Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change Archives - YFile

A 91��ɫ professor, a PhD student's email, and 35 years of forest research

alexhuls — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 19:08:15 +0000

A question from a doctoral student set 91��ɫ Professor Tarmo Remmel on an unexpected path.

Remmel did not set out to be the co-author of a paper tracing more than three decades of forest fragmentation research.

Even when Sanjana Dutt, a PhD candidate at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Poland, first reached out seeking advice on her dissertation, co-authoring a paper was never part of the plan.

Dutt had come across Remmel's work on forest change analysis, landscape metrics and forest fragmentation, areas he has spent much of his career studying while developing new ways to map, quantify and compare changes in forest landscapes.

Seeking guidance for a section of her dissertation, she contacted him because of his expertise in the field and his extensive experience measuring and analyzing changes in forest landscapes. Dutt was looking for advice on how to organize and synthesize a large and growing body of research focused on forest fragmentation and the various techniques scientists use to analyze it.

The phenomenon occurs when large, continuous forests are broken into smaller, isolated patches, often because of roads, farming, resource extraction and development. As forests are divided, fewer areas remain deep within the forest, creating conditions that can affect wildlife habitat, biodiversity and ecosystem health. Because scientists and conservation planners rely on fragmentation research to understand those impacts and guide conservation efforts, accurately measuring fragmentation has become increasingly important.

Advances in satellite imaging potential, remote sensing algorithms, computing power and cloud-based analytical platforms have transformed how scientists study forests. Those developments have given scientists more ways than ever to assess fragmentation and track changes across landscapes, leading to a rapidly expanding body of research and analytical approaches.

Making sense of that increasingly complex landscape of methods was one of the reasons Dutt sought Remmel's advice. She wanted to better understand how the field's analytical techniques had developed over time, where they overlapped and how researchers could meaningfully evaluate their findings.

Remmel, meanwhile, saw value in how Dutt's aspirations would benefit not just her, but others.

“Large review and synthesis papers are useful ways to build visibility and benchmarks for burgeoning academics,” he says.

Remmel, who teaches in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, says they exchanged numerous messages, worked together to refine the study's methodology and identified areas where additional research and context were needed. As the collaboration developed, so too did the scope of the project, eventually leading to Dutt asking Remmel to be co-author on a comprehensive review of how forest fragmentation research has evolved over the past three decades.

The resulting paper, , examines how scientists have measured and analyzed forest fragmentation over the past 35 years while identifying opportunities to make future research more consistent and useful for conservation decision-making.

Dutt conducted a systematic analysis of 138 studies published between 1990 and 2025, grouping them into 12 methodological categories ranging from traditional measures of forest patch size and shape to more recent approaches involving connectivity modelling, remote sensing, time-series analysis and three-dimensional forest mapping.

“The work identifies a long history of metric development that has evolved to consider many parameters that influence the quantification of forest fragmentation,” says Remmel.

The review found that research has expanded dramatically over time as advances in satellite imagery, remote sensing and computing created new ways of studying forests. Yet scholars have not abandoned older approaches in favour of a single better method, instead continuing to build an increasingly complex toolbox of techniques.

This has created challenges, the authors say. Differences in scale, data, methodology and reporting can make fragmentation studies difficult to evaluate side by side, making it harder to tell whether results reflect genuine differences in forest conditions or simply different ways of measuring them.

“This is an important reminder that just inventing new tools does not necessarily solve problems,” Remmel says, “but that figuring out how to apply and compare results consistently carries tremendous weight and benefit.”

Consistent results matter because forest fragmentation research is not only theoretical. Investigators, conservation planners and policymakers use it to monitor environmental change, assess ecosystem health and guide management decisions. If methods are not clearly documented or results cannot be compared, it becomes harder to translate research into repeatable and actionable results.

As a result, the authors argue that future progress will depend less on developing new metrics and more on improving consistency and transparency through clearer reporting of how studies are conducted.

Remmel's hopes for what impact the work will have are rooted, in part, from the way it helped Dutt make sense of a complex and rapidly growing field.

“She was forced to think about broad timelines, developments and contributions, and how they fit into the bigger picture,” he says, resulting in a structured starting point for researchers looking to understand the forest fragmentation literature. “This certainly benefitted her but also makes some of this foundational literature review work less strenuous for others who will read this work later.”

Remmel says that value extends beyond this particular project. As academic literature continues to grow, he believes there is benefit in periodically stepping back to assess the state of a field, identify key developments and help researchers understand how current knowledge has evolved. Reviews such as this one can help clarify where a field has come from, where it stands today and where opportunities for future research may exist.

There was also personal value in the project for Remmel. Looking back over the review, he realized that the earliest period it covers coincided with his own graduate training. Over the decades that followed, he built a career studying forest change, spatial metrics and landscape pattern dynamics, adapting alongside the field as new methods and technologies emerged.

“This is a paper that I could have written based on my experiences,” he says.

Instead, Remmel says he is grateful to have contributed to a project that brought together decades of study while helping a new generation of scholars navigate the field.

“I am thrilled that not only did someone else take on this responsibility but that they reached out to me for involvement too,” he says. “This is the circle of academic life in action and that makes me tremendously humble and thankful.”

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91��ɫ researcher advances more equitable water science across the world

alexhuls — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 17:22:55 +0000

Researchers have long used hydrology – the science of water – to better understand everything from floods and droughts to watershed health and water security. Assistant Professor Adeyemi Olusola has contributed to a new international study that examines how colonial histories continue to shape the field and explores what a more inclusive approach to water science might look like.

