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 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 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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鈥淲hen we think of environmental sustainability, we often immediately think about newer energy-efficient technologies. Organic waste treatment becomes rather an afterthought,鈥� says Reema Kumar, a PhD candidate at 91亚色's and lead author of the study.

That perspective is beginning to change as researchers look for new ways to recover value from organic waste. Instead of sending food waste to landfill 鈥� where it can contribute to greenhouse gases and other forms of pollution 鈥� scientists are exploring how it can be converted into useful resources.

One promising approach uses microorganisms to break down discarded food and produce chemicals that are typically made from petroleum-based sources, creating an alternative to landfill disposal and fossil-based production.

While researchers have tested adding microorganisms to increase the production of useful compounds from discarded food, most of that research has focused on systems that operate at relatively warm temperatures. Much less is known about whether the same process can selectively produce compounds under colder, lower-energy conditions.

According to Kumar, maintaining warmer operating conditions can require significant energy input, particularly in colder climates. Seeking a more energy-efficient approach, Kumar and her colleagues turned their attention to lower-temperature systems.

鈥淲e were inspired to optimize this natural system of microorganisms using food waste to produce volatile fatty acids under lower temperature conditions to make it more energy efficient as well as provide a targeted approach for production,鈥� says Kumar.

They honed in on Clostridium butyricum, a bacterium known for generating butyric acid and a commercially valuable chemical commonly used in food, pharmaceutical and industrial products. Yielding such chemicals from organic waste could provide a more sustainable alternative to conventional manufacturing methods that rely on fossil-fuel-derived raw materials.

Their work questioned whether introducing the bacterium into a low-temperature food-waste fermentation system could increase production of butyric acid.

In a study published in , Kumar and her collaborators tested the idea using food waste and wastewater sludge. The research was co-supervised by Lassonde Professor Satinder Kaur Brar, along with Guneet Kaur, associate professor at the University of Guelph.

The team created a series of small-scale experiments using food waste collected from restaurants in 91亚色 Lanes and sludge sourced from the Humber Wastewater Treatment Facility. Together, the food waste and sludge created conditions that allowed naturally occurring microorganisms to break down the waste.

Clostridium butyricum was then introduced into some of the samples to see if the bacterium could steer the process toward producing more butyric acid.

鈥淲e wanted to show that you can 鈥榞uide鈥� a complex microbial community, made up of many different bacteria naturally found in wastewater sludge, toward a specific, useful outcome just by introducing one well-chosen microorganism,鈥� says Kumar. 鈥淚t's a bit like steering a crowd by adding a few people who know where they're going.鈥�

The approach worked even better than the researchers expected. The system that received the bacterium produced more than twice as many acids overall and more than five times as much butyric acid compared to the control.

鈥淲e didn't expect such a strong response at a temperature of 17 C," says Kumar. "That was a genuinely exciting result."

The findings, she adds, point to a future where discarded food can be viewed as a resource rather than waste.

Increasing the production of commercially valuable compouds at lower temperatures could pave the way for more energy-efficient waste-treatment systems that recover greater value from discarded food. Over time, it may help keep organic waste out of landfills while creating renewable alternatives to some petroleum-derived chemicals.

鈥淲e hope it helps move the needle toward low-cost, low-energy ways of recovering value from food waste, especially in colder countries,鈥� says Kumar. 鈥淥nce this approach can eventually be scaled up, it could support local biorefinery systems that turn organic waste into useful chemicals without requiring expensive heating infrastructure. That has real implications for both sustainability and economics.鈥�

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And, that pressure is not limited to global and limited-time events. Across concerns, festivals and sports, getting through the venue gate has become a costly and frustrating experience for fans as tickets vanish instantly only to reappear at inflated prices.

Recent examples illustrate the scale of the problem. When Coldplay performed in Toronto in July 2025, fans watched seats disappear on Ticketmaster while waiting in online queues, only to reappear on resale sites for up to $1,600. During the Blue Jays鈥� World Series run later that year, game tickets surged from roughly $400 to $2,000 within hours.

