tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/toronto-54/articlesToronto – The Conversation2024-03-25T21:15:49Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2246032024-03-25T21:15:49Z2024-03-25T21:15:49ZHow caste discrimination impacts communities in Canada<p>Many perceive caste to be a phenomenon that only exists in India. Yet, it is a part of Canadian society, and an issue that many in South Asian diasporas are contending with. </p>
<p>The late British Columbia-based poet and activist <a href="https://youtu.be/nDn-JBR0YMI">Mohan Lal Karimpuri</a> described caste as a system of high and low, a form of “social, economic, political, religious inequality” that takes away the power of the many and puts it in the hands of the few. It is the hierarchical ranking of people in accordance with an ascriptive identity, associated with family, lineage and hereditary occupation. </p>
<p>Those who are Dalit, like Karimpuri, are among the most marginalized by dominant castes, and historically systematically excluded in social, economic and cultural terms. Dalits are most vulnerable in India where violence and exclusion remain pervasive. In 2022, Amnesty International stated that “<a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/asia-and-the-pacific/south-asia/india/report-india/">hate crimes including violence against Dalits and Adivasis [Indigenous Peoples] were committed with impunity</a>.” </p>
<p>But caste does not only exist in South Asia. In recent years, it has been formally recognized as a potential grounds for discrimination in the United States and Canada in diverse contexts in places like <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/02/22/1158687243/seattle-becomes-the-first-u-s-city-to-ban-caste-discrimination">Seattle, Wash.</a> and <a href="https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/burnaby-council-votes-unanimously-to-include-caste-as-a-protected-category">Burnaby, B.C.</a>. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2180604995628">Toronto District School Board</a>, the <a href="https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/news_centre/ohrc%E2%80%99s-policy-position-caste-based-discrimination#:%7E:text=The%20OHRC%20takes%20the%20position,other%20grounds%2C%20under%20Ontario's%20Code">Ontario Human Rights Commission</a>, <a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2022/10/13/caste-union-contract-activism/">Harvard University</a> and the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-asia-education-california-discrimination-82963d9c6acdc6862173ab2959fd2a97">University of California, Davis</a> have recognized casteism as a form of discrimination. </p>
<p>In 2023, California lawmakers passed a bill that would explicitly ban caste discrimination in the state. However, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/09/us/california-caste-discrimination-bill-veto/index.html">it was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom</a> who said it was “unnecessary,” arguing that caste discrimination was already banned under existing laws.</p>
<p>To truly understand what caste means and its impact, the stories of those who experience caste discrimination must be heard. All too often, the experiences of those marginalized within the caste system are treated as an addendum or aside to dominant caste narratives, and casteist perspectives persist in the public domain and remain unquestioned. </p>
<h2>Lack of visibility</h2>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Caste in Canada project interview with Rashpal Bharwaj.</span></figcaption>
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<p>In 2020, we initiated the <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/annemurphy/research/caste-in-canada/">Caste in Canada project</a> in partnership with Dalit civil society leaders in B.C. The project documented the lives of Canadians of Dalit ancestry through in-depth oral history interviews. We interviewed 19 people from an array of backgrounds impacted by caste. Fourteen of these interviews are now available on the project website.</p>
<p>One recurrent theme in the interviews was the issue of visibility. University student Vipasna Nangal, for example, expressed concern about how many Dalits mask their caste identity in Canada as a way of avoiding stigma. </p>
<p>As she notes, “<a href="https://youtu.be/0agL2hwZyCQ">in order to resist something you have to acknowledge it… and so you can’t have resistance without having visibility</a>.” Caste, therefore, is something that needs to be talked about and not hidden. The limitations of masking caste identity are eloquently addressed in the interview with journalist Meera Estrada. She poignantly describes the pain involved in pretending not to be Dalit and her own personal journey towards <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VNzahJ90Uw">publicly acknowledging her identity</a>. </p>
<p>Participants in the project voiced this as a common concern: that only by making the stories of Dalits more visible and accessible can we create domains for the recognition, and then obliteration, of caste and casteism, and the possibility of moving past caste divisions, for all. </p>
<h2>Challenging the social acceptability of casteism</h2>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Caste in Canada project interview with Vipasna Nangal.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Another important theme was the need to challenge the social acceptability of casteist discourse. Several participants emphasized the pervasiveness of casteist discourses in popular contexts, such as in music, where dominant caste perspectives are celebrated. </p>
<p>Participant Rashpal Singh Bhardwaj, founder of the Ambedkar International Social Reform Organization (AISRO), <a href="https://youtu.be/jd6ZnFMoaLw">described the organization’s work with local radio stations</a> to discourage playing music that celebrates dominant caste identities on the radio. </p>
<p>Caste discrimination is a part of the life experiences of many in Canada, both as a result of experiences in India, but also here in Canada. Participants <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/annemurphy/research/caste-in-canada/gurpreet-singh/">Gurpreet Singh</a> and <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/annemurphy/research/caste-in-canada/kamaljit/">Kamaljit</a> described how people of South Asian heritage in Canada try to discover each other’s caste backgrounds — and the exclusion this entails.</p>
<p>It is, in short, a part of Canadian society, working on multiple levels and complicating our understanding of diversity in the Canadian context. </p>
<h2>Tackling caste</h2>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Caste in Canada project interview with Mohan Lal Karimpuri.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Given that caste is a continuing problem both in India and abroad, it is no surprise that Dalit Canadians have organized extensively to address discrimination. In B.C. there are several organizations, such as our project partner, the <a href="https://www.chetna.ca/">Chetna (“Awareness”) Association of Canada</a>, represented in our interviews by its executive director, <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/annemurphy/research/caste-in-canada/jai-birdi/">Jai Birdi</a> — who played a key role in the project, and speaks in his interview about how to respond to caste discrimination with <a href="https://youtu.be/0tmGGiok3_8">power and resilience</a> — and <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/annemurphy/research/caste-in-canada/surjit-manjit-bains/">Manjit and Surjit Bains</a>, Ambedkarite Buddhist activists.</p>
<p>Other important organizations include AISRO and its members <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/annemurphy/research/caste-in-canada/rashpal-bhardwaj/">Rashpal Singh Bhardwaj</a>, <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/annemurphy/research/caste-in-canada/jogender-banger/">Jogender Banger</a>, and <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/annemurphy/research/caste-in-canada/kamlesh-ahir/">Kamlesh Ahir</a> whom we interviewed for the project. There is also the <a href="https://www.aicscanada.ca/">Ambedkarite International Co-ordination Society</a>, represented in the project by <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/annemurphy/research/caste-in-canada/param-kainth/">Param Kainth</a>, who also speaks eloquently about the importance of the teachings of the Buddha for Dalits. </p>
<p>As the titles of these organizations make clear, they are inspired by India’s towering leader and architect of the Indian constitution, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bhimrao-Ramji-Ambedkar">B.R. Ambedkar</a>, who campaigned for the rights of South Asia’s diverse Dalit communities. His life and activism provide the model for millions of Dalits around the world as they seek to remake the world without caste. With the Caste in Canada project, we work with our Dalit colleagues to do the same in Canada.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224603/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anne Murphy and Suraj Yengde received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, with additional support from an anonymous donor to the Department of History at the University of British Columbia, in support of the "Caste in Canada" project.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>.</span></em></p>Casteism is commonly seen as a form of discrimination limited to South Asia. However, diaspora communities in Canada are also grappling with issues of caste.Anne Murphy, Associate Professor, Department of History, University of British ColumbiaSuraj Yengde, Postdoc, Harvard Kennedy School | Associate, Department of African and African American Studies, Harvard UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2262082024-03-19T23:53:14Z2024-03-19T23:53:14ZJoey Votto’s handwritten apology to baseball fans shows the pen is mightier than the bat<p>The importance of cursive handwriting is <a href="https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/great-cursive-writing-debate">a hot topic of debate</a> within the world of educators. Now, a popular athlete has inadvertently become a champion of those who believe in the power of handwritten letters.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/vottojo01.shtml">Joey Votto is one of the best baseball players</a> to ever come from Canada. He has had an all-star career with the Cincinnati Reds for the last 17 years, but was <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/mlb/joey-votto-cincinatti-reds-declined-option-nov-4-1.7018860">without a job</a> heading into spring training this year.</p>
<p>Canadian baseball fans were overjoyed with the announcement earlier this month that Votto, a native of Toronto, had <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/joey-votto-officially-signed-by-blue-jays/">signed a minor-league contract</a> with the Toronto Blue Jays. </p>
<p>But the signing also caused some Canadian fans to <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/joey-votto-dont-care-almost-canadian-baseball/">remember remarks he made in 2018</a> when he said: “I don’t care almost at all about Canadian baseball.” </p>
<h2>Three-page letter</h2>
<p>Votto chose to address those six-year-old remarks in an unusual way: <a href="https://www.thestar.com/sports/blue-jays/blue-jays-joey-votto-posts-heartfelt-handwritten-apology-for-criticizing-canadian-baseball/article_4463f3c0-e591-11ee-ad18-d7512a7f7574.html#tncms-source=login">he posted a three-page handwritten letter</a> on X (formerly Twitter) to ask for forgiveness. </p>
<p>Fans’ comments about the letter focused on two things: most people appreciated the apology, but just as many were struck by the fact that Votto chose to make the apology in cursive handwriting. One commenter even said the letter was nice, but “no one under 30” will be able to read it — a reference to the fact that many students are no longer taught cursive writing.</p>
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<p>Within just 24 hours, the note received widespread attention from Canadian media as well as Votto’s enormous following on X/Twitter, garnering some 1.8 million views. </p>
<p>Votto’s reflections afford opportunities for personal understanding, growth and healing — <a href="https://doi.org/10.1192/apt.11.5.338">especially because they were handwritten</a>.</p>
<p>In retrospect, Votto acknowledged, his ill-thought comments were an embarrassment and a shame for him personally, and a disappointment to his mother. In the letter, Votto seeks to assuage the emotional burden by taking responsibility for his comments and asks forgiveness from those he thoughtlessly hurt.</p>
<p>“Oof, wow, I cringe and am ashamed as I re-write my words,” Votto wrote in the letter, referring to the original comments that got him into hot water.</p>
<h2>Handwriting makes it authentic</h2>
<p>The fact that Votto chose to write the letter in cursive makes the apology that much more authentic: had he typed it out, readers could have assumed <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/12/style/notes-app-celebrity-statements.html?partner=slack&smid=sl-share">that someone else or a computer program chose the words</a>.</p>
<p>But the handwritten note clearly shows Votto’s emotional commitment to the apology — including some grammatical errors that a computer would have corrected. (There’s been some speculation that Votto wrote the letter on a “<a href="https://remarkable.com/store/remarkable-2">paper tablet</a>,” but there’s no doubt it’s his writing.) </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-cursive-handwriting-needs-to-make-a-school-comeback-121645">Why cursive handwriting needs to make a school
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<p>For those who take an interest in handwriting and its connection to making meaning on the page, it is noteworthy that Votto’s handwriting is fully cursive.</p>
<p>It shows many connections between letters and, secondly, it’s characterized by many twists, loops, backward turns — the type of script that was likely favoured in 40-year-old Votto’s young years in grade school in Toronto.</p>
<p>Though more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/19411243.2012.744651">cumbersome for many young learners</a>, such features of handwriting help to determine the authenticity of the writing: every hand has its unique musculature and grip, as well as style in making the ligatures or joins between letters, the loops and tails.</p>
<p>When compared to another sample of an author’s handwriting, <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/forensic-experts-are-surprisingly-good-at-telling-whether-two-writing-samples-match/">the authenticity of cursive writing can be determined</a> — an important dimension for writing of historical importance.</p>
<h2>A personal connection to the words</h2>
<p>In Votto’s case, his handwritten letter shows sincerity of expression and a personal connection to the words. </p>
<p>The ability to show his true feelings is possible by developing a script that is fluent and automatic, thus making precious cognitive resources available for generating the intended message.</p>
<p>This means that handwriting must be over-learned and <a href="https://www.edubloxsa.co.za/automaticity-important-reading-learning">brought under unconscious control</a>. In establishing neuronal connections, fluid movement is possible that, in turn, permits access to <em>le mot juste</em>: the right word at the right time for the right purpose. </p>
<p>As a researcher who has advocated for the return of cursive handwriting to classroom teaching, I believe it’s important to note that handwriting creates the neurocircuitry to the brain for making meaning, storing, retrieving and remembering. This is known as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.156">embodied cognition</a>. </p>