As societies increasingly rely on hydrology to help address challenges such as climate change, water scarcity, environmental degradation and growing demands on water resources, ensuring the field draws on diverse knowledge systems and perspectives has become an increasingly important conversation.

Understanding complex water challenges, some scholars argue, requires not only strong scientific expertise but also careful consideration of whose knowledge informs decision-making and whose perspectives may be missing.

Among those contributing to that discussion is Olusola who teaches in the and whose work focuses on water resources and the complex relationship between environmental systems and society.

Adeyemi Olusola

Olusola was part of an international team whose study, , explores what researchers call “decolonising hydrology.”

The project emerged from an International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) working group focused on decolonization and hydrology, formed under the organization’s HELPING initiative, which encourages hydrologists to engage more closely with local communities and knowledge systems.

Olusola and his co-authors say that while decolonization has become an important topic across many academic disciplines, relatively little attention has been paid to how colonial legacies continue to shape hydrology specifically.

Much of modern water science, they argue, developed alongside colonial systems of governance and resource management. The effects of those systems remain visible today in both water infrastructure and decisions about whose knowledge is considered legitimate in water-management planning.

Seeking to better understand those influences, the research team launched the study while also exploring how researchers and practitioners might address them.

“Decolonizing hydrology matters both as a discipline and as a practice,” says Olusola. “It challenges the colonial legacies embedded in how hydrological knowledge has historically been produced and applied, and it makes the case that decolonization is necessary to achieve justice, inclusivity, and sustainability in water management.”

The team conducted a review of scholarship exploring the intersection of hydrology and decolonization, analyzed trends in water research over time and examined case studies from different regions of the world.

As part of their work, the researchers analyzed more than 77,000 articles published in leading hydrology and water-resources journals between the 1940s and 2023 and reviewed literature addressing decolonial approaches to water science. They also developed case studies focused on Canada, India, West Africa, Indonesia and West Asia.

Examining those regions allowed the team to explore how colonial histories have influenced water laws, infrastructure, governance systems and educational practices. In some cases, the researchers found colonial-era water systems and management practices continue to influence how water is governed today. Olusola notes that in parts of the Global South, some historical approaches to hydrological monitoring, record-keeping and data collection were more sophisticated than many cities have been able to maintain since, illustrating the complex and sometimes contradictory legacies left behind by colonial rule.

“Across our case studies, we found colonial imprints on hydrology and hydraulic infrastructure that were strikingly similar in some respects, yet shaped by distinct local histories in others,” he says.

The effects were not limited to infrastructure. In some regions, colonial-era water-management systems contributed to unequal access to resources, environmental disruption and governance structures that advantaged some groups while disadvantaging others.

Nonetheless, the study points towards change, noting the field is increasingly engaging with questions of sustainability, decision-making and the human dimensions of water management, creating opportunities for more inclusive and collaborative approaches.

Olusola says he and his co-authors hope the study will contribute to that shift.

“The work reframes the field, shifting away from a colonial hydrological hegemony toward pathways where reflective questioning and structured decision-making can guide how future water knowledge is generated and how it supports local water management,” he says.

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SSHRC awards advance 91��ɫ-led community-engaged research

ashleygc — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 16:15:39 +0000

91��ɫ researchers will launch new collaborations, explore emerging research questions and foster knowledge mobilization with $3.5 million in funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Announced July 21, SSHRC will provide funding through three of its programs: Insight Development Grants: February 2026 Competition; Partnership Development Grants: 2025 Competition; and Connection Grants: May 2026 Competition.

More than $2.5 million will support 33 91��ɫ-led Insight Development Grants for early-stage projects and help researchers pursue innovative questions, methods and approaches that can lay the groundwork for larger research programs.

Close to $1 million will support five 91��ɫ-led Partnership Development Grants, helping researchers build new collaborations with universities, community organizations, governments and industry partners. Knowledge mobilization will also be supported through Connection Grants, with close to $50,000 for a 91��ɫ initiative.

The projects cover a wide range of topics, including Indigenous health and decolonization, democratic discourse, climate adaptation, financial vulnerability, labour and social justice, migration, cultural identity and AI.

"These investments in research are investments in our collective future," says Amir Asif, vice-president research and innovation. "These projects empower researchers to test new ideas, forge meaningful partnerships and generate knowledge that addresses complex societal challenges. Together, they are laying the foundations for discoveries and innovations that will create meaningful benefits for communities in Canada and around the world."

The projects reflect 91��ɫ’s commitment to community-engaged research, interdisciplinary collaboration and generating knowledge that addresses real-world challenges.

Insight Development Grants

The 33 Insight Development Grants demonstrate the diversity and breadth of emerging research underway across the University. Among the funded projects are those that examine topics such as Indigenous knowledge systems, public health, democratic discourse, AI and financial vulnerability:

Dayna Scott () – Visualizing Cumulative Effects: Anishinaabe Counter-Mapping on the Extractive Frontier
Emily Kuang () – Multicultural and Multilingual Family Bonding and Knowledge Sharing Across Generations: A Culturally Responsive Approach to Generative AI Application
Rémi Vivès (Glendon College) – Measuring Populist Discourse: Canada in Comparative Perspective
Ashley Day () – Wiisokotaatiwin – gathering to re-imagine decolonial health education
Peiya Cao (Faculty of Health) – Intergenerational Minority Stress and Child Well-Being in LGBTQ+ Families: A National Census-Linked Study in Canada
Zissis Paraskevas Poulos (Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies) – Risk-Sensitive Learning and Tacit Coordination in Algorithmic Financial Markets

Other initiatives examine corporate accountability, Black Canadian history, labour law, climate resilience in public infrastructure, machine ethics, innovation and entrepreneurship, disability rights, migration, Indigenous knowledge systems and social inclusion. View the of recipients and their projects.