The trend has proven significant enough that earlier this year the Ontario government stepped into the fight over soaring ticket prices.

鈥淲e鈥檙e putting ticket scalpers on notice: your days of ripping people off are done,鈥� Premier Doug Ford posted on social media, announcing the proposal of new consumer protections that would make it illegal to resell tickets above face value. The Putting Fans First Act, he proposed, would apply to any platform handling ticket sales 鈥� Ticketmaster, StubHub and SeatGeek, for instance 鈥� ending what he called the 鈥渄igital wild west.鈥�

For fans, the message resonated with feelings of being exploited 鈥� and not just by the resale market driving up the price of admission.

Pollstar reports that average ticket prices for the top 100 global concert tours rose from $96.17 in 2019 to $132.62 in 2025 鈥� an increase of nearly 38 per cent, compared to average inflation in Canada of about 21 per cent over the same period.

91亚色 scholars say that outrage over ticket prices touches something deeper 鈥� a marketplace built to capitalize on scarcity, not serve audiences. Their research on cultural economics and digital labour shows the real bottlenecks sit with the ticketing system itself, where platform algorithms feed the frenzy they claim to fix.

While policymakers continue to debate how to respond, there is no clear consensus on how to rein in costs without disrupting the system that funds live events.

Scalpers are part of the equation, but they are not the whole story. Large promotors, ticketing platforms, artists and even fans all play a role in sustaining the current model.

So what caused the market to move in this direction?

Markus Giesler, a professor of marketing at 91亚色鈥檚 and former music producer who studies how markets shape human behaviour, points to a shift in how the industry makes money.

Prior to the death of the CD and birth of streaming services like Spotify, concerts were largely viewed as a way to promote and support record sales. As streaming platforms reshaped the economics of music 鈥� where artists went from earning tangible revenues from CD sales to making a fraction of a penny per stream 鈥� touring and selling 鈥渕erch鈥� became the primary source of income for many artists.

Giesler says this shift in economics, paired with a growing popularity over the last decade of 鈥渟caled-up, social media-mediated, massive concert spectacles,鈥� also explains the rising cost of live entertainment.

鈥淭he industry noticed large festivals and live music events could be priced differently and be designed at a much larger scale,鈥� he says, noting the bigger the event, the higher the cost, which translates to more dollars in the pockets of artists.

His observation is backed by data from the American Economic Liberties Project, which shows touring rose from 82 per cent of artists鈥� income in 2010 to roughly 95 per cent in 2022.

However, as touring revenues increased, so did the complexity of how tickets are priced; artists, agents, event promotors, venues and ticketing companies all take a share. Promotors compete for tours based on projected sales, while players like Live Nation 鈥� the largest concert promoter worldwide that not only promotes shows, but also operates venues and owns Ticketmaster 鈥� can capture revenue at multiples stages of the transaction.

What this means in practice is that the same company can book the show, control the venue and manage ticket sales. Regulators in Canada and the U.S. are now scrutinizing that concentration of power, arguing it may limit competition and continue to drive up costs.

Within this system, ticket prices are set by the artist and their management team. Ticketing platforms sell those tickets on the venue鈥檚 behalf and add service fees. A 2019 Competition Bureau review found that, in Canada, those fees exceeded 20 per cent and, in some cases, reached 65 per cent of the original price.

Additional pricing tools have further influenced the market, including Ticketmaster鈥檚 鈥渄ynamic pricing鈥� model introduced in 2022. This tool 鈥� framed as a way to deter scalpers 鈥� adjusts prices in real time based on demand, and is widely used for large scale tours.

91亚色 economist Matthew Brzozowski, an associate professor at the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, says limiting resale markets does not eliminate financial risk 鈥� it shifts it.

The risk has to land somewhere, he says, noting if it cannot be absorbed through resale, it may show up as higher base prices, additional fees or premium tiers.