<p>Our hands have a profound effect on how our <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/thinking-about-kids/201407/step-away-the-keyboard-how-our-hands-affect-our-brains">brain makes sense of the world and how we think</a>. Readings of student brains suggest writing by hand <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/writing-by-hand-may-increase-brain-connectivity-rcna135880">may increase brain connectivity more than typing</a>.</p>
<p>Handwriting affords a sense of agency and empowerment, as witnessed by the cursive writing of Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai’s note about how “one pen, one child, one teacher can change the world.”</p>
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<img alt="A letter in cursive writing" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582963/original/file-20240319-16-7u7pgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582963/original/file-20240319-16-7u7pgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582963/original/file-20240319-16-7u7pgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582963/original/file-20240319-16-7u7pgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582963/original/file-20240319-16-7u7pgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582963/original/file-20240319-16-7u7pgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582963/original/file-20240319-16-7u7pgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A handwritten note by Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.</span>
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<p>Votto is on a Cinderella-like quest to finish his career with his hometown baseball team. Whether he makes it or not won’t likely be known for a few weeks.</p>
<p>But regardless of whether he ever plays for the Blue Jays, Canadian baseball fans have clearly appreciated that Votto took the time to write a three-page letter in his own hand to right a past wrong.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/226208/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hetty Roessingh receives funding from SSHRC; Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary </span></em></p>The power of a handwritten letter became clear when baseball player Joey Votto penned an apology to Canadian fans. Votto also reopened the debate about whether kids should learn cursive writing.Hetty Roessingh, Professor, Werklund School of Education, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2250682024-03-07T17:53:14Z2024-03-07T17:53:14ZNot just a love story: ‘Past Lives’ gives a glimpse into growing up bicultural<p><a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/06/09/1180748796/past-lives-review-greta-lee-teo-yoo"><em>Past Lives</em></a>, a film centring on a nostalgic love story between childhood soul mates, is one of this year’s <a href="https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies">Oscar nominees for best picture</a>. </p>
<p>Although it’s been somewhat overshadowed by <a href="https://apnews.com/article/barbenheimer-barbie-vs-oppenheimer-61a6ec6c67359b851ddeccd6d655b5ab"><em>“Barbenheimer,”</em></a> <em>Past Lives</em> is worth the watch. It can provide meaningful insights on how immigrant youth grow into their cultural identity. </p>
<p>The film follows childhood sweethearts Nora and Hae Sung, who grow up together in Seoul, South Korea, then are separated when Nora’s family immigrates to Toronto. They briefly reconnect as 24-year-olds via regular video calls, but their relationship fizzles. </p>
<p>Fast forward 12 years, and Nora is now a playwright in New York living with her husband, Arthur. Hae Sung has not forgotten about Nora and decides to visit her in New York. The two face their adult lives and realities, and although they wonder about what could have been, Hae Sung ultimately returns home. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Trailer for ‘Past Lives.’</span></figcaption>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/oscar-nominees-2024-past-lives-spotlights-the-pull-of-first-love-alongside-the-yearning-for-glory-221574">Oscar nominees 2024: 'Past Lives' spotlights the pull of first love alongside the yearning for glory</a>
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<h2>Not just a love story</h2>
<p>Reviewers have dubbed <em>Past Lives</em> an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jan/22/past-lives-review-delicately-sad-romantic-drama-is-a-real-achievement">achingly sad love story</a> that makes you question where you would be now if you had ended up with the one that got away. </p>
<p>But under the surface level, the film tells a subtle tale of the sometimes <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-021-00807-3">chaotic and emotionally draining</a> experience of newcomer youth as they grow into their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0092-6566(02)00510-X">bicultural identity</a>. Their feet are in two worlds: their heritage culture and their current culture. And they must learn to ebb and flow between these worlds effortlessly. </p>
<p>As a developmental psychologist, I saw clear parallels between Nora’s experiences with her two loves and immigrant young people’s emotional turmoil as they grow up belonging to two worlds. Hae Sung represented Nora’s ties to her Korean heritage, while Arthur represented her identity as an American. <em>Past Lives</em> draws us into Nora’s intimate experiences as she courses between these two identities as a person who is bicultural. </p>
<h2>Navigating a bicultural identity</h2>
<p>Psychology research shows that immigrant youth who feel they truly belong to both their heritage and current cultures are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022111435097">socially, emotionally and psychologically well-adjusted</a>. Referred to as bicultural competence, immigrants who can move more fluidly between their heritage and current cultures have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000467">better self-esteem and mental health</a>, and report having <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/21676968211034309">higher quality relationships with others</a>. </p>
<p>However, many immigrant children also have difficulty finding comfortable footing between these two worlds. In the film, reflecting on meeting with Hae Sung, Nora says to her husband, “I feel so not Korean when I’m with him, but also more Korean.” </p>
<p>Nora’s experiences are not uncommon among immigrant young adults who move at a young age. These individuals can feel that their heritage culture <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2009.00228.x">starkly contrasts</a> with their currently held values that are based on the culture of their adoptive country. Yet, for many immigrant youth, spending time with others who share their heritage can increase <a href="https://doi.org/10.5195/jyd.2019.708">feelings of closeness and connection</a> to their ethnic and racial identity. </p>
<p>Nora’s bilingual <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/13670069211019466">code-switching</a> — spontaneous shifting between two languages in a single conversation — also mirrors immigrant youths’ shifting between their bicultural selves. Most immigrant bilingual youth <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X19865572">tend to code-switch easily</a>, and use the communication skill to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X19865572">mark how fluent they can be</a> in both of their cultures. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-non-english-language-cinema-is-reshaping-the-oscars-landscape-222484">How non-English language cinema is reshaping the Oscars landscape</a>
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<p>Korean Canadian director Celine Song, who wrote and directed the film partly based on her own life, has <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/past-lives-final-scene-ending-celine-song-explains-1850119">actually lived the intimate bar scene</a> in the film in which Nora code-switches when talking to Arthur and Hae Sung. In recalling her own experience, Song said, “At one point I realized I was translating beyond language and culture, that I was actually translating between two parts of my own self… But both of those people are me.”</p>
<h2>Two trees in one pot</h2>
<p><em>Past Lives</em> may resonate with many immigrant adults who arrived to North America at a young age, partly because it mirrors their own experiences. The film draws upon a life lived between two cultures as the two clash and flow both literally and figuratively.</p>
<p>When explaining why she and her husband fight, Nora reflects how immigrant youth form their bicultural identity: “It’s like planting two trees in one pot. Our roots are finding their place.” For many who live between cultures, bicultural identity takes root like two plants in one pot. </p>
<p>Nora’s story evokes a reflection of the push-and-pull of heritage and current cultural values, traditions and norms among bicultural youth. So be sure to put the film on your list if you’re planning on watching your way through this year’s nominees. </p>
<p>Not into sentimental love stories? No problem. </p>
<p>Instead, watch the film with the aim of immersing yourself into a first-hand account of how immigrant youth learn to unite their loved cultures. You might find your eyes opened up to the rich, and sometimes rollercoaster, experience of a bicultural identity.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225068/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hali Kil receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p>The film ‘Past Lives’ provides meaningful insights on how immigrant youth grow into their cultural identity.Hali Kil, Assistant Professor, Psychology, Simon Fraser UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2224652024-03-03T14:27:50Z2024-03-03T14:27:50ZNavigating special education labels is complex, and it matters for education equity<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578488/original/file-20240228-24-s7p4c5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C87%2C3631%2C2583&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Racialized immigrant parents in a study had to find ways to navigate the education system as newcomers, while also addressing intended and unintended effects of special education programs for their children.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Mche Lee/Unsplash)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Ontario Ministry of Education’s <a href="https://files.ontario.ca/edu-special-education-policy-resource-guide-en-2022-05-30.pdf">special education policy and resource guide</a> provides instructions <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/document/special-education-ontario-policy-and-resource-guide-kindergarten-grade-12">to school boards and schools</a> on administering special education programs. </p>
<p>It also emphasizes the importance of education equity, and involving parents in special education designations. </p>
<p>As researchers, we explored the rights of Latin American and Black Caribbean youth when it comes to special education in our project: the <a href="https://rcypartnership.org/en/">Rights for Children and Youth Partnership</a>. </p>
<p>To better understand newcomer experiences, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2023.2255837">we interviewed</a> 32 parents, 12 of whom indicated having a first-hand experience with special education in Ontario schools.</p>
<p>We learned that despite the special education policy’s commitment to involving parents, many parents felt excluded from decision-making processes surrounding assessments for their child’s learning needs, and faced language barriers. </p>
<h2>Identifying need for special education</h2>
<p>In Ontario, students presenting learning needs may be identified as exceptional within one or more special education categories. These categories are intended to address conditions affecting their learning. </p>
<p>Special education can benefit students to ensure an equitable educational experience. However, <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1277996.pdf">researchers have also raised concerns</a> about the efficacy of special education programs for equitable learning because of how <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2016.1248821">social factors such as racism and classism result in discriminatory framings of disability and the perception of special needs</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/too-busy-for-the-pta-but-working-class-parents-care-104386">Too busy for the PTA, but working-class parents care</a>
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<p>In Ontario’s largest school boards, Black and Latin American youth have been disproportionately <a href="https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Portals/research/docs/reports/Intersection%20of%20Disability%20Achievement%20and%20Equity.pdf">placed in special education programs</a>, compared to students in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904818813303">other racial-ethnic groupings</a>. </p>
<p>Research from the Peel District School board, serving the western Greater Toronto Area, reports <a href="https://www.peelschools.org/documents/16.2b_Directive9-EquityAccountabilityReportCard-UnderstandingtheEquityGapinSpecialEducation.pdf/16.2b_Directive9-EquityAccountabilityReportCard-UnderstandingtheEquityGapinSpecialEducation.pdf">Black students are three times more likely to be identified with a behavioural exceptionality</a> and streamed into special education programming. </p>
<p>Similarly, <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/i-was-very-isolated-report-documents-hispanic-students-alienation-in-ontario/article_21d6d9fd-1b13-57c3-8f26-94d545a80556.html">Latin American youth have reported arbitrarily being placed in English as a Second Language courses</a> and labelled with communicational exceptionalities, despite proficiency in English. These labels carry <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904818812772">long-lasting impacts on their educational journey</a>.</p>
<h2>Complex special education processes</h2>
<p>In Ontario, the special education placement process is complex and can include many parties (like teachers, principals, special education staff, school board officers, parents or guardians and, if requested, interpreters).</p>
<p>These parties engage in consultations to evaluate the student’s learning needs. Assessments are then reviewed by a board’s <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/identifying-students-special-education-needs">Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC)</a>, consisting of at least three members, one of whom must be a principal or supervisory officer of the school board.</p>
<p>According to the guide, educators should encourage and invite parents to participate throughout this evaluation process and the IPRC meeting, though their attendance isn’t required. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A blurred person seen in a corridor of file folders and records on shelves." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574794/original/file-20240211-26-iklod6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574794/original/file-20240211-26-iklod6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574794/original/file-20240211-26-iklod6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574794/original/file-20240211-26-iklod6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574794/original/file-20240211-26-iklod6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574794/original/file-20240211-26-iklod6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574794/original/file-20240211-26-iklod6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Special education labels and categorizations are documented in student records.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Unsplash/Redd F)</span></span>