Partnership Development Grants

The six 91��ɫ-led Partnership Development Grants will support collaborations focused on financial vulnerability, youth in care, planetary health, workers’ education and Canadian computing heritage and include:

Ida Ferrara – (LA&PS) Addressing Financial Vulnerability Through Inclusive Insurance
Jennine Rawana (Faculty of Health) – Exploring the Needs of Youth Transitioning Out of the Care of Child Welfare Agencies
Kate Tilleczek (Faculty of Education) – Planetary Health Partnership: Mapuche-Williche Youth-Led Research as Practices of Küme Mogen
Katherine Nastovski (LA&PS) – Re-Imagining Workers’ Education in the 21st Century
Mark Hayward (LA&PS) – Preserving, Promoting and Researching Canadian Computing Heritage
Sarah Rotz (Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change) – Confronting Financialization, Consolidation, and Settler-colonial Agri-food Land Governance in Canada

91��ɫ researchers are also directly involved as co-applicants for six other Partnership Development Grants totaling $1.19 million. See the of projects and recipients.

“The awards underscore 91��ɫ's leadership in advancing research that connects disciplines, sectors and communities in pursuit of positive social change. By fostering collaborations across local, national and international networks, our researchers are generating knowledge and solutions that help build a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable future for all,” says Asif.

Connection Grants

SSHRC’s Connection Grants competition, which funds short-term knowledge mobilization initiatives, will provide $49,974 to Richard Saunders (LA&PS) to examine the social and environmental dimensions of critical mineral extraction through knowledge-sharing and public engagement activities through his project Image as Voice: Perspectives on Lithium Extraction in Argentina and Zimbabwe.

Two other projects that focus on aging and Asian Canadian studies include co-applicants from 91��ɫ. View the of recipients.

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Greenbelt critical to Ontario’s ecological future, 91��ɫ U report finds

ashleygc — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:35:33 +0000

As Ontario faces growing pressure from population growth, development and climate change, new research from 91��ɫ shows the province’s Greenbelt plays a significant role in sustaining the natural systems that support communities, agriculture and economic activity.

Professor Eric Miller as well as lead author and PhD student Peri Dworatzek have published a report titled which examines the protected natural and agricultural lands through the lens of biocapacity – the ability of land and ecosystems to provide resources and absorb environmental impacts.

Eric Miller

Prepared by the for the Greenbelt Foundation, the report finds the Greenbelt provides significantly greater ecological biocapacity per hectare than the rest of Ontario, averaging 2.8 global hectares versus 1.02.

This, say the authors who worked with MES students Bumika Srikanthalingam and Kaitlin Pal, demonstrates the value of maintaining and strengthening protections for the region’s agricultural and natural landscapes.

The findings provide new evidence for policymakers and planners as they consider how future growth and infrastructure projects may affect the province’s environmental assets. The analysis indicates that increasing demand for land, food and fresh water could place additional strain on these systems if development is not carefully managed.

Miller and and Dworatzek identified several actions that could help safeguard and enhance the Greenbelt’s ecological capacity. These include improving the collection and use of land-use data; expanding mapping of agricultural, water and natural heritage systems; and making geospatial information more accessible to support planning decisions.

Peri Dworatzek

“Land cover and biocapacity data provide valuable tools for informing decisions that can help maintain protections for the Greenbelt and the ecosystems that support Ontario’s growing population,” says Miller. “Measuring biocapacity helps governments track progress towards sustainability and other environmental goals.”

The findings also emphasize the importance of restoring natural areas, supporting regenerative agricultural practices and improving soil health to strengthen long-term productivity. Researchers recommend integrating ecological capacity measures into municipal planning and natural asset management strategies.

Produced as part of the Greenbelt Foundation’s Visioning the Future of the Greenbelt series, the report positions the Greenbelt as a key component of Ontario’s response to environmental and resource challenges, Miller notes.

“The Greenbelt’s natural infrastructure provides significant value to Ontario. By quantifying those benefits, we can better inform planning and policy decisions that affect the region’s long-term sustainability,” says Miller. “This research demonstrates the measurable benefits natural systems provide to Ontario’s communities and economy, and offers a framework to support evidence-based planning.”

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SSHRC invests $9.3M in 91��ɫ-led social sciences, humanities research

ashleygc — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 19:06:34 +0000

More than $9.3 million in new federal funding will support 42 91��ɫ-led research projects across the social sciences and humanities, including AI, health, equity and social change.

Awarded through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council's (SSHRC) Insight Grants program, the funding supports medium- and long-term research initiatives over four to six years.

The projects, led by 91��ɫ researchers across multiple Faculties and research units, address issues affecting communities in Canada and around the world with research topics that explore a range of issues with local, national and global significance.