Those premiums increasingly are seen at the checkout as priority access, VIP packages and add-ons that resemble insurance.

Despite higher costs, demand remains strong. Researchers say the for many fans, live events can be tied to identity and belonging, making price sensitivity less predictable.

鈥淒esirability is the be-all-end-all,鈥� Giesler says. 鈥淲e have to get tickets... life is short. Everybody wants to go and everybody wants to be able to talk about it and post about it.鈥�

That dynamic helps explain why costs continue to soar. Even when fans recognize prices as excessive, the draw of shared cultural moments keeps them in the queue.

That kind of momentum is hard to break, even if dynamic pricing is outlawed or companies like Live Nation are taken to task.

鈥淎 fan鈥檚 identity has always been about devotion,鈥� Giesler says.

And increasingly, showing that devotion means paying the price.

With files from Andrew Seale鈥�

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The approval allows Aretek to move ahead with a three-storey student housing project at the University of Windsor, expected to be the largest 3D-printed concrete building in North America by volume.

Researchers at 91亚色鈥檚 have been working with the company to test materials, monitor performance and generate the technical evidence needed to bring an emerging construction method closer to real-world use.

Liam Butler, associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, has been working alongside Aretek 鈥� formerly known as Printerra 鈥� through a multi-year research partnership anchored at the Keele Campus. Aretek is one of the few Canadian companies specializing in additive concrete construction, commonly known as 3D-printed concrete.

The collaboration involves developing lower-carbon concrete mixes, full-scale structural testing, performance monitoring, long-term durability testing and the kind of technical evidence regulators need before approving an entirely new way of building.

"This is definitely putting 91亚色 on the map as a key collaborator," says Butler.

The road to that approval, however, was not straightforward. Unlike conventional construction materials, 3D-printed concrete has no formal building code or standard anywhere in the world.

"Aretek has had to overcome the fact that there is no template for how to evaluate these new systems. They've had to create their own through demonstration and testing," says Butler.

Rather than wait for new regulations, Aretek worked within existing masonry standards to design and test a 3D-printed wall system. It applied for code approval through a regulatory pathway that allows builders to prove a new method can meet safety and performance requirements, even when it is not yet covered by existing building codes. Butler was directly involved in that process, called on by Aretek to support discussions with the Building Materials Evaluation Commission on behalf of these new innovative materials.

"We've been asked as academics to join these conversations with building officials to help support their application for these regulatory approvals," he says.

That support was possible because of what 91亚色's Keele Campus offers. Aretek conducts research and development out of 91亚色's Climate Data-Driven Design (CD3) facility 鈥� a civil engineering lab that gives access to full-scale industrial 3D printers. For Butler, that full-scale capacity is one of the partnership鈥檚 most important advantages.

"Most research around the world in 3D-printed concrete is at the lab scale, using lab-sized printers or even printers that fit on a desktop," says Butler. "We actually have access to a full-scale industrial-size printer. The acceleration from lab scale to adoption is greatly shortened. New mixes we design can be immediately tested at the full scale. That is a very unique aspect of this research project."

One of the partnership's central research objectives is reducing cement content in 3D-printed concrete mixes. Cement is essential to the rapid-hardening properties that 3D printing requires but it is also one of the construction sector's most significant environmental liabilities. The cement and concrete sector accounts for around seven per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

"Reducing that cement content in mixes, even by 20 or 30 per cent, could have a large-scale impact across the sector," says Butler.

The partnership also extends into workforce training. As Aretek trains construction workers in 3D-printing methods, those workers need a new skill set: learning to operate robotic printing systems, manage material preparation, read digital files and follow safety protocols specific to additive construction equipment.

"Like any sector that is evolving and changing, there's always a degree of upskilling that's going to have to be involved," says Butler.

The Windsor project, once complete, could also make it easier for future projects to move through approval processes elsewhere.