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<h2>Lack of required parental input</h2>
<p>Parents are, however, required to sign and agree to the IPRC’s statement of decision. They have a right to appeal the findings, and are given 30 days. If parents don’t appeal, the board instructs the principal to implement the committee’s decision, including <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/individual-education-plans">individual education plans (IEP)</a>. </p>
<p>The child’s provincial student record documents the outcomes of the decision, including the various labels, or “exceptionalities” identified, and the IEP. These records follow students throughout primary and secondary education.</p>
<p>Lack of required parental input throughout the process indicates that early on, educators alone can make decisions involving a child. </p>
<h2>Language barriers</h2>
<p>In our study, one parent, Mariela, described the challenges of learning a new educational system. This was compounded by the technical language educators used: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“The language that is used is very strategic. It’s language that doesn’t welcome parents’ feedback [and] parents don’t know they have the option to say no. […] It’s like, ‘This is what happens; this is what we do. We need you to sign this.’ And that’s the language; it isn’t welcoming for parents to ask [questions].”</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Specialized language</h2>
<p>Parents also recognized that a sense of pressure to accept educators’ decisions was discriminatory based on their limited abilities to keep up with the discourse and to have input in decision-making. Scarlett described feeling intimidated:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“It was always so traumatic and intimidating dealing with the school; it would be me and five school officials, you know? […] It’s like, you’re coming into this space, and decisions may already have been made.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Scarlett’s son was identified as having behavioural issues as early as Grade 2. She insisted her son be tested for gifted learning, recognizing that he was experiencing behaviour difficulties because he was bored and not being academically challenged. </p>
<p>Her son was not placed in a gifted class until Grade 7. During what she called “lost time,” the school involved the police in instances when he was “acting out,” and recommended her son be sent to a treatment facility for high-risk youth.</p>
<h2>Pressure to accept decisions</h2>
<p>Special education meetings also illuminated imbalances we observed in our study between parents who understood they had the right to ask for an interpreter or bring a representative — and parents who were unaware of this. </p>
<p>Claudia voiced concern about a special education label for her son in elementary school, saying educators had mistaken his speech difficulties for low intelligence. She was told her son’s speech delay would impact his ability to go to college or university.</p>
<p>She later recalled learning about her right to bring someone with her to IPRC meetings. She detailed the impact of having her son’s daycare supervisor there with her, saying: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I wanted to bring that person to support [me], probably for emotional support, for the English support, for the systematic barrier that I knew that I could face.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>With the support of someone who educators also considered an “expert,” Claudia withdrew her son from special education programs — and instead sought additional support outside the school system.</p>
<p>Notably, only a few parents mentioned knowing their right to bring someone to the meetings, and all said the information came from sources outside the education system.</p>
<h2>Lack of guidance</h2>
<p>The Toronto District School Board has made the effort to increase access to parents’ rights to special education, offering the <a href="https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Learning-Equity-and-Well-Being/Special-Education-and-Inclusion/Parent-Guides-to-Special-Education-and-Inclusion"><em>Guide to Special Education and Inclusion for Parents/Caregivers/Guardians</em></a> in various languages.</p>
<p>However, for immigrant parents in our study who had no prior experience in Ontario’s schooling system, the lack of concrete information about their rights was a barrier to them being true participants in decision-making. </p>
<p>System accountability is needed to ensure immigrant racialized students and families are effectively provided support and understand the special education process. This support must be tailored to better address the needs of parents, so that their children are equitably positioned for successful academic pathways.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222465/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Henry Parada: This study received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC- 895-2015-1014). Toronto Metropolitan University Ethics Committee approved this study (2018-200).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Laura Perez Gonzalez and Veronica Escobar Olivo do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A study of newcomer Latin American and Black Caribbean parents in Ontario schools found many parents felt excluded from processes surrounding assessments for their child’s learning needs.Laura Perez Gonzalez, Research Assistant, School of Social Work, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityHenry Parada, Professor, Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Social Work and the Immigration and Settlement (ISS) Graduate Program and Graduate Program Director, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityVeronica Escobar Olivo, Research Associate, School of Social Work, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2240542024-02-29T21:22:20Z2024-02-29T21:22:20ZThermal networks: The missing infrastructure we need to help enable carbon-free heating<p>Most of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere have a fundamental problem: we want to reduce our carbon emissions, but we also need to heat our homes.</p>
<p>The good news is there is a way to do both by creating thermal networks. A thermal network is a system of insulated, underground pipes that directly distribute heat to homes and other buildings using heat generated from clean sources — including nuclear reactors.</p>
<p>Rather than using their own furnaces, boilers, fireplaces or electric baseboard heaters to heat buildings, consumers would receive heat directly from a utility. </p>
<p>It’s an opportunity that is set to grow as Canada expands its nuclear energy supply and creates more heat in the process, especially with <a href="https://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Canadian-government-launches-SMR-support-programme">small modular reactors</a> expected to start coming on-stream in the next decade.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/are-small-nuclear-reactors-the-solution-to-canadas-net-zero-ambitions-217354">Are small nuclear reactors the solution to Canada’s net-zero ambitions?</a>
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<h2>Scaling up</h2>
<p>Our research collaboration has produced — with the help of experts from McMaster University, The Boltzmann Institute and Canadian Nuclear Association — a <a href="https://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/mcmaster-institute-for-energy-studies/featured-publications/#thermal-networks-position-paper">position paper</a> presenting the case for large-scale thermal networks to be created across Canada, with nuclear power plants potentially providing up to half of the heat. </p>
<p>Similar technology using heat from non-nuclear sources is <a href="https://cieedacdb.rem.sfu.ca/district-energy-inventory">already a reality in Canada</a> in the form of <a href="https://toolkit.bc.ca/tool/district-energy-systems-2/">district energy systems</a>. </p>
<p>Many buildings in <a href="https://www.sfu.ca/content/dam/sfu/ceedc/publications/facilities/CEEDC%20-%20District%20Energy%20Report%202023.pdf">Toronto, Hamilton, Vancouver</a> and on university campuses, such as McMaster University, are served by hot water or steam-based central heating plants, using heat that is purpose-made and piped across campus. What’s more, Canada already <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/interactive/2021/toronto-deep-latke-water-cooling-raptors/">leads the world in district cooling networks</a>. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U2nOQnGfgf8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">An overview of the basic principle of Toronto’s Deep Lake Water Cooling System produced by the Canada Green Building Council. Thermal networks will move thermal energy similar to the way networked water pipes do, except they will move heat from producer to consumer across a shared system.</span></figcaption>
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<p><a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/10/04/1080795/us-thermal-energy-networks/">Thirteen states in the United States</a> are implementing a thermal networks utility model. In <a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/opinion/district-heating-and-cooling-is-one-of-europes-top-solution-to-reduce-fossil-imports-but-we-need-decisive-eu-action-to-tap-into-this-potential/">Europe</a>, 67 million people enjoy heating from thermal networks and district heating systems supplied by a variety of sources in a mix that is increasingly <a href="https://vbn.aau.dk/en/publications/heat-roadmap-europe-4-quantifying-the-impact-of-low-carbon-heatin">less reliant on carbon</a>.</p>
<p>The idea is catching on, and it’s time to scale up.</p>
<h2>Leftover heat</h2>
<p>As many as 70 per cent of Canadians live in communities that could be warmed by thermal networks. The networks would deliver heated water that warms buildings in the same way household radiators distribute heat — but on a much <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2009.12.001">larger public scale</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/zibi-waste-heat-recovery-1.7117832">Such systems</a> are capable of efficiently sending heat through buried pipelines to homes, schools, hospitals, office buildings, shopping malls and other structures, greatly reducing the demand for electricity and heating fuel and making space on the electrical grid to accommodate growing electricity demand from electric vehicle chargers and heat pumps. </p>
<p>One of the most appealing aspects of this opportunity is that most of the required heat is already available and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.121291">going unused</a>. Heat from major sources, such as <a href="https://www.powermag.com/district-heating-supply-from-nuclear-power-plants/">nuclear power plants</a>, can be transmitted as far as 100 km to where it is needed. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-nuclear-reactor-gentilly-2-1.6932355">Québec</a>, <a href="https://www.opg.com/releases/capital-power-and-opg-partner-to-advance-new-nuclear-in-alberta/">Alberta, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick</a> are all considering building new or re-starting existing reactors. Together with existing reactors, much of Canada’s population would fall within this range.</p>
<p>In the case of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2020.119546">reactors</a>, thermal networks could share their useful leftover heat instead of releasing it into the environment as is typically done today. This water, used in coiling, gathers heat but does not come into contact with nuclear material and is in no way contaminated. </p>
<p>The recent joint declaration at the <a href="https://www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_88702/countries-launch-joint-declaration-to-triple-nuclear-energy-capacity-by-2050-at-cop28">UN climate conference COP28</a> to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050 means there will be significantly more heat from large reactors, such as the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-darlington-nuclear-plant-1.6899969">new nuclear fleet proposed in Ontario</a>, which could supply warmth to homes in the Greater Toronto Area.</p>
<p><a href="https://smrroadmap.ca/">Small modular reactors</a>, which are expected to come on-stream widely as local alternatives to fuel-burning sources of electricity, could supply heat locally while also generating revenue from heat that would otherwise be wasted.</p>
<p>Alternatively, residual heat from <a href="https://www.ngif.ca/harvest-systems-successfully-demonstrates-waste-heat-recovery-from-pizza-pizza-ovens/">restaurants</a>, commercial and industrial processes, water heated by solar or geothermal energy, or the combustion of dried biomass can do exactly the same thing with <a href="https://www.irena.org/publications/2021/March/Integrating-low-temperature-renewables-in-district-energy-systems">little to no greenhouse gas emissions</a>.</p>
<h2>Funding the change</h2>
<p>Though our appetite for thermal networks is growing, apprehension over the cost of creating large-scale public systems has stifled enthusiasm for implementing them here.</p>
<p>Certainly, the challenge of laying new pipelines to every urban home is daunting, but that need not be a barrier. It’s not that long ago that water, electricity and natural gas were not delivered directly to homes and other buildings, either. </p>
<p>The managers of those utilities, both public and private, developed efficient methods for deployment, balanced the <a href="https://energy.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/UTAustin_FCe_History_2016.pdf">cost of their infrastructure</a> over decades and included the financing costs in customers’ bills. All of these techniques could help build thermal networks across Canada. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-we-need-to-reuse-waste-energy-to-achieve-net-zero-heating-systems-209416">Why we need to reuse waste energy to achieve net-zero heating systems</a>
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<p><a href="https://www.cga.ca/energy-magazine-post/when-was-canadas-natural-gas-distribution-system-built-and-what-is-it-made-of/">Natural gas only started to become commonly available in Canada</a> in the 1950s, with networks of buried pipes being extended to the most populated areas of the country through the 1980s. <a href="https://brilliantio.com/how-were-homes-heated-in-the-1960s/">Before then</a>, people had oil, coal or wood delivered, or used electricity from coal-fired plants — all of them significant sources of greenhouse gases. </p>
<p>The conversion made heating <a href="https://www.fortisbc.com/services/natural-gas-services/considering-upgrading-to-gas-up-to-2700-in-appliance-rebates-available-for-a-limited-time/annual-fuel-cost-comparison">cheaper and cleaner</a>. It <a href="https://www.cer-rec.gc.ca/en/data-analysis/energy-markets/canadas-energy-transition/canadas-energy-transition-historical-future-changes-energy-systems-update-energy-market-assessment-global-energy.html">halved our carbon emissions</a>. It required a huge effort, but it happened, and it can happen again.</p>
