Volpe is president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers鈥� Association, representing one of Canada鈥檚 largest manufacturing sectors. A leading voice on industrial policy, trade and economic competitiveness, he has played a prominent role in advancing Canadian manufacturing interests and strengthening the country鈥檚 automotive supply chain.  

Appointed to the Order of Canada in 2023, he serves on both the Prime Minister鈥檚 Council on Canada-U.S. Relations and the Ontario Premier鈥檚 Council on U.S. Trade and Investment. 

Volpe has built a career at the intersection of industry, public policy and public service, said Siu Ning (Sunny) Leung, vice-dean, faculty and inclusive excellence, Lassonde School of Engineering. 

鈥淧rogress takes more than good ideas; it takes people who can bring others together and turn those ideas into action,鈥� said Leung. 鈥淔ew careers demonstrate that more clearly than that of Flavio Volpe.鈥澛�

After accepting an honorary degree before graduands of , Glendon College, and the Faculties of , Education and Science, Volpe reflected on the family and experiences that shaped his journey. 

Returning to 91亚色 nearly three decades after completing his MBA, he said one lesson had become increasingly clear over time: "Nobody gets here alone.鈥�   

That lesson, he noted, was rooted in his own family's connection to 91亚色. Before Volpe earned his degree, his mother, Mirala, returned to school as a mature student while raising four children, becoming the first university graduate in her family.  

鈥淗er effort and her success were both a warning and an inspiration,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he was showing us, through her own work, what we could and should ask of ourselves.鈥�  

Volpe encouraged graduands to recognize the family members, teachers, friends and mentors who helped them reach this milestone, and reminded them that opportunity comes with responsibility.  

"Your education gives you tools. What you do with those tools gives meaning," he said. 鈥淵ou are graduating in different disciplines. You will help communities understand themselves and the world. Your work will affect people you may never meet.鈥� 

Looking back on his own career, Volpe recalled representing Canada's automotive manufacturing sector and the importance of keeping people at the centre of decision-making. 

"When I visit an office or a factory, I see skill, ingenuity, investment. I also see people paying their mortgages and raising their kids and making plans." 

He pointed to the automotive sector's response during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he led efforts to shift production to ventilators and personal protective equipment, as an example of people coming together to solve urgent challenges. 

"When you have the ability to help, you have a responsibility to try," he said. 

Volpe also shared insights from Project Arrow, the nation's first all-Canadian zero-emission concept vehicle created to showcase Canadian technology, talent and innovation. Drawing on this example, he challenged graduands to think boldly about their futures and ability to make an impact. 

"You do not have to shrink your ambition to fit somebody else's assumptions about you," he said. "Confidence does not require you to have every answer; it requires you to believe that your effort can make a difference, and to be willing to learn from the people who sit beside you. I hope you leave 91亚色 with that confidence." 

Volpe encouraged the graduating class to carry forward both the opportunities they have received and the responsibility that comes with them. 

"Wherever you go, carry that responsibility with you. Make room for someone else. Share what you know. Stand up when it would be easier to sit down and be quiet." 

He concluded with a reminder about the values that matter most as graduates begin the next chapter of their lives. 

"Keep your kindness. Keep your honesty. Keep your loyalty to the people who trust you, be ambitious about what you can accomplish and thoughtful about who benefits when you do," he said. 

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The Canada鈥檚 awards are presented annually by Delta Management Group to recognize leaders who have made significant contributions to the clean economy over the previous two years. The Lifetime Contribution Award recognizes senior sustainability leaders whose careers have advanced environmental protection and climate resilience in Canada. 

Recipients are selected from more than 1,000 nominees nationwide.

Winfield, a professor at the , was recognized for a career spanning governance research, institution building, public engagement and student mentorship.

"I really see this as a recognition of the contributions of all of the people I have worked with over the years: colleagues and students at EUC, but also through the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy, the Pembina Institute, and the Canadian Environmental Network," says Winfield.

Gavin Pitchford, CEO of Delta Management Group. says to receive a Clean50 award is truly indicative of nation-wide and personal leadership in the Lifetime Contribution category. "The individuals we chose for the Clean50 this year are true leaders and should be an inspiration for all Canadians.鈥�

Winfield has played a significant role in Canadian environmental policy since 1992, beginning with the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy and later the before moving into academia. He served as a civil society member of Government of Canada delegations to international environmental negotiations and has worked with the North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and the Organization for Economic Cooperation (OECD) on international environmental initiatives and projects.  