"Once one solution has been approved by a certain jurisdiction, it sets an important precedent," says Butler. "It will open the floodgates to a lot of other projects and jurisdictions."

Looking ahead, Butler expects 3D-printed construction to grow rapidly with hybrid structures that combine 3D-printed concrete and mass timber or precast concrete. This could lead to more sustainable material mixes and an increasing number of companies entering the space. He hopes 91亚色 remains at the centre of that evolution.

For Butler, that close connection between university research and industry application 鈥� such as the Windsor project 鈥� is what makes the partnership significant.

"It's a wonderful mechanism for creating positive impact," he says, "being able to upscale directly from research to new real-world applications."

With files from Mzwandile Poncana

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This award, presented by Fairtrade Canada during the National Fair Trade Conference, marks 91亚色鈥檚 first time receiving the honour. The recognition builds on the University鈥檚 Silver Fair Trade Campus designation which it has held over the past two years and reflects its sustained leadership in embedding fair trade principles into everyday campus life.

91亚色 was recognized for its 鈥淔air Trade, Every Day鈥� approach, which has expanded the availability of fair trade-certified products across the University. As a result, tens of thousands of products are purchased each year, increasing access for the campus community while supporting ethical supply chains.

Fair trade-certified products 鈥� such as chocolate, coffee, tea and bananas 鈥� are available at various YU Eats locations including Stong College, Winters College, Central Square (Keele Campus) and Glendon Campus. The initiative also extends to apparel, with the 91亚色 Bookstore offering certified fair-trade T-shirts and hoodies through a partnership with Green Campus Co-op, a student- and faculty-founded organization established in 2011.

The award also acknowledges 91亚色鈥檚 broader leadership role in the sector. By hosting the National Fair Trade Conference in 2025 and maintaining an active presence in national conversations about fair trade in higher education, 91亚色 has become a hub for learning and collaboration.

91亚色 staff are frequently called on to share expertise on advancing fair trade in higher education. Sasa Netsorovic, director, Bookstore, printing and mailing services at 91亚色, recently shared insights on how campuses can translate fair trade values through procurement decisions, community partnerships and student engagement, drawing on 91亚色鈥檚 鈥淔air Trade, Every Day鈥� approach.

Nicole Arsenault, director of sustainability, says the award 鈥渞eflects years of dedicated work by students, faculty and staff who have championed fair trade and embedded it into campus culture.鈥�

These efforts, she adds, support the United Nations鈥� Sustainable Development Goals.

With national recognition as Fair Trade Campus of the Year, 91亚色 continues to demonstrate how institutional commitment and community-driven action can create meaningful change.

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Tracking Earth鈥檚 ecological limits over more than six decades, the latest figures shared by the University鈥檚 Ecological Footprint Initiative show human activity now requires the equivalent of 1.7 Earths each year to sustain current levels of consumption.

Eric Miller is director of 91亚色鈥檚 Ecological Footprint Initiative 鈥� a multidisciplinary group of scholars, students and organizations working to advance understanding of the world鈥檚 ecological footprint and biocapacity. He warns that data reflects a 70 per cent overshoot of the planet鈥檚 renewable capacity. 

The figures, released on Earth Day, include what researchers describe as the most comprehensive open-access dataset to date that measures human impact on the planet. Produced in partnership with the University of Iceland, the ecological footprint dataset spans 1961- 2025 and measures the land and sea area needed to produce food, fibres and resources people use, and to absorb associated waste, including carbon emissions.

The dataset was developed through an innovative sustainability training program at the International Ecological Footprint Learning Lab, a multi-partner research initiative that brings together faculty and graduate students from 91亚色 and the University of Iceland. The program trains students to work with large environmental datasets while advancing research into ecological footprint and biocapacity. 

Along with Miller, 91亚色-based co-authors include master of environmental studies (MES) alums Kiona Lo and Neha Basnet as well as MES students Bumika Srikanthalingam, Beatrice Foley and Anna Hao Long. Co-authors from the University of Iceland include Johanna Louise Van Berkum, Petra Toneva, Marina Ermina and Clara Klinkenberg. 