<p>Thermal networks present an opportunity to harvest heat from natural sources or <a href="https://futurium.ec.europa.eu/en/urban-agenda/energy-transition/library/action-2-recommendation-paper-maximising-use-waste-heat-cities">heat that would otherwise be wasted</a> and use it for a vital purpose of keeping Canadians warm while helping to reduce carbon emissions.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224054/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jim Cotton is the founder and CEO of Harvest Systems Inc. He receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Ontario Centre of Innovation and Boltzmann Institute. </span></em></p>Underground thermal networks have the potential to revolutionize how Canadians heat their homes while helping to reduce carbon emissions.James (Jim) S. Cotton, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, McMaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2229422024-02-26T20:42:20Z2024-02-26T20:42:20ZTo collaborate or confront? New research provides key insights for environmental NGOs<p>Just after dawn, volunteers for a Toronto-based NGO called the <a href="https://flap.org/">Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) Canada</a> make their way along the streets of the city’s downtown core. FLAP’s mission is to limit the number of migratory birds injured or killed due to collisions with windows. These volunteers are looking for dead or injured birds that fell to the ground after hitting windows during the spring and fall migrations.</p>
<p>An <a href="https://doi.org/10.5751/ACE-00568-080206">estimated 15-30 million birds</a> in Canada alone are killed each year after hitting a window. Migratory bird populations have <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaw1313">dropped significantly</a> in the last 50 years, with window collisions <a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-112414-054133">identified as a main cause</a>. However collisions, can only be reduced if building owners agree, or are obliged, to make glassed surfaces less dangerous to birds.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/buildings-kill-millions-of-birds-heres-how-to-reduce-the-toll-130695">Buildings kill millions of birds. Here's how to reduce the toll</a>
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<p>To achieve change, NGOs have two choices: confront stakeholders, or collaborate with them. Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. </p>
<p>Highlighting guilty parties, especially through the media, can raise awareness and make responses more likely. But aggressive approaches risk closing off opportunities to work together on solutions. Working with stakeholders may achieve mutually acceptable solutions and funding, but NGO priorities may be watered down as a result.</p>
<h2>Collaboration?</h2>
<p>How does an NGO choose between collaboration and confrontation to achieve its goals? <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2023.103885">My recent study used FLAP as a case study to help explore this critical question</a>.</p>
<p>Over three decades, FLAP has continued rescue and recovery operations to assist birds who have struck windows while also continuing advocacy work to push for meaningful change to reduce the risks posed by the windows themselves. Windows are often either <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224164">invisible to birds, or reflect nearby vegetation</a>.</p>
<p>FLAP, like many global NGOs, can often find itself in a delicate position of having to measure its calls for change with the reality of maintaining ongoing collaboration with stakeholders to carry out their core activities. For example, FLAP depends on access to the grounds around office towers to collect birds, so it was hesitant to publicly confront individual building owners. </p>
<p>Collaboration with stakeholders ensures both that FLAP volunteers are welcome to patrol and property managers also encouraged maintenance staff to store dead or injured birds they found. This collaboration had clear benefits.</p>
<p>Instead of targeting specific building owners or property companies, FLAP has largely focused on raising general awareness about the overall scale of bird injuries and deaths due to windows. Since 2001, FLAP has held an <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/pattern-made-2100-dead-birds-180958379/">annual public layout</a> of all of the dead birds collected by volunteers, <a href="https://flap.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Touching-Down-Spring-2023.pdf">with 4023</a> dead birds displayed in the 2023 layout. </p>
<p>Data about the location, time of collision and species of bird has also been recorded in a publicly available <a href="https://www.birdmapper.org/">database</a>.</p>
<p>Similarly, FLAP has worked with municipal and commercial stakeholders, in developing <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/official-plan-guidelines/design-guidelines/bird-friendly-guidelines/">best practices</a> for limiting bird-window collisions. These guidelines eventually became part of the <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/official-plan-guidelines/toronto-green-standard/">Toronto Green Standard</a>, which included building specifications — voluntary at first, later mandatory — designed to limit bird collisions. </p>
<p>These requirements include making windows more visible to birds by applying markers, as well as reducing other hazards, such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/cities-can-help-migrating-birds-on-their-way-by-planting-more-trees-and-turning-lights-off-at-night-152573">artificial lighting</a>.</p>
<h2>Or a more assertive approach?</h2>
<p>Despite advances in awareness and policy, bird safety advocates were still frustrated with the toll on birds by existing buildings, which were not bound by the <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/official-plan-guidelines/toronto-green-standard/toronto-green-standard-version-4/mid-to-high-rise-residential-non-residential-version-4/ecology-biodiversity/">new standards</a>. While FLAP still took a largely collaborative approach, other organizations took more assertive stances. </p>
<p>Ecojustice, an environmental law NGO, became aware of the issue in part because of FLAP’s annual bird layout. Using FLAP’s bird collision data, Ecojustice brought legal action against the owners of two buildings where particularly high collision numbers had been recorded.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/billions-of-birds-collide-with-glass-buildings-but-architecture-has-solutions-215419">Billions of birds collide with glass buildings – but architecture has solutions</a>
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<p>The first court case <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/building-owners-not-responsible-for-deaths-of-birds-that-fly-into-it-judge-rules/article_7b6bad05-57b0-54a2-861d-158a585b1ead.html#:%7E:text=GTA-,Building%20owners%20not%20responsible%20for%20deaths%20of%20birds%20that%20fly,birds%20before%20applying%20remedial%20measures.">was dismissed</a> in 2012. However, during deliberations, the property owners did make changes to the windows to reduce bird collisions by installing window markers. Confrontation, it seems, could also yield results. </p>
<p>However, the second case brought by Ecojustice in 2013 was against a property owner that had a history of collaboration with FLAP, contributing to guideline development, providing funding and even receiving a “Bird Friendly Building” Certificate from FLAP.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://canlii.ca/en/on/oncj/doc/2013/2013oncj65/2013oncj65.html">ruling</a> in 2013 had mixed results for both sides. The judge ruled in favour of Ecojustice’s <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/birds-vs-mirrored-buildings-environmental-group-loses-case-but-wins-important-precedent/article_fb9c447e-a67c-50ae-aebc-2918ac5499ac.html">novel argument</a> that light, in the form of reflected vegetation, was a form of pollution. However, the judge also concluded that the property owners had exercised reasonable care in trying to reduce bird collisions by installing window film in areas with the highest recorded collisions. Unfortunately the collaborative relationship was also affected. </p>
<p>Following the ruling, the property owner informed FLAP that its volunteers were no longer allowed on their properties unless FLAP agreed to keep bird collision data confidential, which they did not agree to do.</p>
<h2>Key lessons</h2>
<p>FLAP has taken a mostly collaborative approach, allowing them to rescue birds and create a rigorous collision dataset. This information has contributed to new building codes, as well as prompting changes in older buildings with high collision rates. Confrontation, while rare, occurred only after collaboration did not achieve desired results.</p>
<p>Visual messages, like FLAP’s bird layout, can communicate the scale of the problem and reach a broad audience. This message can be all the more effective when people see a role in the solution, rather than feeling like helpless spectators. Collision reduction options have become <a href="https://flap.org/stop-birds-from-hitting-windows">widely available</a>, giving people a sense of agency.</p>
<p>Strong data and visual images can also attract allies who may take more direct approaches. For example, the NGO <a href="https://www.nevercollide.com/">Never Collide</a> formed in 2019 to address bird collisions in older office buildings. It used FLAP’s data to single out buildings for direct confrontation, through letter writing and shareholder pressure. One of their early victories was in 2021, when the <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-countermeasures-being-installed-at-td-centre-to-reduce-bird-building/">largest bird safe retrofit in North America was installed in downtown Toronto</a>, on one of the buildings that FLAP volunteers had previously been barred from patrolling. </p>
<p>These are important lessons for building upon success in the long term.</p>
<p>In the meantime, volunteers in Toronto and other cities like <a href="https://safewings.ca/">Ottawa</a>, <a href="https://www.nycaudubon.org/our-work/conservation/project-safe-flight/collision-monitoring">New York</a> and <a href="https://www.birdmonitors.net/">Chicago</a> will be patrolling again this spring, as migrating birds return.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222942/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Abbott is affiliated with FLAP as a volunteer.</span></em></p>The experiences of bird safety NGOs show that when trying to achieve environmental goals, being on good terms with stakeholders is important, but direct action can also yield results.James Abbott, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Nipissing UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2220462024-01-31T20:12:59Z2024-01-31T20:12:59ZSammy Yatim inquest: Speaking for the dead, or a Toronto police marketing campaign?<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/sammy-yatim-inquest-speaking-for-the-dead-or-a-toronto-police-marketing-campaign" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Coroner’s inquests into deaths that involved police often focus on the police force’s perspective and experiences. The inquest into the death of Toronto teenager <a href="https://www.cp24.com/news/sammy-yatim-s-mother-continues-fight-for-justice-10-years-after-son-s-death-1.6496869?cache=%2F7.336614">Sammy Yatim, who was fatally shot by Toronto police Const. James Forcillo in July 2013</a>, is no exception.</p>
<p>Because Yatim’s death involved police, the inquest was mandatory under Ontario’s <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90c37">Coroners Act</a>. It draws to a close this week.</p>
<p>Reflecting on the inquest’s focus on <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/convicted-cop-james-forcillo-is-back-and-the-sammy-yatim-inquest-is-cut-off-at/article_3f513ab0-ba48-11ee-9d87-fbb65ef8abc6.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share">officer wellness</a>, it’s appropriate to revisit what coroner’s inquests do, what they don’t do, and to question why these proceedings are often dominated by police perspectives rather than the community’s or the victim’s.</p>
<h2>What is a coroner’s inquest?</h2>
<p>A coroner’s inquest is a public hearing conducted by a coroner before a jury of community members.</p>
<p>Inquests are designed, as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0964663919874111">Oxford University police researcher Ian Loader pointed out in a 2020 research paper</a>, to draw out how deaths in police custody are the result of the interaction of factors within society and the police force rather than as the singular act of an individual officer. </p>
<p>Inquests aren’t trials. They’re not designed to linger over the cause of the death. Instead, inquests concentrate on the systems that had an impact on the circumstances of death.</p>
<p>That means that by their very nature, inquests often shut down discussions about the specific acts of murder or neglect that caused the death. </p>
<p>In fact, Sherene Razack, a Canadian critical race scholar at the University of California, Los Angeles, argues in her 2015 book <a href="https://utorontopress.com/9781442637375/dying-from-improvement/"><em>Dying from Improvement: Inquests and Inquiries into Indigenous Deaths in Custody</em></a> that while coroner’s inquests typically provide the opportunity to discuss police officer wellness and access to resources, it’s often at the expense of the victims of a police officer’s actions. </p>
<p>In her book, Razack contends that inquests are often a means for police forces to communicate that they have a legitimate right to use force. In the process, coroner’s inquests tend to portray their victims as the authors of their own demise, and police officers as the “victims of a hard-to-police population.”</p>
<h2>Purpose, scope of the Yatim inquest</h2>
<p>In keeping with Razack’s criticisms, the purpose of the Yatim inquest wasn’t to revisit Forcillo’s conduct on the night of the shooting, his record as a police officer or to revisit the facts. <a href="https://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/news/toronto-cop-convicted-in-death-of-teen-seeks-to-appeal-case-to-supreme-court-1583702">Forcillo has already been convicted of attempted murder in relation to the death</a>.</p>
<p>Its purpose was simply to explore <a href="https://falconers.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Yatim-motion-decision-final-Cameron-Mar.-29-2023.pdf">“police officer recruitment, monitoring of police officers’ execution of their duties, police officer decision-making and available supports for those decision-making skills.”</a></p>
<p>This scope included “wellness, how to monitor a police officer’s job performance and what to do when relevant and material worrisome behaviour is noted.”</p>
<p>The presiding coroner, Dr. David Cameron, arrived at this scope after <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/sammy-yatim-coroners-inquest-1.6796133">rejecting Forcillo’s request to use the inquest to examine the possibility Yatim died by “suicide by cop.”</a> </p>
<p>Cameron described the inquest as a “unique opportunity to explore what to do when a police officer doesn’t follow their training” in reference <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/sammy-yatim-inquest-forcillo-1.7092406">to statements Forcillo had made to the parole board about failing to adhere to his training</a>.</p>
<p>Forcillo said he rushed his decision-making and went against his training while under the stress of the situation. He admitted he should have used communication to de-escalate the situation with Yatim, and should have waited for a higher-ranking officer who was able to use alternative methods.</p>
<p>Given these previous concessions, Cameron instructed the court that one of the inquest’s aims is to determine “how we can help officers make better decisions when under stress.”</p>
<h2>Forcillo’s testimony takes centre stage</h2>
<p>When Forcillo took the stand during the inquest, he made several statements about what might have changed the outcome the night he killed Yatim on a Toronto streetcar. </p>