"SSHRC Insight Grants enable researchers to pursue ambitious, long-term programs of inquiry that deepen understanding of complex social issues and generate knowledge with real-world relevance," says Amir Asif, vice-president research and innovation. "This year's funded projects demonstrate the remarkable breadth of 91��ɫ's research strengths, spanning health and well-being, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, Indigenous knowledge and cultural resurgence, education, labour markets, environmental and climate challenges, social inclusion, governance and public policy. Together these projects will generate new insights that help inform policy, practice and public dialogue in Canada and around the world."

Among the largest grants is a six-year, $463,646 project led by Stephanie Ben-Ishai () examining the financial and psychological effects of insolvency. Ann Marie Murnaghan (Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies) received $459,784 for a six-year project focused on cultural resurgence in Witsuwit'en territories, while Michael Kalu () received $456,501 for research examining the needs of Black older adults and developing Afrocentric-informed strategies.

Other significant awards include Andrea Emberly's (LA&PS) six-year study exploring community connection and musical arts among young people, funded at $435,379, and Shital Desai's () six-year, $417,127 project investigating approaches to strengthening communication and relationships in dementia care. Enakshi Dua (LA&PS) received $411,890 for a five-year project that explores the changing landscape of diversity, equity, inclusion and decolonization initiatives.

Several funded projects examine the social implications of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. Christo El Morr (Faculty of Health) received $396,562 for Mapping Workplace Racism in Canada: A Community-Driven AI Platform Grounded in Ontario, while sava saheli singh's (Faculty of Education) Machine Learning or Learning Machines: Critical AI Futures in Education received $111,678. Isha Sharma (LA&PS) received $123,659 to study the adoption and impact of agentic AI in financial crime compliance.

Health and social well-being are also prominent themes. Mary Fox (Faculty of Health) received $400,708 to develop an e-learning intervention aimed at disrupting ageism in social work education, while Nazilla Khanlou's (Faculty of Health) $390,389 project will examine supports for racialized families of children and youth with developmental disabilities. Kerry Scott (Faculty of Health) received $286,282 to investigate public trust and engagement with Ontario's health system.

Other projects, listed below, explore immigrant inequality, labour market barriers, disability and education policy, climate and energy transitions, Indigenous resurgence, entrepreneurship in the age of AI, anti-human trafficking and cultural heritage, and more, reflecting the breadth of 91��ɫ's research strengths.

Russ Patrick P. Alcedo, AMPD
Project: From Field to Stage: Choreographing for Theatre Philippine Folk Dance Practices through Ethnographic Research
Funding: $163,951

Lalaie Ameeriar, LA&PS
Project: We Inherit Each Other: Racialized Care Work and Reproductive Labour during and after COVID-19
Funding: $109,580

Ilya Archakov, LA&PS
Project: Measuring and Modeling Economic Correlations: Robust, Valid, and Large-Scale
Funding: $59,770

Godfred O. Boateng, Faculty of Health
Project: A Cross-Cultural Validation of Housing Insecurity Scale in Slums and Informal Settlements
Funding: $362,992

Rebecca Caines, AMPD
Project: Interfacing, Playtesting, Resetting: Reframing Technology Use Through Improvised Creative Technologies
Funding: $118,750

Barnali Choudhury, Osgoode Hall Law School
Project: Improving Modern Slavery Reporting in Canada: Legal Ripple Effects and Insights from Australia
Funding: $185,789

Elicia A. Clements, LA&PS
Project: Interventions in Early Twentieth-Century Opera: Gender, Race, Coloniality
Funding: $104,553

Matias Cortes, LA&PS
Project: The Role of Firms in Lifecycle Earnings Growth and Inequality
Funding: $109,052

David B. Goldstein, LA&PS
Project: Imagined Tables: Eating and the Articulation of Community
Funding: $111,875

Luann M. Good Gingrich, LA&PS
Project: Places and Spaces of Social Inclusion: A Contextual Analysis of Immigrant Inequality in Canada
Funding: $254,831

Philip A. Harland, LA&PS
Project: Criminalization of Minorities and Subject Peoples in Antiquity
Funding: $116,231

Robert J. Heynen, LA&PS
Project: Mediations of Anti-Human Trafficking: Technology, Securitization, and Policing at the Border
Funding: $218,627

Alice J. Hovorka,
Project: Animal Performativity: ‘Becoming Primate’ in Human Society
Funding: $207,650

Hong Kal, AMPD
Project: Grievable Images: Visualizing State Violence and Resistance in South Korea Since 1948
Funding: $115,556

Magdalena J. Kazubowski-Houston, AMPD
Project: Performing Eco-Grief: Youth, Theatre, and Climate Mourning in Canada and Poland
Funding: $217,657

Étienne Lalé, LA&PS
Project: Foot Traffic, Consumer Spending, and Employment: New Insights from Cell Phone Data
Funding: $105,346

Margaret E. MacDonald, LA&PS
Project: Governing Reproduction in Senegal: Discourses and Images in the Postcolonial Archive
Funding: $105,490

Raymond A. Mar, Faculty of Health
Project: Learning Social Content from Stories
Funding: $124,843

Yuka Nakamura, Faculty of Health
Project: Community and Connection: Understanding the Growth and Social Impact of Ethnic, Cultural and Religious Sport Organizations in Toronto
Funding: $172,229

Lilian K. Ng,
Project: Giving Where They Operate: Biodiversity Governance and Corporate Philanthropy
Funding: $161,035