Anchor funding for this work was provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) through a $2.5-million Talent-Stream Partnership Grant.

While the data suggest the rapid rise in global ecological pressure seen in recent decades may be slowing, there is still no clear evidence of a sustained decline.

鈥淔or the world to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, humanity must reduce its total ecological footprint by at least 59 per cent over the next 25 years,鈥� says Miller, who teaches in the . 鈥淭his metric goes beyond carbon 鈥� it reflects a broader scale of human demand on nature.鈥�

Looking closer to home, researchers note that Canada is rich in natural resources compared with other countries. Although Canadians only make up about 0.5 per cent of the global population, the country holds about four per cent of the planet鈥檚 biocapacity 鈥� the ability of Earth鈥檚 ecosystems to renew resources such as wood, food and clean water. 

Despite this advantage, Canada ranks eighth globally for per-capita consumption. In 2025, each Canadian used an average of 6.6 global hectares, roughly four times what would be sustainable at a planetary scale, and about double the per-person footprint of countries such as China or the U.K., notes Lo. Only the U.S. recorded a higher level.

鈥淐anada has a biocapacity advantage, but it is under pressure because of our large ecological footprint,鈥� says Lo. 鈥淐anada鈥檚 footprint is limiting opportunities for people elsewhere in the world to live well.鈥� 

Trade is also central to Canada鈥檚 ecological impact. In 2025, Canada drew on 3.1 per cent of the planet鈥檚 renewable capacity to produce and export resource-intensive food and forest products. Each dollar of Canadian exports required roughly twice the natural resources of each dollar of imports. 

About 60 per cent of Canada鈥檚 domestic ecological footprint was tied to goods produced for consumption in other countries. Globally, more than 30 per cent of what the world produced in 2025 was traded internationally 鈥� more than double the share recorded in 1961. 

鈥淐anadians consume a lot, but the footprint associated with what we produce and export is even larger,鈥� says Miller. 鈥淯nlike countries whose ecological footprints are driven mainly by imports, Canada is a net exporter and ranks 10th globally on that basis.鈥� 

He adds the national datasets can be used to examine biocapacity and ecological footprint at regional and municipal levels, and the initiative is expanding access to local data to support decision-making. 

鈥淲e are working to create more local, open-access data that leaders and policymakers can use,鈥� says Peri Dworatzek, partnership coordinator at the International Ecological Footprint Learning Lab. 鈥淭he goal is to empower countries, cities and individuals to better understand their impacts and identify where to go next.鈥� 

The initiative has launched the first open-access ecological footprint dataset for all Ontario municipalities. 

The ecological footprint and biocapacity framework is widely used by governments and organizations worldwide, including World Wildlife Fund, which has incorporated the metrics into public tools and awareness campaigns. 

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Thienpont teaches , a first-year course focused on Earth鈥檚 weather systems and the drivers of past and current climatic change. Through the course's learning lab activities, students conduct climate modelling to assess how human influence may contribute to different climate scenarios 鈥� and how those scenarios could impact biodiversity.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 critical to understand the nuances of how the planet is going to change in the not-too-distant future as a result of anthropogenic activities, so I try to expose them to what is under the hood of computer models,鈥� says Thienpont, noting each course iteration operates about five lab sections for a total of about 200 students.

To forecast how global warming will manifest by 2100, Thienpont鈥檚 students use the same sophisticated computer modelling as climate scientists, which draws on the laws of physics (conservation of mass, energy, momentum), fluid dynamics and chemistry and considers variables such as temperature, wind and humidity.