<p>He suggested that access to a taser <a href="https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/forcillo-tells-coroner-s-inquest-having-a-stun-gun-would-have-changed-everything-1.6737292">“would have changed everything”</a> and that <a href="https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/mandel-would-police-martial-arts-training-have-saved-sammy-yatim">martial arts training would have empowered him to take different action</a>. He testified:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“After I was charged, I learned some jiu jitsu. I tell you if I had that kind of confidence when I was working on the road and I would have had those techniques, I would have been more apt to handle it without resorting to a use-of-force option.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Forcillo also suggested a lack of support for officer wellness was a contributing factor in Yatim’s death.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/sammy-yatim-inquest-forcillo-1.7092406">It was “not the culture” to discuss mental health</a>, he said.</p>
<h2>Wellness strategies</h2>
<p>Related to this testimony, the Toronto Police Service presented its revamped officer <a href="https://falconers.ca/inquest-into-the-death-of-sammy-yatim-continues-today-next-week/">“wellness strategy”</a> to the inquest jury. </p>
<p>As former deputy chief Mike Federico explained at the hearing, <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/forcillo-pointed-his-gun-at-someone-six-times-in-15-months-before-killing-yatim-leading/article_1fcf6660-bc57-11ee-a603-8775d1a54e19.html#tncms-source=login">the police force has already changed its intervention policy to lower the threshold for when an officer’s use of a firearm is worthy of an intervention</a>.</p>
<p>The lowered threshold <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/forcillo-pointed-his-gun-at-someone-six-times-in-15-months-before-killing-yatim-leading/article_1fcf6660-bc57-11ee-a603-8775d1a54e19.html">is seemingly meant to identify officers like Forcillo, who had pointed his gun at someone six times in the 15 months leading up to Yatim’s death</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.tps.ca/files/download/1655295454/43179/">The program</a>, part of Toronto Police Services’ use-of-force reporting system, flags certain officers for a mandatory, non-disciplinary intervention through the police force’s employee wellness unit.</p>
<p>During the hearing, Supt. Lisa Crooker with Toronto police’s hiring and recruiting division was questioned by Ed Upenieks, the lawyer for some of Yatim’s family members, about whether the 2013 version of the early-intervention program was sufficient to stop problem officers.</p>
<p>“So the police were not doing a good job policing the police in July of 2013; do you agree with me?” Upenieks asked.</p>
<p>“There were certainly significant gaps and challenges in that intervention opportunity,” Crooker replied.</p>
<h2>Preventing future deaths</h2>
<p>After the jury compiles its recommendations at the conclusion of the inquest, it’s up to the police force to decide whether it will make further changes.</p>
<p>But judging by testimony, it appears as though Toronto police are already making efforts on officer wellness. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://ontca.ca/">motto of the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario</a> is: “We speak for the dead to protect the living.”</p>
<p>The question is whether the Yatim inquest has done enough to speak for the dead. Or has it just been a marketing exercise for Toronto police?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222046/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Monika Lemke receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). </span></em></p>What do coroner’s inquests do, what don’t they do, and why are they often dominated by police perspectives rather than the community’s or the victim’s?Monika Lemke, PhD Candidate, Socio-Legal Studies, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2063602024-01-30T20:15:08Z2024-01-30T20:15:08ZSchools have a long way to go to offer equitable learning opportunities, especially in French immersion<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537617/original/file-20230716-25-rv538b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C89%2C6000%2C3538&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In a research study on the accessibility of French immersion, one parent was told she faced a three-year wait to access reading supports for her child. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Andrew Ebrahim/Unsplash)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/schools-have-a-long-way-to-go-to-offer-equitable-learning-opportunities-especially-in-french-immersion" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The Ontario Human Rights Commission’s <a href="https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/right-to-read-inquiry-report">Right to Read report</a>, published last February, called for changes in the province’s educational system. The commission found shortcomings in how schools support students with special education needs. </p>
<p>We found similar trends in our <a href="https://uottawa.scholarsportal.info/ottawa/index.php/ILOB-OLBI/article/view/6618/5553">interview-based study</a> on the accessibility of French immersion for students with special education needs from low-income communities in Toronto. We interviewed eight mothers with diverse socio-economic status, home language and immigration backgrounds on their experiences with the French immersion program. </p>
<p>According to the Right to Read report’s <a href="https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/right-to-read-inquiry-report/appendix-1-list-recommendations">recommendations</a>, children need accessible, effective learning assessments, as well as evidence-based interventions that occur in a timely manner. </p>
<p>These interventions include explicit, systematic programs that focus on <a href="https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/phonics-and-decoding">phonics (teaching the relationships between letters and the sounds of spoken language) and decoding (applying knowledge of letter-sound relationships to written words, or “sounding out”)</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/metalinguistic-awareness">metalinguistic awareness</a> (a larger awareness of language, including an ability to reflect on it) and other skills <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.99">that support reading accuracy and fluency</a>). </p>
<p>Research has highlighted difficulties accessing support for students with special education needs <a href="https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.20012.kay">in French immersion programs</a>. As we also heard in our study, parents of children with students with special education needs from low-income communities in Toronto faced barriers accessing resources for their children.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/reading-struggles-dont-wait-to-advocate-for-your-child-130986">Reading struggles? Don't wait to advocate for your child</a>
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<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A school building." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571939/original/file-20240129-21-apeyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571939/original/file-20240129-21-apeyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571939/original/file-20240129-21-apeyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571939/original/file-20240129-21-apeyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571939/original/file-20240129-21-apeyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571939/original/file-20240129-21-apeyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571939/original/file-20240129-21-apeyf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A report published by the TDSB found students without special needs represent 90 per cent of students in French immersion and 78 per cent of students in the board overall.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Marginalized students underrepresented</h2>
<p>French immersion programs have become increasingly popular <a href="https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cjnse/article/view/74139">across Canada</a>, since students who learn both English and French in school may <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/228709/pdf">benefit from increased intercultural awareness</a>, easier travel throughout Canada, better access to bilingual jobs as well as potential <a href="https://doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.63.5.605">developmental and social benefits</a>.</p>
<p>There is a <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/4922887/french-immersion-school-canada-demand-teachers/">high demand</a> for French immersion in Canada, and the program is often perceived as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2020.1865988">an elitist system</a>.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/french-immersion-and-other-regional-learning-programs-smart-choice-for-your-kids-or-do-they-fuel-inequity-195184">French immersion and other regional learning programs: Smart choice for your kids, or do they fuel inequity?</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<p>In the <a href="https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Portals/0/docs/TDSB%20French%20Programs%20Review%20Mar082019.pdf">Toronto District School board (TDSB) French immersion report released in 2019</a>, marginalized students are underrepresented in its immersion programs. For example, the report — based on registration and census information — noted that in grades 7-8:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>49 per cent of students identify as white in French immersion and 30 per cent in the board overall;</p></li>
<li><p>students without special needs represent 90 per cent of students in French immersion and 78 per cent of students in the board overall;</p></li>
<li><p>Students whose family income is $100,000 and over represent 66 per cent of students in French immersion and 47 per cent of students in the board overall;</p></li>
<li><p>Children from families who speak English at home represent 63 per cent of French immersion classes and 35 per cent of the board overall.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Reading struggles</h2>
<p>Emily (not her real name) is one of the mothers who participated in our study. She has seen the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77cz9iUeDaY&t=82s">high cost of disability in our school systems</a>. With her permission, we have shared her story below to illustrate her family’s experience in a French immersion program.</p>
<p>Emily enrolled all of her three children in a French immersion program. Emily’s eldest child excelled in immersion, and continued to study French into university. However, Emily’s two youngest were struggling to read in French. The teachers assured her that her children would catch up in time and there was no need to worry. </p>
<p>Shockingly for Emily, once her middle child reached Grade 3, she was suddenly informed that her child was reading at a kindergarten level. </p>
<p>However, the wait to be assessed was approximately three years — meaning this child might be in Grade 6 before they received any formal assessment and intervention support. </p>
<p>At the suggestion of the school’s administration, Emily agreed to pay $3,500 for an external evaluation. She said about the experience:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I’ll never forget it, having that SST (school support team) meeting. I’m in front of the psychologist and all these different people and I literally lost control. The head of special education, she said, ‘It’s okay.’ I’m like, ‘I’m not crying because my daughter has a learning disability. I’ve come to terms with that.’ I said, ‘I’m crying because I had to pay $3,500 dollars …’… How many kids are falling through the cracks?’ That was very disconcerting for me. I was heartbroken.”</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A hand writing on French homework." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540522/original/file-20230801-17-ko6dda.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540522/original/file-20230801-17-ko6dda.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540522/original/file-20230801-17-ko6dda.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540522/original/file-20230801-17-ko6dda.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540522/original/file-20230801-17-ko6dda.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540522/original/file-20230801-17-ko6dda.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540522/original/file-20230801-17-ko6dda.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Schools have a long way to go to offer equitable learning opportunities for all students.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Insufficient special education support</h2>
<p>Even after spending an exorbitant amount of money, Emily found out the hard way that there wasn’t sufficient special education support in French immersion for her child. She ended up removing her middle child from the immersion program the next year. Emily’s middle child did get the support she needed in the English program.</p>
<p>This is just one example of the stories we heard in our research study on the accessibility of French immersion. </p>
<p>Emily’s question stayed with us throughout our work: How many students are falling through the cracks? </p>
<p>The truth is, we don’t really know. Based on the attrition rates in French immersion from the TDSB, it must be high. According to a <a href="https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Portals/0/docs/TDSB%20French%20Programs%20Review%20Mar082019.pdf">2019 report published by the TDSB,</a> from the early French immersion cohort where students start in senior kindergarten, approximately 70 per cent of the students have left the program by Grade 9.</p>
<h2>Need for early intervention</h2>
<p>In our study, one parent was told that her child couldn’t be assessed until Grade 3, which contradicts <a href="https://www.readingrockets.org/article/importance-early-intervention">evidence-based best practices</a> that call for early assessment and intervention. </p>
<p>Parents also said they often feel pressure to pay for expensive tutors, French summer camps and other language immersion opportunities so their children don’t fall behind. </p>
<p>They reported spending a lot of time supporting their children’s studies despite not speaking the language of instruction, and this ends up becoming an emotional and financial burden.</p>
<h2>Ensuring changes are implemented equitably</h2>
<p>Following the Right to Read inquiry, the Government of Ontario committed to sweeping change such as <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/right-to-read-inquiry-report-literacy-ontario-1.6378408">mandating early literacy screening</a>. We have also seen a huge amount of <a href="https://www.idaontario.com/effective-reading-instruction/">professional learning</a> for teachers. Ensuring that positive change yielded by these approaches are effective in French immersion programs is critical. </p>
<p>We know that individual resilience and community support networks aren’t enough to combat systemic barriers. </p>
