporate governance standards) purpose and process have become divorced. The irony is that, even as we impose ever-increasing accountability requirements, public distrust in the efficacy of the system continues to escalate.

Waitzer's complete article is available on the .

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

The post Professor Edward Waitzer says corporate 鈥榙emocracy鈥� is politicizing corporate structures appeared first on Research & Innovation.

The report was released at a press conference on Tuesday morning. It is available to the public on the and the Web sites.

In the report, Corporate Social Reporting Initiative, which was produced with the support of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, researchers at the Hennick Centre and Jantzi-Sustainalytics address the reasons and scope for and the regulation of corporate social reporting, which applies to topics such as human and labour rights, employee health and safety, local community development and product safety.

The Hennick Centre and Jantzi-Sustainalytics recommend that the OSC clarify existing disclosure obligations to indicate the need to consider the materiality of social issues to investors鈥� decisions and long-term corporate performance. They also recommend that the OSC facilitate continued dialogue among relevant stakeholders in order to support a shift toward more standardized metrics and reporting in this area.

鈥淭he recommendations and discussion set out in this report provide valuable and timely insights on public company social issue disclosure obligations,鈥� said Ontario Minister of Finance Dwight Duncan. 鈥淚 appreciate the efforts of those who contributed to this report and look forward to reviewing the recommendations in greater detail."

鈥淭here is growing momentum in a number of jurisdictions around the world to enhance corporate disclosure on ESG [environmental, social and governance] performance,鈥� said Kevin Ranney, global director, Responsible Investment Services at Jantzi-Sustainalytics. 鈥淭he OSC has an opportunity to play a leading role in this area, and our recommendations suggest some concrete steps that it can take in doing so.鈥�

This report is the outcome of a December 2009 consultation held in response to the April 2009 non-binding resolution by Laurel Broten, MPP for Etobicoke-Lakeshore, passed unanimously by the聽legislature of Ontario. That resolution called on the OSC to conduct a consultation into best practices on corporate social responsibility聽and聽ESG reporting standards.

鈥淭he knowledge gained through enhanced disclosure provides better protection for individual investors,鈥� said Broten. 鈥淚 appreciate the work put into examining the issue of corporate social performance, given the many complex social issues investors are increasingly considering.鈥�

The round-table consultation and subsequent solicitation of comments drew on the expertise of more than 50 representatives from the investment community; government agencies such as the Ministry of Finance; non-profit organizations such as the Social Investment Organization and the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance; and business, including the mining, energy and banking sectors.

鈥淚ncreasingly, corporate leaders and investors alike are focusing on sustainable performance and effective risk management.聽Both will require heightened levels of social disclosure,鈥� said , director of the , and Jarislowsky Dimma Mooney Chair in Corporate Governance at 91亚色's Osgoode Hall Law School and Schulich School of Business.

The Globe and Mail wrote about the report on June 15:

Regulators should encourage companies to report more information about their social practices, but do not need to adopt new rules forcing higher disclosure standards, a new report prepared for the Ontario Securities Commission concludes.

The report was prepared for the OSC by the Hennick Centre for Business & Law at 91亚色 and by Jantzi-Sustainalytics, a private firm that does research and analysis on environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices.

Toronto lawyer Ed Waitzer, Jarislowsky Dimma Mooney Chair in Corporate Governance in 91亚色鈥檚 Osgoode Hall Law School and the Schulich School of Business, and a former chair of the OSC who helped spearhead the review, said that investors want more disclosure but that there is no clear consensus about which social reporting factors are most relevant. He said companies and other stakeholders are still experimenting with various disclosure options. 鈥淚n this area, we just don鈥檛 have the standards yet,鈥� he said in an interview. 鈥淪o part of the exercise is how the OSC can take a leadership position in developing the standards.鈥�

Waitzer said existing reporting rules 鈥� which require companies to disclose information that is 鈥渕aterial鈥� to investors 鈥� give ample scope for greater disclosure, but companies have chosen to narrowly interpret what sort of information is material.

The complete article is available on the .

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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Osgoode Hall Law School Professor Poonam Puri has received a Walter L. Gordon Research Fellowship for 2010-2011.

The prestigious award, periodically presented by 91亚色聽to recognized scholars at the University to complete ongoing outstanding and innovative research, will allow her to devote the coming year to completing Financial Markets in Crisis: ABCP, the Made in Canada Solution and the Future of Canadian Capital Markets.

Right: Poonam Puri

"Professor Puri is greatly admired for her teaching and scholarship as well as the interesting reform and advisory work she has done for securities commissions, self-regulatory organizations, governments and bilateral agencies," said Osgoode Interim Dean Jinyan Li. "This fellowship recognizes her knowledge and expertise and will provide her with the time to complete her latest book."

Puri is among Canada鈥檚 most respected researchers on corporate law, securities law, corporate governance, and corporate and white-collar crime.聽Appointed to 91亚色鈥檚 Osgoode Hall Law School in 1997, she has co-authored or edited three books and written numerous articles and reports.聽Her rigorous research is firmly grounded in the real-time of policy-making, rendering her expertise widely requested by Canadian and international governments and regulators, including Industry Canada, the Ontario Securities Commission, the聽Senate of Canada, the Wise Persons鈥� Committee on Securities Regulation and the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group.