Using five CO₂ emissions scenarios from the United Nations鈥� Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, students examine outcomes for each scenario, ranging from aggressive emissions cuts to high fossil fuel use. This data is used to analyze resulting risks, such as heatwaves, sea-level rise and species extinction.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a good way of taking things that are fairly theoretical and putting them into a real-world perspective,鈥� Thienpont says. 鈥淪tudents see just how variable the climate really is 鈥� if we can manage our emission activities to the point where we鈥檙e getting closer to more conservative scenarios, then the outcomes are much less drastic.鈥�

In another lab assignment, Thienpont asks students to consider how climate change might impact them directly by examining how a warming planet may affect one of the world鈥檚 most popular agricultural products: arabica coffee.

The bean grows best in a cool, stable tropical climate at a moderate to high altitude and needs plenty of rain and light shade. Global warming is causing dry spells and irregular rainfall, which diminishes the yield and quality of Arabica crops. Farmers must keep planting further upslope 鈥� but mountains only go so high.

Thienpont鈥檚 students map how the land suitable for growing the beans could shift under diverse climate scenarios in countries such as Brazil, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Honduras and Nicaragua.

鈥淭hey learn how some of these countries, where coffee is one of their main domestic exports, have quite small land areas for cultivation, and that land size is expected to keep shrinking 鈥� in some cases significantly,鈥� Thienpont says. 鈥淚t demonstrates that the impacts of climate change are global. Everyone who enjoys a cup of coffee in the morning may feel this outcome.鈥�

Thienpont says a nuanced understanding of climate change processes, outcomes and human influence helps prepare students for a range of science-related careers.

鈥淭he goal is to give them information that they鈥檒l be able to use, whether they go on to do further scientific exploration or work in environmental policy or city planning,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey have a foundational understanding of the broad-scale environmental processes that impact us.鈥�

With files from Sharon Aschaiek

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The annual Canada鈥檚 Greenest Employers list recognizes organizations across Canada that demonstrate a strong culture of environmental awareness, embedding sustainability efforts throughout their institutional DNA.

For 14 consecutive years, adjudicators have selected 91亚色 for its successful and proactive leadership in reducing environmental impact across teaching, research and campus operations.

鈥�91亚色 is proud to be recognized once again as one of Canada鈥檚 Greenest Employers,鈥� says Narin Kishinchandani, vice-president, finance and administration. 鈥淭his continued designation reflects the work taking place across the University and our deep institutional focus on climate action initiatives.鈥�

The reasons 91亚色 was again named one of Canada鈥檚 Greenest Employers this year were: campus projects that have been supported by the鈥疭ustainability Innovation Fund to advance climate action; the Faculty of Science鈥檚 ongoing development of a Sustainable Labs certification program that will ensure eco-friendly practices amongst lab teams; and reduction of infrastructure footprints through solar air heating, green roofs, solar panels, rainwater collection and more.

Adjudicators also highlighted the鈥�Office of Sustainability鈥痑nd Human Resources鈥� sustainability orientation module for employees, the鈥�檚 sustainable campus walking tours and the University鈥檚 support of the鈥�Sustainability Champions Network, a peer mentoring program that fosters environmental action on campus.

These initiatives are part of a broader suite of institutional efforts. Among them is the ongoing commitment to the鈥�Sustainability Strategy 2030: Positive Change: Connecting People, Planet and Purpose鈥�which includes a focus on reducing direct and indirect emissions by 45 per cent by 2030. That work has supported 91亚色鈥檚 accelerated goal of鈥�achieving net-zero emissions by 2040鈥�� a full decade ahead of its original target.

Across its campuses, 91亚色 also continues to lead in environmental responsibility through efforts such as the upcoming annual鈥�痑苍诲鈥�.

The University鈥檚 inclusion on Canada鈥檚 Greenest Employers adds to a growing list of accolades for 91亚色.

Last year, 91亚色 was designated a鈥�Living Campus by the World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF-Canada) for the second year in a row. The designation recognizes colleges and universities that demonstrate leadership in engaging their communities in conservation action and education.

The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025 placed 91亚色 second in Canada for its contributions to Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production. 91亚色 was also recognized in the鈥� among the top academic institutions in the world for its impact with environmental leadership, education and research.