<p>We still have a long way to go if we want our school system to be an equitable learning opportunity for all students — particularly in immersion.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206360/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Diana Burchell receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Becky Xi Chen receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Kay-Raining Bird has received funding from SSHRC. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Roksana Dobrin-De Grace receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).</span></em></p>Parents in a study about the accessibility of French immersion programs discussed inadequate support for learning to read and feeling pressured to pay for expensive tutors.Diana Burchell, PhD Candidate in Developmental Psychology and Education, University of TorontoBecky Xi Chen, Professor, Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of TorontoElizabeth Kay-Raining Bird, Professor Emeritus, School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Dalhousie UniversityRoksana Dobrin-De Grace, PhD Student in Developmental Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2205372024-01-22T22:32:59Z2024-01-22T22:32:59ZYoung Black men in Canada face racism, ageism and classism when looking for work<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569965/original/file-20240117-19-skld11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C5372%2C3581&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Black people in Canada continue experiencing oppression and dehumanization because of how their skin colour is viewed and represented.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/young-black-men-in-canada-face-racism-ageism-and-classism-when-looking-for-work" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Youth employment in Canada continues to be a concern. Young people between the ages of 15 and 30 <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/42-28-0001/2021001/article/00002-eng.htm">are less likely to find and sustain employment compared to an older population of Canadians</a>.</p>
<p>According to Statistics Canada, around 11 per cent of youth aged 15-24 are unemployed. Among young Black Canadians that number is around <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/240105/dq240105a-eng.htm">17.5 per cent</a>.</p>
<p>Black people in Canada continue experiencing oppression and dehumanization <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cars.12400">because of how their skin colour is viewed and represented</a>.</p>
<p>Impoverished Black male youth in particular encounter racism, ageism, classism and gender biases when looking for work. These are stereotypes which encourage many Canadian employers to view them as not good for business and unemployable.</p>
<h2>Intersecting oppressions</h2>
<p>As a sociocultural anthropologist who is dedicated to uncovering the nuances in Black youth un(der)employment, I have found that impoverished Black youths’ inability to find employment is due to <a href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/intersectionality-as-critical-social-theory">intersectional oppressions</a> such as ageism and classism, which is also tied to their Blackness. </p>
<p>The challenges they face vary among different Canadian cities. In my <a href="https://repository.library.carleton.ca/concern/etds/xg94hq41j">doctoral study</a> about impoverished Black male youth in Montréal, Ottawa and Toronto, I found these youth are denied employment opportunities for multifaceted reasons. These include discrimination based on a person’s address, age, classism and gender biases — particularly about the negative stereotypical ideas that surround Black manhood. </p>
<p>The sociological study focused on Black male youth between the ages of 15 to 29 who live in low income areas between Montréal, Toronto and Ottawa. The qualitative study gathered data from 21 young Black men through semi-structured interviews and focus groups. </p>
<p>Political philosopher <a href="https://groveatlantic.com/book/toward-the-african-revolution/">Frantz Fanon</a> warned us of the dangers of recognizing Black people’s experiences as one. Black people have differences that contribute to their humanness, which the colonizer has denied.</p>
<p>Similarly, when we presume all youth have the same experiences, we fail to take diversity seriously and may be falsely interpreting the lived experiences of many youth. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A young Black man working on a laptop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Young Black men face overlapping forms of discrimination based on racist and classist views of Black masculinity.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There was never one reason, such as anti-Black racism, which was the cause of employment barriers among these young people. The reality is these youth experience overlapping discrimination that are tied to anti-Black racism, such as classism, which varied based on different encounters with various employers.</p>
<p>My study found that impoverished Black male youth are tied to a socially manufactured hierarchical system that considers race, gender, sexuality, ability, age, social class and education. Unfortunately, employers excluded them because of the many intersections that make up their identities.</p>
<p>Although the Canadian government recognizes Black youth face barriers to employment, <a href="https://www.miragenews.com/minister-marci-ien-supports-black-youth-955894/">few politicians recognize that more needs to be done to create inclusivity in the workplace</a>. The lived experiences of impoverished Black male youth and their ability to access employment are not the same nationwide. </p>
<h2>Secularism laws impact opportunities</h2>
<p>My study also found that many Black male youth in Montréal are also at the mercy of Québec’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-supposed-benefits-of-quebec-secularism-bill-dont-outweigh-the-costs-114907">secularism law</a>. Black male youth in the city must deal with classism and constantly being tied to the unworthy idea that they do not serve many employees’ needs. This is based on the stereotypical ideas of what their Black masculinity represents. </p>
<p>Some of these young people adorn religious clothing, which has complicated their job-seeking strategies. Many young Black men living in the province <a href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/february-2023/elghawaby-quebec-double-standard/">face discrimination based on their religious values</a> and their clothing or attire was a reason they were overlooked for employment.</p>
<p>These secularism laws are an added issue for impoverished Black male youth seeking employment, as many of them do not feel a sense of belonging, and are constantly faced with intersecting social oppressions where they are overlooked for employment opportunities. </p>
<p>We must realize that some laws and policies may be suitable for some Canadians. But in an effort to create legislation, there is a disregard for the social concerns of those who have been othered. Creating laws without considering them adds to a sense that they do not belong in this country.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A Black teenage boy carrying a backpack poses for a photo." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Black men and boys must continuously confront racist narratives that impact their future prospects.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Thinking through Black masculinity</h2>
<p>For years, Black Canadian scholars such as <a href="https://edu.yorku.ca/edu-profiles/index.php?mid=2196">Carl James</a>, <a href="https://brocku.ca/social-sciences/sociology/people/tamari-kitossa/">Tamari Kitossa</a> and myself have discussed Black masculinities in Canada and how Black men are seen as dangerous, untrustworthy men undeserving of a sense of belonging in the white settler nation-state. </p>
<p><a href="https://ualbertapress.ca/9781772125436/appealing-because-he-is-appalling/">These historical narratives continue to inform our present day society</a>, which has complicated how impoverished young Black men seek and obtain employment. Failing to recognize these tensions among young Black men is distancing ourselves from the lived experiences rooted in history, which are playing out in our contemporary moments.</p>
<p>The young Black men I spoke to courageously shared what it means to seek employment while having to negotiate your right to be treated fairly. When these young men do eventually obtain employment, they are often trapped in low-paying, menial labour positions reflective of unfair stereotypes about Black masculinity.</p>
<p>This type of work degrades their humanity and selfhood. The dehumanization faced by these youth when they attempt to seek employment demonstrates how they are othered not solely by their race.</p>
<p>For there to be equitable hiring practices, governments and employers must understand anti-Black racism in light of the intertwined forms of discrimination that often accompany it. </p>
<p>Homogenizing the lived experiences of Black youth can cause harm and promote misconceptions about their lived experiences. I urge people to refrain from thinking about racialized people based on their race alone. Instead, we should intentionally focus on the individuality of people. We must practice cultural competency which invites us to appreciate people and their different lived experiences.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220537/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Warren Clarke does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Young Black men are being denied employment for multifaceted reasons, and when they do find work, are often trapped in low-paying jobs.Warren Clarke, Assistant Professor, Anthropology, University of ManitobaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2184952024-01-22T20:42:47Z2024-01-22T20:42:47ZDespite legislative progress, accessible cities remain elusive<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566380/original/file-20231218-29-jo501r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5755%2C3833&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Textured surfaces on city pavements can help make public space more accessible to disabled persons.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/despite-legislative-progress-accessible-cities-remain-elusive" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Amid a complex web of disability civil rights legislation in Canada and the <a href="https://www.ada.gov/">United States</a>, one could easily be lulled into thinking that the work is done. Some of this legislation is now <a href="http://www.ccdonline.ca/en/humanrights/promoting/20years">several decades old</a>; more recent additions include <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/110191">accessible design standards and guidelines</a> and barrier-free elements of <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/120332">building codes</a>.</p>
<p>But <a href="https://accessnow.com/moca/">if only this were true</a>. Watching Toronto and other cities in North America work on accessibility feels a bit like watching a snail moving through molasses: the best route is unclear, progress is slow and they often become stuck.</p>
<h2>Paratransit</h2>
<p>Access to safe and reliable public transit is one such problem. For example, many of the issues <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839919888484">plaguing paratransit (ideally on-demand, door-to-door service for disabled persons) today</a> — unacceptably long wait times, having to plan and schedule days in advance, service costs, convoluted trip regulations, failing to pick people up — are often as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839919888484">old as the services themselves</a>. </p>
<p>It’s perhaps hard to imagine, but it could get worse. Data from the <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-654-x/89-654-x2021002-eng.htm">2017 Canadian Survey on Disability</a> indicate that nearly 18 per cent of <em>housebound</em> disabled persons report the absence of transport service as the cause — they have somewhere to go, but no way to get there.</p>
<p>New York City, Toronto and Montréal have underground public transit. These systems share a checkered past where disability is concerned. Time and time again, each system has been the site of disability activism, litigation, accessibility retrofit, cycles of investment progress and delay, and what I call last-millimetre problems.</p>
<p>In New York City, it took multiple <a href="https://new.mta.info/accessibility/ada-settlement-notice">class-action lawsuits</a> filed by disabled persons to get the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to launch a multi-decade accessibility plan. This included a promise to stop renovating stations in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the <a href="https://www.eeoc.gov/rehabilitation-act-1973-original-text">Rehabilitation Act of 1973</a> and <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/site/cchr/law/the-law.page">New York City Human Rights Law</a>. </p>
<p>Seven years on, an August 2017 article in the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/31/nyregion/nyc-subway-accessible-disabled.html"><em>New York Times</em></a> reported on the MTA’s stalled progress and justifiable skepticism on the part of disabled passengers.</p>
<p>The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is in the midst of a promising multi-year <a href="https://www.ttc.ca/accessibility/Accessible-Transit-Services-Plan">Accessible Transit Services Plan</a>. The plan includes accessibility retrofit of many stations built before the <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/05a11">2005 Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)</a> became law. These are massive infrastructure projects with hefty price tags.</p>
<p>Symptomatic of a much broader failure across the province to meet AODA’s 2025 deadline, implementation of the TTC’s accessibility plan is behind schedule. In the most recent <a href="https://files.ontario.ca/msaa-fourth-review-of-aoda-final-report-en-2023-06-30.pdf">AODA progress review</a>, Rich Donovan, CEO of The Return on Disability Group, declared a state of crisis following “17 years of missed opportunities,” “minimal change in accessibility” and reports of terrible accessibility experiences across the province.</p>
<p>Looking back reveals a deep history of transit <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-metro-50-years-criticism-1.3804756">criticism and activism in Montréal</a>. In 1988, members of the American Disabled for Accessible Public Transit (ADAPT) protested poor transit accessibility during the <a href="https://adaptmuseum.net/gallery/index.php?/category/24">American Public Transit Association (APTA) meetings held in Montréal</a>. This occurred two years before the iconic “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/22/us/ada-disabilities-act-history.html">Capitol Crawl</a>” in Washington, D.C. where, tired of congressional inertia, disabled protesters climbed the steps of the Capitol to push for the immediate passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/stSkqzI9mKY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A 2009 documentary about disabled persons’ experiences with Montréal transit.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Montréal’s Société de transport de Montréal (STM) now has a long-range accessibility plan with an <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/stm-metro-accessibility-plan-will-mean-more-elevators-ramps-1.4013361">aspirational end date of 2038</a>. The <a href="https://cutaactu.ca/stm-wins-equity-diversity-and-inclusion-award/">Canadian Urban Transit Association</a>) recently announced STM as the winner of an equity, diversity and inclusion award, noting it has “taken significant steps in enhancing customer accessibility since 2023.”</p>
<h2>The last millimetre problem</h2>
<p>Beyond a now seemingly normalized requirement for disabled persons to hold transit authorities to account, much of the progress underground has focused on elevators.</p>
<p>What I find astounding is the “last millimetre problem” — a wide gap or vertical misalignment between platforms and transit vehicles making it impossible or hazardous for some disabled persons, like my daughter, to get on or off the system. The problem seems to occur most often when newly acquired trains meet up with old stations. </p>