鈥淧rofessor Puri鈥檚 timely proposal addresses the recent global financial upheaval and the asset-backed commercial paper crisis. It promises to provide insight about both global and Canadian banking practices,鈥� said David Dewitt, 91亚色's associate vice-president research (social sciences & humanities), and chair of the Walter L. Gordon Research Fellowship selection committee. 鈥淗er book will make a valuable contribution to existing literature on Canadian financial markets. The selection committee was impressed by her proposal鈥檚 interdisciplinarity, innovative thinking, clarity and logic.鈥�

The fellowship, named in honour of the late聽Walter L. Gordon, former chancellor of 91亚色, provides researchers with the opportunity to complete works or projects that require a significant amount of time by relieving them of teaching and other University responsibilities.

"The selection committee was also impressed by the quality of each of the applicants and the significant research ideas brought forward," said Dewitt. 鈥淓very one of them deserved funding. The applicant pool鈥檚 strength speaks to 91亚色鈥檚 expanding research culture and the important recognition the fellowship provides to support that leading-edge research."

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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A Perilous Imbalance: The Globalization of Canadian Law and Governance, a new book co-authored by Osgoode Hall Law School Professor Stepan Wood, shines an urgent light on the dangerous imbalances in contemporary forms of globalized governance.

The book will launch Wednesday, April 7, from 12:30 to 2pm in the Private Dining Room of the Executive Learning Centre in the Seymour Schulich Building, Keele campus.

Co-author and political economy Professor Stephen Clarkson of the University of Toronto, a senior fellow of the Centre for International Governance Innovation, will join Wood, a core faculty member of the聽 (IRIS), in introducing .

Left: Stepan Wood

The book advocates for a revitalization of the Canadian state as a vehicle to pursue human security, ecological integrity and social emancipation, and to create spaces for alternative forms of law and governance.

As citizens of a middle power, Canadians know how it feels to be objects of global forces, but they are also agents of globalization who have helped build structures of transnational governance that have highly uneven impacts on prosperity, human security and the environment, often for the worse. A Perilous Imbalance argues that these imbalances need to be recognized and corrected. It situates Canada鈥檚 experience of globalization in the context of three interlinked trends, the emergence of a global supraconsitution, the transformation of the nation-state and the growth of governance beyond the nation-state.

Jinyan Li, interim dean of 91亚色鈥檚 Osgoode Hall Law School; Stan Shapson, vice-president research & innovation; and 91亚色 Professor Dawn Bazely, director of IRIS; will give the opening remarks, followed by commentary by Osgoode Professor Craig Scott.

Lunch will be served. For more information, contact Joanne Rappaport, Osgoode聽research coordinator, at jrappaport@osgoode.yorku.ca.

Republished courtesy of YFile 鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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A not-for-profit organization should choose its board members with as much care as a well-run company, says the lead author of a new guide that offers advice on finding, training and evaluating directors.

鈥淣ot-for-profit organizations must be trusted by their stakeholders both in the delivery of services to beneficiaries and in their stewardship of the organization鈥檚 assets, including donations. To earn and maintain this trust, they must be well governed by an effective board of directors,鈥� says 91亚色 Professor Richard Leblanc. 鈥淒irectors should be selected based on their skills and experience to ensure that the board can effectively oversee the organization.鈥�

The , 鈥�20 Questions Directors of Not-For-Profit Organizations Should Ask about Board Recruitment, Development and Assessment,鈥� is available online from the (CICA). The CICA, through its Risk Oversight and Governance Board, commissioned Richard Leblanc, PhD and co-author Hugh Lindsay, CA to develop the guide as part of the CICA鈥檚 commitment to supporting and enriching the work of boards of directors in the voluntary sector.

Leblanc, associate professor of Law, Corporate Governance and Ethics in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, was given unprecedented access to the boardrooms of some of North America鈥檚 most powerful companies and produced a groundbreaking study that led to significant changes in the governance guidelines for all Canadian public companies. Many not-for-profit boards are now where the boards of these publicly-traded companies were about four or five years ago, he says, in terms of board evaluations.

According to the new guide, one of the questions boards of not-for-profit organizations such as hospitals, universities or charities should be asking is: Do the board and its committees have mandates or charters? The responsibilities of boards and committees must be written down because they will help define which specific tasks are expected of a director: is he or she expected to help raise funds, for example, or chair a board committee?

The 鈥�20 Questions鈥� guide also encourages boards to ask themselves questions such as: What skills and personal qualities should board and committee chairs have? How does the organization develop directors as effective board members (including orientation, learning opportunities and mentoring)? What should be evaluated when the effectiveness of the board and its committees is assessed? And how should under-performing directors or chairs be dealt with?鈥�

Many not-for-profit boards don鈥檛 assess how they are doing or fail to follow through on the results of a board assessment.

鈥淏ut if a few directors or the chair are not performing, or are resisting change, and no evaluations are done, it perpetuates a bad board,鈥� says Leblanc.

Leblanc, together with CICA principal, Beth Deazeley, LLB are presenting a webinar on the guide on March 30, 2010, at 12:30-1:30 PM EST, put on by the CICA鈥檚 Directors Source program.聽 Everyone is welcome and there is no charge.聽 You can register for the webcast here in or .

The document is being issued by the CICA鈥檚 Risk Oversight and Governance Board. It can also be found on a special CICA site .

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