Ken Ogata, LA&PS
Project: Legitimacy and the Hierarchy of Artefacts Along the Entrepreneurial Journey: Evidence from the Introduction of Third-Party Certification Agencies into the Collectible Comic Books Industry
Funding: $101,646

Nathanael Ojong, LA&PS
Project: Entrepreneurship and the Sustainable Development Goals in the Age of AI
Funding: $286,219

Salewa Olawoye, LA&PS
Project: Towards An Inclusive Monetary Theory: African Entrepreneurship and Money Creation
Funding: $124,927

Oyemolade Osibodu, Faculty of Education
Project: Navigating Blackness: Sub-Saharan African Immigrant Parents' and Youth's Perspectives on the Racialization of Mathematics Education
Funding: $106,237

Gillian Parekh, Faculty of Education
Project: Constructing Disability in Education: Disability Identity, Policy Enactment and Academic Outcomes
Funding: $342,757

Jennifer R. Pybus, LA&PS
Project: Extracting Intimacy: FemTech, Surveillance, and Sovereignty
Funding: $98,892

Amanda Ricci, Glendon College
Project: At the Heart of the City: A History of the Garment Industry in Montreal, 1930–1990
Funding: $81,855

Perry Sadorsky, Schulich School of Business
Project: Energy Transition Systemic Risk in Times of Uncertainty
Funding: $109,082

Akolisa Ufodike, LA&PS
Project: Gatekeeping Growth: Immigration, Credentialing, and the Hidden Drivers of Canada's Productivity Decline
Funding: $375,300

Daniel J. Wigfield, LA&PS
Project: Systemic Integrity: Institutional Logics and Misconduct in Federated Sport Governance
Funding: $242,431

91��ɫ researchers are also directly involved as co-applicants for 15 other projects awarded a total of $3.85 million. See the of projects and recipients.

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91��ɫ research calls for more accessible cities

ashleygc — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 19:02:42 +0000

A new study co-authored by 91��ɫ's Mahtot Gebresselassie calls for a more integrated approach to planning communities that support people of all ages and abilities.

Cities are often designed with an assumption that residents are able-bodied, leaving many older adults and people with disabilities to face barriers in their daily lives. Gebresselassie, an assistant professor at the , argues that urban planners have an opportunity to better serve both groups by recognizing overlapping needs and developing more integrated planning solutions.

The paper, published in the , emerged from a roundtable co-organized by Gebresselassie at the 2024 annual conference of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning. The discussion brought together researchers examining accessibility issues in transportation, housing and planning processes that affect older adults and people with disabilities.

Mahot Gebresselassie

According to the study, transportation remains one of the most significant challenges for both aging populations and people with disabilities. Older adults may face mobility limitations as they age or stop driving, while people with disabilities often encounter inaccessible transit systems or limited transportation options.

These barriers make it more difficult to reach jobs, services, social activities and health care, increasing the risk of isolation.

Housing presents similar concerns. Most homes lack basic accessible design features such as single-floor living, no-step entry and wide doorways. Accessible homes can be difficult to find and costly. Even when suitable housing is available, it may be located far from transit, amenities and community services, creating additional barriers to participation in daily life.

Although these issues are often examined separately, the researchers argue they are closely connected. Governments, planners and researchers often address aging and disability through separate policies and programs, which can lead to fragmented approaches to transportation, housing and community development.

"Previously, researchers on these topics investigated accessibility issues for the two populations in silos, despite the common challenges they face," says Gebresselassie.

To address these issues, the authors propose an anti-ableist framework that encourages planners to consider accessibility from the beginning of the planning process.

Instead of treating aging and disability as separate concerns, the researchers argue that municipalities should integrate policies, services and decision-making processes. The paper outlines a framework to bring together government departments, community organizations and residents to ensure barrier-free design is considered across transportation, housing and public infrastructure.

"This means moving toward a planning culture that is anti-ableist and can address the accessibility needs of both groups," says Gebresselassie.

The researchers also call for greater involvement from people with lived experience in urban design decisions, as well as enhanced access training in planning education and professional practice.

The authors hope the study will encourage further research on the subject.

"As one of the pioneering studies to illuminate the need to explore the overlap, our study encourages other researchers to follow suit," says Gebresselassie.

The study has also led to an ongoing research collaboration between 91��ɫ and the University of Utah. Gebresselassie and collaborator Andy Hong are currently completing another study that examines historical trends in transportation accessibility research involving older adults and people with disabilities.

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91��ɫ researchers help drive close to $15M in SSHRC partnership funding

ashleygc — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 17:59:35 +0000

91��ɫ researchers are at the forefront of six major Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)-funded partnership grants worth close to $15 million, including a 91��ɫ-led international network examining how AI is transforming refugee decision making and access to justice worldwide.

The Partnership Grants funding, announced by SSHRC on July 21, supports large-scale partnerships that bring together universities, governments, community organizations and international collaborators to address complex social, environmental and policy challenges.

Sean Rehaag

The funded projects focus on issues ranging from refugee rights and climate resilience to healthy aging, youth well-being, homelessness and human-animal connections.

Leading 91��ɫ's participation is Sean Rehaag (), whose seven-year Algorithmic Justice for Refugees Research Network project received $2,499,995 to investigate the growing use of algorithms, AI and other digital technologies in refugee and migration systems.

The international partnership includes researchers and organizations across Canada, Europe, Africa, Australia and the Middle East and will examine how emerging technologies affect refugee rights, access to protection and government accountability.