Nicole Arsenault, program director in the Office of Sustainability, says 91亚色鈥檚 continued recognition reflects a collective effort across the University.

鈥淪tudents, faculty, instructors and staff all play a critical role in advancing 91亚色鈥檚 sustainability goals,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hrough their engagement in teaching, research and campus operations, they help strengthen the University鈥檚 impact and support long-term progress on new and existing initiatives aimed at accelerating climate action.鈥�

As 91亚色 continues to advance its sustainability priorities through both new and ongoing programs, the University remains focused on building a more sustainable institution. That work spans infrastructure, academic leadership and community partnerships, with a shared goal of strengthening impact across its campuses, local communities and beyond.

鈥�Building a more sustainable institution 鈥� across our buildings, research, teaching and community partnerships 鈥� strengthens 91亚色鈥檚 leadership and delivers lasting benefits locally, nationally and globally,鈥� says Kishinchandani.

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Data centres 鈥� large industrial facilities that power cloud computing and AI 鈥� have become critical infrastructure supporting the world鈥檚 growing digitization. Everything from streaming video and online banking to scientific research and generative AI depends on their ability to store, process and move enormous volumes of data.

As demand for digital services continues to rise, these centres sit at the root of that growth. And, as they become more pervasive, conversations about broader implications are growing.

鈥淒ata centres are increasingly part of public debate because of concerns about energy use, environmental impact, local economic effects and data sovereignty in Canada,鈥� says Lyndsey Rolheiser, an assistant professor at the .

Despite the growing significance, there remains a notable gap in publicly available information about these facilities.

鈥淭here is very little systematic evidence to inform that discussion,鈥� says Alexander Carlo, a postdoctoral researcher at Schulich. 鈥淎t a basic level, we do not have a clear picture of where data centres are located in Canada or where new ones are being developed.鈥�

Rolheiser and Carlo set out to address that gap by creating the first comprehensive map of Canada鈥檚 data centre landscape. Their work, now and to be included in the forthcoming Schulich School of Business Real Assets Research Paper Series, documents both existing facilities and the growing pipeline of projects that have been announced or are under construction.

The authors built their analysis around a proprietary dataset from Aterio, a data intelligence firm that aggregates information on large鈥憇cale infrastructure projects. Using permitting records, utility filings and company disclosures, they tracked facilities from initial announcement through construction to full operation, then layered in census and provincial electricity data to assess location, scale and energy implications.

Once completed, they mapped out a much clearer picture of how Canada鈥檚 digital infrastructure is changing. The analysis shows that while Canada鈥檚 current data facilities footprint remains relatively modest, the pipeline of planned facilities is nearly 10 times larger 鈥� and those new centres are far bigger than older ones, reflecting a shift toward hyperscale infrastructure designed to support AI.

Future development is also highly concentrated: Alberta alone accounts for more than 90 per cent of planned capacity, despite relying on a comparatively high鈥慹missions electricity grid. At the same time, new facilities are increasingly being built far from major cities, often hundreds of kilometres from urban cores. Meanwhile, provinces with cleaner electricity systems, including Quebec, Ontario and B.C., have begun restricting or carefully managing grid access for large new data centres.

These patterns reflect a set of broader concerns the authors explore in the paper. Data centres consume enormous amounts of electricity 鈥� often equivalent to tens of thousands of households per facility 鈥� while creating relatively few long鈥憈erm jobs compared with the scale of public infrastructure they require. Their expansion can reshape provincial power systems, raise emissions concerns and crowd out other users. The authors also point to questions of data sovereignty, since most large facilities are owned by foreign firms and to the risk that some projects could become stranded assets if AI demand slows or climate policy tightens.

While Rolheiser and Carlo do point to these risks, the aim of the research is to ground future discussions in evidence. 鈥淭his is a necessary first step for any informed policy or public debate,鈥� Rolheiser says.