At 91亚色, Winfield's research has focused on sustainable energy, climate change, environmental law and public policy. He serves as co-chair of 91亚色鈥檚 and is co-founder of the and helped establish the Energy Modelling Hub as a nationally recognized resource. 

As a graduate supervisor and program leader, Winfield has mentored generations of students who have pursued careers in government, environmental organizations, law, research and public policy. 

鈥淭hrough supervising graduate students, he has also built a small army of policy professionals, sending them off into government, law and the non-profit world," says Pitchford. "Three decades in, he is still building the institutions the next generation will need, for the long haul.鈥� 

He is the author of two books and more than 50 chapters and articles. His research has contributed to policy development discussions in Canada and abroad, from testimony before Canada鈥檚 Senate and House of Commons to questions from the Australian Parliament about nuclear energy in Ontario.  

Winfield has also served as an advisor to environmental oversight bodies and contributed to research collaborations examining community energy planning, energy storage, low-carbon transitions and climate governance. He is co-editor of Carbon Federalism: Canadian Climate Governance in a Disrupted World, submitted to the University of Toronto Press last month.

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The recommendation, approved by the Board Executive Committee on Sept. 29, was made following a national and international search process.

Dr. Srivastava is dean, Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS), professor of sociology and founding director of the Global Centre for Climate Action (GCAC) research centre at OCAD University. Previously a professor of sociology, gender studies and cultural studies at Queen鈥檚 University, Dr. Srivastava was director of the Gender Studies Program at University of Toronto Mississauga from 2002-03.  

Professor Srivastava鈥檚 2024 book, Are You Calling Me a Racist? Why We Need to Stop Talking About Race and Start Making Real Antiracist Change (New 91亚色 Press), won the 2025 Book Award from the Canadian Sociology Association. It analyzes the emotional and moral landscape of dialogues about race, details the pitfalls of conventional approaches to equity and proposes alternative models to create more substantive and impactful change.  

In keeping with her leadership and interdisciplinary scholarly work on the sociology of race, emotion and organizations, Professor Srivastava has prioritized meaningful equity and decolonization education efforts for students and faculty at OCAD U, including curricular revision and reassessment of evaluation methods for courses on Indigenous content, foundational skills and experiential learning.  

In her role as dean of arts and science, Professor Srivastava has been involved in strategic planning, organizational change, collective bargaining and curricular innovation, and served as acting vice-president academic and provost for four months in early 2024. She achieved financial sustainability for many programs in FAS and implemented an iterative, consensus-based model for decision-making through which she was able to champion innovative approaches to decolonizing and diversifying pedagogies.  

Professor Srivastava established the GCAC to create cultural, social and creative interventions in the climate action sphere, working with artists, designers and scholars to imagine new approaches to sustainability, climate justice and decolonization. She garnered EU funding for a public projection event as part of Nuit Blanche 2025 and has been able to secure major corporate funding to continue the work of the centre. In her prior work as an activist, Professor Srivastava was director of a national environmental campaign for Greenpeace Canada, active in community radio and environmental education, and supported Indigenous, labour and feminist social movements. She holds a master鈥檚 in environmental studies from 91亚色 and a PhD in sociology from University of Toronto.   

I extend my thanks to the members of the search committee for their commitment and guidance throughout this process. I also am deeply grateful to Professor Kathryn McPherson, whose steady leadership as interim dean, LA&PS has and will continue to guide the Faculty until Professor Srivastava assumes her role.  

Sincerely, 

Lisa Philipps 
Interim President and Vice-Chancellor 

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Since its launch in 2003, the Canada鈥檚 Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards have recognized women whose accomplishments have left a lasting mark on their professions and communities. This year's 91亚色-affiliated honourees include leaders in AI, transportation, construction law, governance and health care.

Below are this year鈥檚 recipients and the categories for which they were recognized.

AI and Technology

This category recognizes women whose work moves technology beyond theory, influencing real-world outcomes through product development, platform strategy, data systems, automation and enterprise technology adoption.

Lisa Marie Chen (MBA 鈥�11) leads the product team behind IBM watsonx BI, shaping how generative AI is changing the way organizations understand and work with data. A graduate of the , Chen has built a career in product development, design, entrepreneurship and higher education. In addition to her role at IBM, she teaches strategy at Schulich and previously founded Canada鈥檚 first Asian Canadian lifestyle magazine. Her work brings together technology, design and human-centred problem solving. 聽

A technology executive and board director, Irene Zaguskin (BA 鈥�09) serves as PwC Americas鈥� co-chief information officer as well as PwC Canada鈥檚 chief information and transformation officer, chief data and analytics officer, and partner. The Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) alum has led digital transformation, technology innovation and business reinvention across the professional services, retail, telecommunications and energy sectors.