91��ɫ Interim President and Vice-Chancellor Lisa Philipps says the project shows the impact that long-term investment in interdisciplinary reseach can have. "The project grew from years of interdisciplinary research and the strong foundation provided by the Centre for Refugee Studies, one of 91��ɫ's Organized Research Units to make it possible. 91��ɫ is proud to stand with Professor Rehaag and his partners on this meaningful project."

91��ɫ researchers are also co-applicants on five additional partnership grants that received funding ranging from $2.4 million to $2.5 million each. Together, the projects position 91��ɫ researchers within some of Canada's largest and most ambitious social sciences and humanities research collaborations.

"91��ɫ researchers continue to demonstrate leadership in building research partnerships that bring together scholars, governments and organizations to address complex challenges facing communities in Canada and around the world,” says Amir Asif, 91��ɫ’s vice-president research and innovation. “These projects reflect 91��ɫ's strengths in interdisciplinary, community-engaged research and demonstrate how collaboration can generate knowledge that informs policy, supports decision-making and contributes to positive social change."

The funded partnerships involving 91��ɫ researchers include:

• Aging in the Margins: Building Inclusivity and Goodwill (AIM BIG), funded at $2,500,000 over seven years, with Natalia Balyasnikova (Faculty of Education) serving as a co-applicant. The project will examine the experiences of aging among marginalized populations in Canada and internationally.

• (Re)Thinking Sustainability: Research Network for Global Environmental Humanities, funded at $2,499,814 over seven years, with Andil Gosine () and Jean-Thomas Tremblay (Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies) as co-applicants. The network will explore environmental challenges through humanities-based research and public engagement.

• Connecting to Place Through Disaster Response: New Opportunities for Community-Campus Partnerships, funded at $2,417,600 over five years, with Ali Asgary and Eva Bogdan (LA&PS) serving as co-applicants. The project focuses on strengthening community resilience and disaster response through collaborative research.

• Establishing a Network for Human-Animal Connections Research and Collaboration, funded at $2,500,000 over five years, with Cheryl van Daalen-Smith (Faculty of Graduate Studies) serving as a co-applicant and Leesa Fawcett (EUC) as a collaborator. The partnership will examine the role of human-animal relationships in health and well-being across diverse settings.

• Pathways from Child Welfare and Community Services to Stable or Precarious Living Conditions, funded at $2,500,000 over seven years, with Stephen Gaetz (Faculty of Education) serving as a co-applicant. The project will investigate the experiences of young people transitioning from child welfare systems and community services and identify pathways to long-term stability and well-being.

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Continuing a legacy: A student, a mentor and a study of wild bees

alexhuls — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 17:37:13 +0000

A new study by postdoctoral researcher Briann Dorin illustrates how agricultural landscapes can support wild bees, and continues the conservation science research legacy of the late Professor Sheila Colla.

When Dorin was a doctoral student in the Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change and began discussing potential PhD research projects with Colla, her supervisor and one of Canada's leading pollinator conservation scientists, she already knew the questions she wanted to pursue.

With a background in wildlife biology, Dorin had followed growing concern about bee declines and understood the significance of the issue given the critical role pollinators play in maintaining healthy ecosystems and supporting food production.

“Like many others, I was deeply concerned about the declines we were seeing,” Dorin says. She considered such question as: “What does effective pollinator conservation look like? How can we engage landowners in taking action to protect pollinators?”

Briann Dorin

For many doctoral students, refining broad interests into a focused dissertation project can be one of the most challenging parts of the process. Dorin says Colla’s guidance was instrumental in helping her navigate that challenge.

“She had an incredible ability to ask the right questions and encourage me to think more deeply about the science,” says Dorin.

With Colla's mentorship, those questions eventually led Dorin to explore what she saw as an overlooked area.

She explains that while a lot of research focuses on crops that depend on animal pollination, such as apples and blueberries, crops that do not require pollinators cover larger areas of agricultural land.

“If we assume those landscapes don't matter because the crops themselves don't need bees, we're overlooking millions of acres that pollinators may still use,” she says. “I wanted to understand what role these pollinator-independent crops play in supporting wild bee populations across agricultural landscapes.”

That realization led Dorin and Colla to take a closer look at vineyards. Although grapes do not require animal pollination, vineyards represent large agricultural infrastructure and could provide important habitat for wild bees.

To explore that possibility, Dorin and Colla studied wild bee communities in 26 commercial vineyards in Niagara Region over two growing seasons. In addition to sampling bees, they examined factors including vegetation between vineyard rows, surrounding land uses, soil characteristics and topography.

The approach reflected one of Dorin's guiding principles throughout the project.

“Bees don't recognize farm boundaries or distinguish between crop types,” she says. “They move freely across the landscape – nesting, foraging and dispersing where suitable habitat and resources exist.”

For Dorin, taking that broader perspective is essential to developing conservation strategies that reflect how pollinators experience the landscape. The findings, now published in , reinforce that outlook.

“Our research found a very high abundance and diversity of wild bees in vineyard agroecosystems, showing that these independent crops can support thriving bee communities,” says Dorin.

The study found that bee communities were shaped by a combination of local and landscape-level conditions. Bee abundance and diversity were typically higher in vineyards surrounded by semi-natural habitats such as forests and treed areas. Taller vegetation between vineyard rows was also linked to healthier bee communities.