鈥淎t a minimum,鈥� Carlo adds, 鈥渢he paper should help clarify what the current landscape looks like and where development is taking place.鈥�

Both researchers hope their work contributes to more informed discussions about data centres in Canada, and provides a solid evidence base that helps policymakers and the public better understand these sites and their impacts on grid access, emissions and economic benefits.

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As cities around the world grapple with mounting waste crises, researchers at the 91亚色 Centre for Asian Research (YCAR) are exploring a critical but often overlooked question: who does the work of managing waste and under what conditions?

At 91亚色, this question is shaping an emerging area of interdisciplinary research that connects environmental change with labour, inequality and shared global priorities.

Research efforts led by Shubhra Gururani, a political ecologist, associate professor of anthropology and director of YCAR, examine how waste is a technical or environmental problem, but also a deeply political one, structured by histories of colonialism, race, caste and gender.

Waste is increasing at an unprecedented rate, expected to grow by around 80 per cent by 2050, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. 鈥淭he systems that manage that growth still often rely on precarious labour performed by socially marginalized groups, including migrants, women and caste-oppressed communities,鈥� says Gururani, who explores how these dynamics are embedded in broader processes of urban change and development. "This raises urgent questions about whether shifts to more environmentally sustainable systems may reproduce, rather than resolve, entrenched inequalities.鈥�

A key contributor is Harsha Anantharaman, a postdoctoral Asian studies fellow at YCAR who focuses on informal waste workers 鈥� those who make a living by collecting and recycling waste outside formal, regulated systems 鈥� in urban India.

Drawing on extensive ethnographic and archival research across four cities for an ongoing book project 鈥� To Caste Away Waste: Racialized Labour and the Political Economy of Commodity Detritus in Urban India 鈥� Anantharaman studies how policies aimed at formalizing waste work often have contradictory effects. 鈥淎s formalization policies reshape urban waste economies in India, the efforts to include marginalized groups can paradoxically deepen labour precarity and reproduce entrenched caste hierarchies,鈥� he says.

His research shows that initiatives framed as inclusive, such as bringing waste pickers into formal waste management systems, can make working conditions more insecure. As municipal waste becomes increasingly controlled by governments and corporations as a private resource, informal workers are incorporated into systems that offer recognition without security. These processes reproduce caste-based hierarchies, reshaping labour relations. Anantharaman describes this as informal labour being absorbed into systems while caste-coded recognition continues.

By situating these dynamics within global political economic transformations in urban governance and political economy, his work highlights both the structural constraints faced by workers and the potential for more equitable alternatives. His findings suggest models such as the formal recognition and integration of waste pickers into municipal systems, cooperative-led recycling initiatives and policies that ensure fair wages, social protections and decision-making power for frontline workers.

Through these efforts, Gururani and Anantharaman鈥檚 work can contribute to a growing international conversation on the global politics of waste. It brings into focus how environmental governance, labour regimes and social hierarchies intersect in ways that challenge dominant narratives as municipalities and corporations transition to green and sustainable efforts.

鈥淚t is critical to remain cognizant of the ways in which such transitions often rely on the invisibilized labour of marginalized communities and reproduce existing inequalities even as they claim ecological progress,鈥� says Anantharaman.

YCAR will continue this dialogue by hosting an international symposium in April titled . Organized by Gururani and Anantharaman, the two-day event will bring together scholars and practitioners working across regions, including South Asia, North Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America.

While the symposium is a closed academic gathering, it will feature two public keynote lectures that are open to the wider community. These talks will extend YCAR鈥檚 ongoing engagement with questions of labour, inequality and environmental change, offering an opportunity for broader public dialogue on the stakes of global waste economies. The symposium also contributes to a forthcoming special issue of Environment and Planning D: Society and Space.

鈥淭hrough initiatives like this, YCAR continues to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and public engagement around some of the most pressing challenges of our time, highlighting how questions of waste are inseparable from questions of justice,鈥� says Gururani.

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