<p>In New York City, a vertical misalignment of up to six inches was reported in at least one MTA station. Gaps across the system have led to <a href="https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2022/10/26/riders-with-disabilities-sue-mta-to-close-the-gap-between-subway-train-and-platform/">more class-action litigation</a>. </p>
<p>As of 2019, the TTC has a subway platform gap retrofit program. Consultation
with its Accessibility Advisory Committee produced tolerances of <a href="https://pw.ttc.ca/-/media/Project/TTC/DevProto/Documents/Home/Public-Meetings/Board/2019/September_24/Reports/8_Subway_Platform_Gap_Retrofit_Program.pdf">89 mm or less and 38 mm or less respectively for horizontal and vertical misalignments</a>. Misalignment problems have also been reported <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/how-some-universally-accessible-montreal-metro-stations-are-not">across multiple Montréal Metro stations</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X231175595">Disability as an afterthought</a> makes platform and vehicle retrofit an inconvenient, costly necessity. The technical part of this problem can likely be solved with existing technology, like platform gap fillers and bridge plates. Waiting around for disabled passengers to engage in class-action litigation is not an effective strategy.</p>
<h2>Cycling infrastructure</h2>
<p>The voices of disabled persons have been relegated to the edges of the conversation about active transportation (cycling, walking) and healthy, climate-resilient urban futures.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.18061/dsq.v42i1.8276">Disabled persons ride bikes</a> on and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2059170883639">off-road</a>. The literature on cycling and disability focuses on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2017.01.013">planning for the inclusion of disabled cyclists</a>. Due consideration should also be given to interactions between <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2022.102896">disabled pedestrians</a> and transport infrastructure in general, including bike lanes. </p>
<p>Recently, a bike lane in Toronto was built level to an adjacent sidewalk, without sufficient aids to alert <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/blind-advocates-toronto-bike-lanes-1.7034433">blind pedestrians</a>. Design solutions exist — the Canadian National Institute for the Blind’s <a href="https://www.cnib.ca/en/sight-loss-info/clearing-our-path?region=on"><em>Clearing Our Path</em></a> suggests various types and applications of tactile walking surface indicators.</p>
<p>Curbside bike lanes can produce other <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2018/di/comm/communicationfile-79642.pdf">problems for disabled pedestrians</a>. For example, parking spaces adjacent to bike lanes with a step up to the sidewalk can force wheelchair users into the path of bicycles or vehicles.</p>
<p>Cycling infrastructure needs to be inclusive and safe infrastructure.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570542/original/file-20240122-17-emsqmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a bidirectional bike lane" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570542/original/file-20240122-17-emsqmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570542/original/file-20240122-17-emsqmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570542/original/file-20240122-17-emsqmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570542/original/file-20240122-17-emsqmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570542/original/file-20240122-17-emsqmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570542/original/file-20240122-17-emsqmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570542/original/file-20240122-17-emsqmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A bike lane in downtown Toronto.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Consulting the community</h2>
<p>Research, policy, legislation, design and technologies exist to improve urban accessibility. Despite real progress on both the legislative and infrastructure fronts, the lived experiences of disabled persons continue to highlight serious incongruity between legislation, policies and outcomes.</p>
<p>Accessibility advisory committees are often a requirement of provincial legislation, and enacted at the <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/municipal-accessibility-advisory-committees">provincial or municipal levels of government</a>. Transit agencies often have separate committees comprised of community volunteers and agency staff — the <a href="https://www.ttc.ca/about-the-ttc/the-advisory-committee-on-accessible-transit">TTC</a>, <a href="https://new.mta.info/accessibility/ACTA">New York MTA</a> and <a href="https://www.stm.info/en/about/corporate-governance/board-committees/customer-service-and-universal-accessibility-committee">Montréal STM</a> all have committees. </p>
<p>Committee membership criteria should ensure adequate representation from within and across disability communities. Disabled community members should be compensated for sharing their specialized knowledge. </p>
<p>Real accountability, rather than performative empty consultation, should be the order of the day. Accessible cities can only happen when governments and their various agencies deeply listen to and act upon what disabled citizens have to say.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218495/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ron Buliung does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Decades of activism have resulted in legislation and infrastructure to make cities more accessible, but the lived experiences of disabled residents shows there’s still a long way to go.Ron Buliung, Professor, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2180172024-01-21T12:59:10Z2024-01-21T12:59:10ZAnti-racist, culturally responsive French immersion: Listening to racialized students is an important step towards equitable education<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562480/original/file-20231129-19-xh48rb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C12%2C4256%2C2765&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A study saw racialized students in Ontario French immersion programs write monologues and stories about their experiences, and also invited immersion stakeholders like teachers and parents to give feedback on
race and racism in Ontario immersion programs. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(CDC)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/anti-racist-culturally-responsive-french-immersion-listening-to-racialized-students-is-an-important-step-towards-equitable-education" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://education.macleans.ca/feature/just-say-non-the-problem-with-french-immersion/">Debates among researchers, educators and parents</a> continue about the successes and challenges with French immersion programs across English-speaking parts of Canada.</p>
<p>Programs are criticized for being elitist by some and praised for being exceptional by others. </p>
<p>My master’s research <a href="https://doi.org/10.37213/cjal.2023.32817">showed how Ontario and Toronto French immersion policies exacerbate inequities</a>, finding that program locations favoured middle-class students, curricula demonstrated a Eurocentric focus and colonial lens and program entry-points favoured established residents over newcomers.</p>
<p>My PhD work research has relied upon a collective creation research method known <a href="https://learninglandscapes.ca/index.php/learnland/article/view/1024/1040">as “playbuilding”</a> to propose ways French immersion programs can be more culturally responsive and anti-racist.</p>
<h2>Issues in French immersion</h2>
<p><a href="https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781793612731/French-Immersion-Ideologies-in-Canada">Research about students in Alberta has shown</a> that language levels of French immersion graduates are low and many lack confidence in their French skills.</p>
<p>French immersion programs have been known to exclude many students, particularly those with <a href="https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Portals/0/docs/TDSB%20French%20Programs%20Review%20Mar082019.pdf">special education needs, multilingual learners, immigrants and lower-income students</a>. In the past, some immersion programs even <a href="https://www.peelschools.org/documents/Elementary-FI-Program-Review.pdf/Elementary-FI-Program-Review.pdf">required IQ testing for admission</a>. </p>
<p>With <a href="https://doi.org/10.37213/cjal.2023.32817">immersion programs in Toronto mainly found in white, middle-class areas</a>, it is unsurprising that white, middle-class students are the most present in Toronto programs.</p>
<p>In the Toronto District School Board, research about French immersion enrolment shows inequitable demographics have been <a href="https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Portals/0/docs/TDSB%20French%20Programs%20Review%20Mar082019.pdf">improving in terms of racial and multilingual representation of enrolled students</a>. However, it also shows programs remain dominated by white, middle-class, anglophone students with few learning exceptionalities. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A Black student seen sitting and reading between two white students." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566494/original/file-20231219-29-8mt8ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566494/original/file-20231219-29-8mt8ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566494/original/file-20231219-29-8mt8ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566494/original/file-20231219-29-8mt8ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566494/original/file-20231219-29-8mt8ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=581&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566494/original/file-20231219-29-8mt8ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=581&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566494/original/file-20231219-29-8mt8ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=581&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">French immersion programs in the Toronto District School Board are still dominated by white students with few learning exceptionalities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley for EDUimages)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Documenting student experiences</h2>
<p>French immersion is a heavily researched program; however, <a href="https://doi.org/10.4000/glottopol.4039">research has largely ignored racial identity and racism</a>. </p>
<p>I invited French immersion stakeholders (like teachers, parents, staff and professors in teacher education programs) to engage with stories of racial minority students in Ontario French immersion programs, and my own experiences as a racialized French immersion teacher.</p>
<p>Firstly, my online study recruited two Black and one South Asian French immersion students from Ontario, aged 16–20. Over the course of two weeks, participants created monologues and wrote stories about their experiences as racial minority students in French immersion programs. Stories and monologues are <a href="https://mkunnas.wixsite.com/race-in-fi">available on our website</a>.</p>
<p>In the second stage of research, 39 French immersion stakeholders (students, teachers, parents, staff and professors in teacher education programs) viewed our website and responded to an online survey reacting to stories and suggestions for improving immersion. The findings from stage two support the findings from stage one.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A brown girl teen seen in discussion." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566682/original/file-20231219-29-bpakcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566682/original/file-20231219-29-bpakcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566682/original/file-20231219-29-bpakcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566682/original/file-20231219-29-bpakcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566682/original/file-20231219-29-bpakcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566682/original/file-20231219-29-bpakcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566682/original/file-20231219-29-bpakcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Students wrote stories about their experiences as racial minority students in French immersion programs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley for EDU images)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Cultural learning and representation</h2>
<p>Cultural learning is required by the <a href="https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/fsl18-2013curr.pdf">French as a second language (including French immersion) curriculum</a>. Each grade focuses on different local or global cultures to help develop students’ intercultural competence. </p>
<p>For example, Grade 1 French immersion focuses on local francophone communities, Grade 8 focuses on France and Grade 10 focuses on French-speaking Africa and Asia. No matter the cultural focus, the curriculum calls for the inclusion of “diverse French speaking communities” in every grade.</p>
<p>Students in my study recounted that they did not learn about diverse French cultures. In some cases, they were not discussing culture at all. Students’ own cultures and races were also absent from their learning. </p>
<p>The representation in students’ learning was overwhelmingly white and European or Québécois. The lack of diversity is not representative of the curriculum or the reality of the French speaking world, which is <a href="http://observatoire.francophonie.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/LFDM-Synthese-Anglais.pdf">over 50 per cent people of colour</a>. </p>
<h2>Unchecked racism</h2>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-does-critical-race-theory-make-people-so-uncomfortable-176125">In a racially structured and racist society</a>, the presence of racism in immersion programs is hardly shocking. However, the participants revealed many instances where racism could have been interrupted and was not.</p>
<p>In general, participants’ schools had a culture of racism where racist acts and speech (committed by students, teachers and administrators) were allowed to continue unchecked. </p>
<p>In many cases, teachers were not willing to intervene when racist incidents occurred in their French classes. In one case, a teacher even let a student use a racist French term repeatedly. </p>
<p>A few participants expressed that some teachers and administrators interrupt racism. However, even these teachers were not integrating anti-racist teaching (that is, integrating diverse racial representations and empowering students to combat racism and oppression).</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/black-youth-yearn-for-black-teachers-to-disrupt-the-daily-silencing-of-their-experiences-177279">Black youth yearn for Black teachers to disrupt the daily silencing of their experiences</a>
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<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566505/original/file-20231219-27-w516e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566505/original/file-20231219-27-w516e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566505/original/file-20231219-27-w516e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566505/original/file-20231219-27-w516e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566505/original/file-20231219-27-w516e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566505/original/file-20231219-27-w516e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566505/original/file-20231219-27-w516e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Educators have important roles in integrating diverse racial representations and empowering students to combat racism and oppression.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley for EDU Images)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Call for change</h2>