Another finding involved nesting habitat. Soil conditions were linked to different types of bees, suggesting conservation efforts must consider not only where pollinators find food, but also where they live and reproduce.

The results were the culmination of years of work for both Dorin and Colla.

Sheila Colla

Finishing the project, however, was not without its challenges. Examining wild bee communities across vineyard environments from multiple angles was an ambitious undertaking. But Dorin says Colla never made anything feel impossible for her students.

“She genuinely believed we were capable of succeeding,” says Dorin. “She trusted her students with meaningful responsibility, but she was always there when we needed guidance.”

And because research rarely goes exactly as planned, she says, there were plenty of moments when that support was needed. Dorin recalls that whether challenges emerged during fieldwork, in the lab or during data analysis, Colla consistently offered advice, reassurance and a fresh perspective.

That commitment to her students remained unchanged, even as Colla faced significant health challenges.

By then, much of the project's fieldwork had been completed and the focus had shifted to data analysis and writing. Dorin says Colla remained actively involved throughout that stage of the research, continuing to meet with her to discuss results and provide feedback.

“Even during such a difficult time, she was still thinking about her students,” says Dorin. “That says a great deal about the kind of mentor she was.”

After Colla's death in 2025, finishing the project – even though much of the work had already been completed – was difficult for Dorin. She says it was impossible not to think about how much Colla would have enjoyed seeing the final dissertation and the resulting publications.

Dorin also believes Colla would have been especially excited by opportunities to share the findings with farmers, land managers and policymakers.

“She recognized that good science alone isn't enough,” says Dorin. “She believed that meaningful conservation requires research, but also policy, community engagement, education and action.”

That way of thinking continues to shape Dorin's own approach to conservation and her goals for this latest study. She hopes the findings will help bridge the gap between science and on-the-ground land management, and encourage new ways of thinking about how wild bees can be supported – even in landscapes not traditionally considered pollinator habitat.

The work also contributes to a more nuanced understanding of pollinator conservation. Ontario is home to hundreds of species of wild bees, each with different nesting and foraging requirements, making a one-size-fits-all solution for supporting pollinators unlikely. Instead, Dorin says, understanding how different habitats benefit different species can lead to more informed conservation decisions across agricultural ecosystems.

That includes, she says, thinking beyond individual farms. Pollinator conservation occurs at the landscape scale, meaning it is not only how a vineyard is managed that matters, but also how nearby forests, hedgerows, roadsides, neighbouring croplands and even soils are managed.

Dorin sees those ambitions as a continuation of Colla's influence.

“Throughout her career, she showed us that conservation is not something achieved in isolation. It requires connecting science with communities, research with action and people with the ecosystems they depend on,” says Dorin.

Dorin was among the many students, researchers and conservation advocates influenced by that philosophy. The vineyard study – and the hopes she has for its impact – reflect lessons Colla instilled throughout her career.

“Completing this project without her was bittersweet. I wish she could have been there for my defence and to celebrate these publications, but I feel incredibly grateful that I had her mentorship for so much of this journey,” she says. “Sheila was simply one of the best people I've ever known.”

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91��ɫ research reveals climate change impact in Arctic

alexhuls — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 17:28:43 +0000

As climate change reshapes the Arctic, 91��ɫ researchers are shedding new light on how declining sea ice affects the health of the ringed seals and polar bears that depend on them.

Understanding how climate change affects Arctic wildlife is becoming urgent as the North warms faster than the rest of the planet.

“Climate warming is a global problem but it’s most severe in the North, where the climate is warming about four times faster than the global average,” says Gregory W. Thiemann, a professor in the Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change.

Rising temperatures are driving declines in sea ice and reshaping Arctic marine ecosystems. Species such as ringed seals and polar bears depend on sea ice for habitat, but scientists are working to understand exactly how climate-driven changes affect these species and the food webs that support them.

Katie Florko

Ringed seals, in particular, play a vital role in the Arctic food web as consumers of smaller, fat-rich food sources such as fish and plankton. Their fat-rich diet makes them a primary food source for polar bears.

Despite the importance of ringed seals in the Artcic habitat, how they respond to climate-driven changes in ice and prey availability, and the ripple effects of those changes through the ecosystem, was not fully understood.

Katie Florko, a 91��ɫ biology alum, was inspired to find a way to change that.

“By tracking shifts in their diet and body condition over nearly two decades, we can better understand how environmental change is affecting a species that is central to both the food web and subsistence,” she says.

The project began while Florko was completing her master's degree in biology at 91��ɫ under Thiemann's supervision. Although Florko graduated in 2018 and continued her research through a PhD at the University of British Columbia and a postdoctoral fellowship, she and her collaborators continued developing the study.

In published in Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, Florko and Thiemann drew on a long-standing collaboration between 91��ɫ and Fisheries and Oceans Canada that has worked with local Inuvialuit hunters in the Northwest Territories to monitor ringed seal populations in the Amundsen Gulf.

For the study, local hunters collected measurements and samples from 236 ringed seals harvested between 1996 and 2015. Small pieces of blubber were sent to the researchers, who analyzed the fatty acids they contained. Because those compounds provide clues about what an animal has been eating, the team was able to reconstruct the seals' diets. They then combined those dietary indicators with environmental data and measures of seal and polar bear body condition to understand how climate, habitat and food availability influence Arctic predators.