Amex Emerging Leaders

This category recognizes women between the ages of 30 and 40 who have been identified for successive leadership positions and demonstrate a passion for learning and innovation.

Saloni Shah (BAS 鈥�07) is an infrastructure advisory lead and principal consultant at the design and engineering firm HDR, where she helps clients plan and deliver complex infrastructure and transportation projects. A graduate of LA&PS and a chartered professional accountant, Shah has held roles in transportation strategy, infrastructure planning and market analysis. She also supports community-based non-profit organizations through pro bono consulting, serves on HDR鈥檚 Inclusion and Diversity Committee and is treasurer of WTS Toronto, an organization that advances women working in transportation.

Board of Directors

This category recognizes women who bring transformative vision and leadership to the highest levels of governance.

With more than two decades of board experience, Corinne Boone (MES 鈥�94) has developed expertise in governance strategy, climate finance, as well as energy and mining. The Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change alum serves as board Chair of Canada Growth Fund, independent director and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) committee Chair at mineral company Los Andes Copper, and is a director of the energy non-profit EfficiencyOne. Boone also contributes to governance education as a lead ESG lecturer with Corporate Directors International and has mentored aspiring directors through Women Get on Boards.

Entrepreneurs

This category recognizes women who own and operate thriving businesses.

Trained as an anthropologist, Johanna Faigelman (MA 鈥�00) founded HumanBranding in 2006 and has since expanded the behavioural insights consultancy to Toronto and New Jersey. The LA&PS alum developed a methodology that helps pharmaceutical, biotechnology and consumer companies better understand the cultural and emotional factors influencing behaviour. Faigelman was named a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 Ontario program and was part of the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women North America class of 2025.

CN Executive Leaders

This category recognizes women who exemplify strong leadership while building confidence and championing others.

As executive vice-president and chief legal and governance officer at TELUS, Andrea Wood (LLB 鈥�85) oversees the company鈥檚 legal, regulatory and privacy functions and serves as corporate secretary to its board of directors. The alum also serves on the board of the Museum of Contemporary Art, is vice-Chair of the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation鈥檚 GTA Community Board and is a member of the Canadian Lawyer Editorial Board. Wood has been recognized by Chambers Canada as a General Counsel Influencer and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Law Awards.

Erica Zarkovich (LLM 鈥�15) leads LifeLabs鈥� commercial and strategic partnerships across Canada鈥檚 health care sector as the company鈥檚 chief market and partnerships officer. A graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School, she works to improve growth, innovation and improved access to health care through collaborations that connect patients, providers and partners across the system. Zarkovich is particularly committed to advancing health equity in remote, rural and Indigenous communities.

Professionals

This category recognizes women who are professionals in practice and play a leadership role within their organizations.

At Metrolinx, Lena Azzou (BA 鈥�05) oversees enterprise strategy and transformation, operational excellence, enterprise project management and enterprise risk management. The LA&PS graduate is a certified change management and strategy implementation practitioner who has held senior leadership positions including chief of staff and Chair of the Metrolinx Women鈥檚 Network. She has also served as vice-Chair of the Women鈥檚 Centre of 91亚色 Region and contributes to her community as a mentor, volunteer and advocate for women and families.

Andrea Lee, who teaches at Osgoode Hall Law School, is managing partner of Glaholt Bowles LLP and a certified specialist in construction law. Trained in both architecture and law, she advises owners, contractors, design professionals and insurers on complex infrastructure and construction matters. Lee is a fellow of the Canadian College of Construction Lawyers and has co-authored leading construction law texts. Her work has earned recognition from Lexpert, Chambers, Benchmark Litigation and Best Lawyers.

For the full list of this year鈥檚 winners, visit the .

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Claudia Vergara, 91亚色 PhD candidate, is investigating how women in Ontario's correctional system navigate those challenges and where opportunities exist to strengthen care.

Her work has earned provincial recognition through the 2026 Ontario Women's Health Scholars Award, which supports university researchers advancing knowledge, health services and health outcomes for women. She is one of three doctoral scholars selected by Ontario's Universities to receive funding of up to $35,000 to advance her work.

"I am incredibly honoured to receive the Ontario Women鈥檚 Health Scholars Award and appreciate the recognition of the importance of this research," says Vergara. "This work is deeply meaningful to me and grows out of my years of frontline experience in birth work, prisoner health advocacy and community harm reduction. The award will allow me to meaningfully engage with people with lived experience of incarceration and other community birth workers to shape more accessible and community-based approaches to care."

A doctoral student in 91亚色鈥檚 , Vergara is studying how stigma, institutional practices and barriers to services shape reproductive health and well-being in correctional environments.

The project examines access to reproductive health services through interviews with women who were formerly incarcerated, correctional staff and community birth workers. By bringing diverse perspectives together, the research aims to deepen understanding of how care is delivered and identify ways policies, programs and partnerships can improve to support women in custody.

Vergara is interested in the role community-based doulas and birth workers could play in addressing gaps in care. Doulas and birth workers provide support before, during and after pregnancy. and the study will look at how these services might contribute to more accessible, person-centred care.

The research also considers how experiences may differ for Indigenous and racialized women, whose interactions with health systems and correctional institutions can be shaped by distinct social and systemic factors.

As part of the project, Vergara is examining prison doula programs in the U.S. to determine whether similar models could be adapted for Ontario. The study will assess how these approaches could help improve continuity of care and support reproductive health outcomes.

Vergara says she hopes the findings generate evidence that can inform future policy and practice, while contributing to more equitable access to care for women in correctional settings.

"This research will strengthen our understanding of the reproductive health needs of incarcerated people and the barriers they face in accessing care. By identifying gaps in existing services and exploring community-based approaches, the findings can inform policies, programs and partnerships that improve access to safer, more affirming care for incarcerated people in Ontario," she says.

Vergara holds a MES and a graduate diploma in refugee and migration studies from 91亚色 and is a certified full-spectrum doula.

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As governments around the world look for ways to reduce waste and enhance recycling, many are adopting policies known as extended producer responsibility, or EPR. These programs shift the cost of collecting and recycling packaging materials from municipalities and taxpayers to the companies that place them on the market.

Despite increasing adoption across continents, whether those systems reduce costs, improve recycling outcomes or encourage better packaging design remains difficult to determine. Data is often scattered across thousands of reports, studies and submissions, making comparisons challenging.

鈥淎 great deal has been written about packaging EPR. Almost none of it sits in one place,鈥� says Lakhan.

Fragments of information are spread across academic journals, government reports, industry studies and advocacy publications, often presenting competing interpretations of the same issue. Bringing those sources together and making sense of their findings can require significant time and expertise.

Lakhan is addressing this through the Circular Innovation Hub (CIH) by launching the Packaging EPR Library, a free online resource featuring evidence-reviewed articles and an interactive world map.

The library is the first of its kind to bring together research, policy analysis and international comparisons in one place. Organized around common questions, its articles are grouped into nine themes covering topics ranging from program governance and performance measurement to producer fees, packaging design and international policy differences. The aim is to give users a clearer picture of what the evidence says, where experts disagree and what remains unresolved.

鈥淚 wanted somewhere that gathered that material and set out every argument that can be supported by evidence, regardless of who is making it,鈥� says Lakhan.

One distinguishing feature of the Packaging EPR Library is its emphasis on context. Rather than compiling reports and statistics, the library attempts to reconcile and explain them. Recycling and recovery rates, for example, are frequently compared across jurisdictions even when they are calculated using different methodologies. For Lakhan, those differences can make seemingly straightforward comparisons misleading.

The CIH resource categorizes information based on its source and evidentiary basis, distinguishing between empirical findings, modelling results and stakeholder claims. According to Lakhan, the challenge is distinguishing evidence-backed conclusions from unsupported claims. The goal is to let users evaluate the strength of the published data for themselves.

鈥淚n this field, most of the circulating material was produced by someone with a stake in the answer 鈥� and that is true on every side, mine included,鈥� he says.

The library's searchable global map allows users to explore where packaging EPR programs exist, when they were introduced, what materials they cover and how they are administered. The map reflects the fact that many obligations are established at the provincial or state level, so users can compare approaches within countries such as Canada and the U.S.

Lakhan expects the tool will be used most by producers and compliance teams navigating obligations across multiple jurisdictions, as well as municipal and regulatory staff working through program design. Those groups need specific answers quickly, and the library can help efficiently answer practical questions like what producers pay per tonne, which U.S. states cover printed paper, who runs the compliance body in a given country and more.