The analysis revealed that ringed seals were generally in better shape when they were feeding on prey associated with sea ice, particularly Arctic cod, an important source of energy in the area. Seals also tended to be healthier during years when ice dynamics made productive feeding areas easier to access.

The findings suggest that sea ice influences more than just where ringed seals live; it can also affect their access to food and ability to build the energy reserves needed to survive, reproduce and raise their young.

Because ringed seals are the primary prey of polar bears, researchers also wanted to know whether environmental conditions affecting seals could influence the predators that depend on them.

“Studying both predator and prey offered a rare opportunity to link changes at multiple levels of the Arctic food web and better understand how climate-driven changes in sea ice can ripple through the food web,” says Florko.

The research also examined body-condition data from 108 polar bears collected in the same region between 1999 and 2015. By comparing those records with the ringed seal data, they hoped to determine whether environmental factors affecting seals could also be affecting the bears that depend on them.

Gregory Thiemann

While the relationships between habitat, diet and seal health proved complex, one result stood out. Among female polar bears, which tend to feed on a less varied diet than males, their body health closely tracked that of ringed seals.

"Female polar bear body condition tended to be high when ringed seal condition was also high," says Thiemann. “In other words, healthier prey were associated with healthier polar bears.”

The findings offer a clearer picture of how climate change can affect Arctic ecosystems. Rather than influencing individual species in isolation, changes in sea ice can alter prey availability, affect the health of ringed seals and ultimately influence the predators that depend on them.

The team says continued monitoring will be essential for understanding how a rapidly changing Arctic affects wildlife in the years ahead.

"I think this area is important to continue studying because understanding climate impacts requires looking beyond individual species. Changes in sea ice, prey availability and predator body condition are all interconnected, and we need to understand those relationships to predict how Arctic ecosystems may change in the future," says Florko.

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Funding expands arts-based HIV prevention program led by 91��ɫ

ashleygc — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 15:09:19 +0000

91��ɫ researchers have received an Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN) research award to scale up a youth-led, arts-based HIV prevention program that has already reached more than 12,000 young people across Canada.

Sarah Flicker, professor and 91��ɫ Research Chair in Community-Based Participatory Research in the , is the principal investigator on the project, titled "Theatre Making Impact (TMI): Scaling-Up a Youth-Led HIV Prevention Play Across Ontario." Shira Taylor, adjunct professor at 91��ɫ and director of TMI, is co-applicant and the program's founder. The OHTN funding will support the next phase of the program's expansion across Ontario, extending its reach into urban centres and northern Indigenous communities where HIV rates remain disproportionately high.

Shira Taylor

Sarah Flicker

TMI – formerly known as SExT, or Sex Education by Theatre – is a trauma-informed, culturally responsive not-for-profit that uses peer education and theatre, alongside music, dance, rap and poetry, to engage youth in open conversations about sexual health, HIV prevention, mental health and healthy relationships.

Taylor founded the program in 2014 in Toronto's Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park neighbourhoods as part of her doctoral thesis, and later expanded it through a postdoctoral fellowship at 91��ɫ in collaboration with Flicker. To date, it has reached more than 12,000 young people across Canada, with a focus on communities most affected by HIV – including newcomer, Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ youth.

"I really wanted to build an evidence-based program that put the youth voice centre stage on these topics," says Taylor.

What sets TMI apart is how it delivers that education. Instead of pamphlets or classroom lectures, the program uses peer-led performance, humour and storytelling to model difficult conversations and build skills in a lower-stakes environment – one that engages young people both intellectually and emotionally.

“Lack of awareness usually isn’t the reason people don’t use condoms," says Taylor. "There's a peer pressure element, there's an emotional element. Theatre is uniquely positioned to take into account our full humanity."

The program also benefits from an intergenerational model that, over the last decade, has deepened. Many of the original cast members who joined as high schoolers – initially, Taylor jokes, for the free pizza – have stayed on and trained as trauma-informed peer mentors. They now co-facilitate the program alongside a new generation of youth from the same community, sharing similar cultural backgrounds and immigration experiences.

The evidence from a recent Toronto District School Board (TDSB) tour, co-led by Taylor and Flicker and supported by a LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health Catalyst Grant at 91��ɫ, underscores the approach's impact. Across eight performances at five TDSB high schools, 61 per cent of student audience members reported improved sexual health knowledge, 49 per cent felt more confident managing their own sexual health and 46 per cent reported greater awareness of where to access HIV and STI testing.

Mental health outcomes were also significant: 49 per cent reported improved mental health knowledge, 44 per cent indicated feeling more comfortable seeking help and 41 per cent reported using new coping strategies.

While the student audience feedback provides crucial insights, the program’s impact extends beyond statistics. During a tour to an Indigenous community in Saskatchewan, a youth performer's rap about navigating her identity and her family's cultural expectations moved a young audience member to share a poem she had written but never shown anyone.

"She had it stuffed in the back of her locker," Taylor recalls. "She'd been too scared to share it publicly. And we all gathered around as this young Indigenous girl read us this poem. I still remember the words."

With OHTN support, the project will reach youth beyond Toronto by bringing performances to urban centres and northern and Indigenous communities across Ontario over the coming year.

Taylor and Flicker are thrilled that the award allows the program to continue to reach young people across the province.

"It's really validating how much impact arts-based approaches can have in this sector," says Taylor, "and how important it is to empower community-based, culturally responsive, trauma-informed programs around these topics, which has been historically lacking in sex education."

With files from Mzwandile Poncana

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