Lakhan also hopes the tool will benefit students and researchers at 91亚色 by highlighting unanswered questions in the field. Several sections identify areas where research remains limited or where important policy debates have yet to be thoroughly examined, creating opportunities for future graduate research.

鈥淭hese are not crowded fields. There is real room to contribute,鈥� he says.

The library has room for contributions as well.

鈥淚 would rather the resource be shaped by what people actually need to know than by what I assumed they would,鈥� he says.

He expects the Packaging EPR Library to evolve alongside new regulations, court decisions and policy developments around the world. As responsibility programs continue to expand and change, the resource will be updated to reflect the latest evidence and developments.

Over time, he hopes the library becomes a trusted starting point for anyone seeking to understand packaging responsibility systems, whether they are designing policy, conducting research, evaluating claims or trying to understand how recycling programs work in different jurisdictions.

Despite the tool鈥檚 broad applications, Lakhan says his greatest goal is much more narrow.

鈥淚 would like people to check a claim before repeating it. A great deal of what circulates in this field is a figure that was true once, in one jurisdiction, on one methodology, and has since travelled a long way from its source," he says. "If the library slows that down, it has earned its place."

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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.

鈥淟arge review and synthesis papers are useful ways to build visibility and benchmarks for burgeoning academics,鈥� 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.

鈥淭he work identifies a long history of metric development that has evolved to consider many parameters that influence the quantification of forest fragmentation,鈥� 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.

鈥淭his is an important reminder that just inventing new tools does not necessarily solve problems,鈥� Remmel says, 鈥渂ut that figuring out how to apply and compare results consistently carries tremendous weight and benefit.鈥�

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.

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

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.

鈥淭his is a paper that I could have written based on my experiences,鈥� 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.

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

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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.

Olusola was part of an international team whose study, , explores what researchers call 鈥渄ecolonising hydrology.鈥�

The project emerged from an International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) working group focused on decolonization and hydrology, formed under the organization鈥檚 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.

鈥淒ecolonizing hydrology matters both as a discipline and as a practice,鈥� says Olusola. 鈥淚t 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.鈥�

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.

鈥淎cross 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,鈥� 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.

鈥淭he 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,鈥� he says.

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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亚色-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亚色-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亚色 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亚色鈥檚 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 () 鈥� Visualizing Cumulative Effects: Anishinaabe Counter-Mapping on the Extractive Frontier
• Emily Kuang () 鈥� Multicultural and Multilingual Family Bonding and Knowledge Sharing Across Generations: A Culturally Responsive Approach to Generative AI Application
• R茅mi Viv猫s (Glendon College) 鈥� Measuring Populist Discourse: Canada in Comparative Perspective
• Ashley Day () 鈥� Wiisokotaatiwin 鈥� gathering to re-imagine decolonial health education
• Peiya Cao (Faculty of Health) 鈥� 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) 鈥� 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亚色-led Partnership Development Grants will support collaborations focused on financial vulnerability, youth in care, planetary health, workers鈥� education and Canadian computing heritage and include:

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

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

鈥淭he awards underscore 91亚色'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,鈥� says Asif.

Connection Grants

SSHRC鈥檚 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亚色. View the  of recipients. 

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Professor Eric Miller, along with lead author and PhD student Peri Dworatzek, has published a report titled which examines the protected natural and agricultural lands through the lens of biocapacity 鈥� the ability of land and ecosystems to provide resources and absorb environmental impacts.

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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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 Dworatzek identified several actions that could help safeguard and enhance the Greenbelt鈥檚 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.

鈥淟and cover and biocapacity data provide valuable tools for informing decisions that can help maintain protections for the Greenbelt and the ecosystems that support Ontario鈥檚 growing population,鈥� says Miller. 鈥淢easuring biocapacity helps governments track progress towards sustainability and other environmental goals.鈥�

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鈥檚 Visioning the Future of the Greenbelt series, the report positions the Greenbelt as a key component of Ontario鈥檚 response to environmental and resource challenges, Miller notes.

鈥淭he Greenbelt鈥檚 natural infrastructure provides significant value to Ontario. By quantifying those benefits, we can better inform planning and policy decisions that affect the region鈥檚 long-term sustainability,鈥� says Miller. 鈥淭his research demonstrates the measurable benefits natural systems provide to Ontario鈥檚 communities and economy, and offers a framework to support evidence-based planning.鈥�

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