<p>Students should not be subjected to racism and should be learning about the diverse realities of the French-speaking world so they can see themselves as legitimate French speakers. </p>
<p>Listening to the voices of racial minority students in French immersion programs in dialogue with research documenting program inequities is an important step towards creating more inclusive French immersion programs and schools. </p>
<p>The preliminary findings of my study, in conjunction with earlier research documenting a Eurocentric focus and colonial lens in Ontario and Toronto immersion programs, point to the need for <a href="https://omlta.org/how-to-be-an-anti-racist-educator-series">supporting anti-racist</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FikFP9lnIcQ">culturally responsive teaching and intercultural awareness</a> to make programs more welcoming to all students.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218017/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marika Kunnas receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>Listening to voices of racialized students in French immersion matters for creating more inclusive schooling.Marika Kunnas, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Education, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2185662024-01-09T23:08:30Z2024-01-09T23:08:30ZHearing the voices of Indigenous people with neurodevelopmental disabilities<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/hearing-the-voices-of-indigenous-people-with-neurodevelopmental-disabilities" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Indigenous Peoples with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) and mental health challenges are among the most marginalized groups in the country. NDDs include things like autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). </p>
<p>Research points to <a href="https://uwaterloo.ca/canadian-index-wellbeing/reports/canadian-index-wellbeing-national-report">persistent health inequities</a>, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.01.021">mental health research</a> has tended to overemphasize suicide and substance use in Indigenous populations. </p>
<p>Although their stories also tell of strengths, struggles and important community contributions, the voices of Indigenous Peoples with NDDs often go unheard. </p>
<p>A report that includes immediate and long-term calls to action was developed to shed light on the experiences of this under-represented group and create meaningful change in their lives. </p>
<p>“<a href="https://brocku.ca/thomson-lab/wp-content/uploads/sites/209/Forming-the-Circle-Indigeneity-Neurodevelopmental-Disability-Mental-Health-Sept-2023-1.pdf">Forming the Circle: 2023 Gathering on Indigeneity, Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and Mental Health</a>” was informed by a community event held last spring that brought together Indigenous community members, Knowledge Keepers and Elders, service providers, researchers and non-Indigenous allies from across Canada. </p>
<p>The report was authored by researchers from Brock University (Kendra Thomson) and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health - CAMH (Louis Busch) and reflects the findings from the event and recommendations for future actions. Attendees provided feedback on the report in focus groups after the event and before the report was released.</p>
<h2>The gathering</h2>
<p><a href="https://brocku.ca/thomson-lab/2023-gathering-on-indigeneity-neurodevelopmental-disabilities-and-mental-health-in-ontario/">The gathering</a> explored how colonization, systemic discrimination and determinants of health such as food insecurity, housing and access to cultural safe services impact individuals, families and communities. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fxv1za8arlw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">At the 2023 Gathering on Indigeneity, Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and Mental Health at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, people with lived experience, traditional Knowledge Keepers, clinicians and researchers from across Canada shared knowledge and expertise.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/as-an-indigenous-doctor-i-see-the-legacy-of-residential-schools-and-ongoing-racism-in-todays-health-care-162048">As an Indigenous doctor, I see the legacy of residential schools and ongoing racism in today's health care</a>
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<p>Gathering attendees concluded that the path forward should begin with establishing a national network on Indigeneity, neurodevelopmental disabilities and mental health to take action that will enhance the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples with NDDs and mental health challenges. </p>
<p>Some of the long-term recommendations within the report call for: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>The creation of programs to promote and preserve culture;</p></li>
<li><p>Partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations, with training provided to enhance the cultural safety of programs;</p></li>
<li><p>The development of culturally appropriate assessment tools and supportive programs for Indigenous Peoples with NDDs;</p></li>
<li><p>Examination of the experience of Indigenous Peoples with NDDs within the criminal justice system, youth populations, child welfare system and those impacted by environmental issues; and </p></li>
<li><p>Evaluation of the impact of incorporating traditional teachings and medicines within educational, social and health-related programs.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>JJ’s story</h2>
<p>Among those in attendance was JJ Thunder Bear Man, an Anishinaabe man who travelled almost 2,000 kilometres from Dryden to Toronto to share his story at the gathering. </p>
<p>Born in the early 1980s in a community in northern Ontario, JJ was put into the foster-care system at age five as his parents faced the realities of their experiences at <a href="https://nctr.ca/education/teaching-resources/residential-school-history/">residential schools</a>. </p>
<p>Adolescence came with its own challenges, with JJ getting involved in a gang and struggling with addiction. His journey toward healing and recovery began when he joined Community Living in Dryden at the age of 18. His support team helped him to connect to his culture and to community.</p>
<p>The revelation of his spirit helper, the bear, and his spirit name, Thunder Bear Man, offered a powerful lens into JJ’s path to healing and connection to culture. </p>
<p>His heartfelt desire to reconnect with his family’s language, lost over time, also added a poignant layer to his story. He recalls having to ask his sister what his mother was saying when they finally got to visit years later, as she didn’t speak English, and he couldn’t speak Ojibwe. </p>
<p>JJ’s story, not unlike other young Indigenous Peoples living with NDDs and mental health challenges, highlights the <a href="https://afn.ca/community-services/languages/">dire need for preserving language and tradition</a>. </p>
<h2>Beautiful differences</h2>
<p>JJ’s story is one that contains experiences familiar to many Indigenous Peoples with neurodevelopmental differences and mental health challenges.</p>
<p>During the event, JJ issued a plea for kindness, understanding and companionship for neurodiverse individuals within Indigenous communities, reflecting on the impact acknowledgement and support can have. </p>
<p>The importance of a supportive “strength-based” approach was a theme that emerged again and again at the gathering, stressing the need to recognize individuals’ unique contributions, accomplishments and abilities. Many participants used the term “neurodevelopmental difference” rather than disability or disorder.</p>
<p>This report is intended to mark only the start of a broader discussion, new and strengthened relationships and a collective commitment across the country to take action to improve the lives of Indigenous Peoples with beautiful differences.</p>
<p><em>We would like to acknowledge JJ Thunder Bear Man for bravely sharing his moving story with us, and his helper, Lesley Barreira of Surrey Place, for supporting him in doing so.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218566/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kendra Thomson receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Louis Busch receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).</span></em></p>Although their stories often tell of strengths, struggles and important community contributions, the voices of Indigenous people with neurodevelopmental disabilities often go unheard.Kendra Thomson, Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Disability Studies, Brock UniversityLouis Busch, Community Support Specialist, Shkaabe Makwa Centre for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Wellness at CAMH, Doctoral Student, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2195642023-12-11T22:48:10Z2023-12-11T22:48:10ZWhat the Blue Jays can learn from missing out on the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/what-the-blue-jays-can-learn-from-missing-out-on-the-shohei-ohtani-sweepstakes" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>This past weekend, Toronto Blue Jays fans experienced a roller coaster of emotions when it seemed like Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani was going to sign with Toronto, <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/10161849/blue-jays-fans-heartbroken-ohtani-signs-dodgers/">only to be heartbroken</a> after he signed a US$700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.</p>
<p>The Blue Jays wanted Ohtani for a number of reasons. Ohtani is a rare breed in baseball — not only is he one of the best pitchers in MLB, <a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/shohei-ohtani-660271">with an ERA of 3.14 in 2023</a>, but he’s also a prolific hitter. His unique skill set has <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/shohei-ohtani-babe-ruth-1.6921241">drawn comparisons with baseball legend Babe Ruth</a>.</p>
<p>His global fan base also translates into economic benefits for any team he plays for. According to a study by a Japanese economist, Ohtani’s broad economic impact in 2022 when he played for the Los Angeles Angels <a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/05/how-much-revenue-does-shohei-ohtani-actually-generate.html">was around US$337 million</a>.</p>
<p>Now that the dust has settled, Blue Jays fans and analysts alike must reflect on the lessons learned from this situation. </p>
<h2>Don’t let price bulldoze other interests</h2>
<p>Blue Jays fans could be forgiven for thinking that when Blue Jays’ owner Rogers entered into meaningful negotiations with Ohtani it was just a matter of time. <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/as-ohtani-fallout-continues-clarity-on-blue-jays-final-offer-emerges/">According to a number of sources close to the negotiation</a>, the Blue Jays’ best offer was similar to the one offered by the Dodgers.</p>
<p>However, <a href="https://hbr.org/2001/04/six-habits-of-merely-effective-negotiators">as Harvard Business School professor, James K. Sebenius argues</a>, a common error in negotiations is thinking that price is the most important, or only, issue to be resolved. </p>
<p>In the case of Ohtani, the US$700 million price tag was clearly a factor in his decision. But now it seems obvious that other interests, including club location and the competitiveness of the team were also important considerations.</p>
<h2>The best alternative to a negotiated agreement</h2>
<p>This may not be much consolation, but the Blue Jays were merely one of 29 losers in the Ohtani sweepstakes. Arguably, <a href="https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2023/12/11/los-angeles-angels-future-without-shohei-ohtani.aspx">the L.A. Angels organization and their fans</a>, having just lost Ohtani to the rival L.A. Dodgers are as — or, perhaps more — <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/angels/news/angels-fans-react-to-shohei-ohtani-signing-with-dodgers-ml0802">heartbroken this week</a> than the Jays are.</p>
<p>The lesson for the Angels fans is to understand <a href="https://www.pon.harvard.edu/shop/getting-to-yes-negotiating-agreement-without-giving-in/">the best alternative to a negotiated agreement (BATNA) concept</a>. In short, the BATNA is whatever course of action either side of a negotiation will take in the event that no deal is reached between them.</p>
<p>For example, if you were to enter into a salary negotiation with your current employer with a job offer from a rival company in hand, your BATNA — in the event your salary negotiation is unsuccessful — is to take the rival company’s offer.</p>
<p>In the Ohtani sweepstakes, the <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/mlb/news/shohei-ohtani-trade-rumors-angels-two-way-star-playoffs/og9dbsoqbrgv5i5lj3ipcyud">L.A. Angels appear to have underestimated Ohtani’s BATNA</a>, perhaps believing their positive relationship, West Coast location and willingness to spend whatever it took to make the playoffs in 2023 would be enough.</p>
<h2>Interests versus positions</h2>
<p>The Toronto Blue Jays’ and L.A. Angels’ willingness to spend whatever it took didn’t matter. Not because the Dodgers were willing to spend more, but because whatever the compensation figure ultimately was, it would only be acceptable to Ohtani if it satisfied his interests.</p>
<p>It can be challenging to distinguish between interests and positions when so much money is involved in a signing such as this. In short, interests are the underlying motivations that inform positions, while positions are specific demands.</p>
<p>For example, you might ask for $100,000 at your next salary negotiation — that is a position (or, in other words, a specific demand). An example of an interest might be the flexibility the position affords, which may be more enticing than a job that doesn’t meet those interests.</p>
<p>The Blue Jays and L.A. Angels seem to have misinterpreted Ohtani’s interests and proceeded as if compensation would be enough. </p>
<p>In reality, it appears Ohtani’s interests (based on the contract and its deferred payment structure) were mostly based on sustained excellence and anticipated success over these next 10 years. Ohtani immediately bolsters an already competitive team and has offered the Dodgers an opportunity to become even more competitive by virtue of his deferred compensation. </p>
<h2>Failing to correct skewed vision</h2>
<p>The Toronto Blue Jays and L.A. Angels seem to have fallen into the common trap of believing their own narrative while negotiating.</p>
<p>The L.A. Angels believed Ohtani would re-sign with them because he valued familiarity, the relationship with the team and the West Coast location.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/armstrong-shohei-ohtani-baseball-blue-jays-1.7052383">Blue Jays believed he would sign with them</a> because of the unique marketing potential being with Canada’s team and the compensation only Rogers could offer, in part because Rogers’ NHL rights were coming to an end.</p>
<p>It’s possible some of those factors did come into play, and that the Blue Jays and Angels executives and fans were not completely wrong to think they had a chance. But clearly, they thought what they had to offer would be enough. It wasn’t.</p>
<h2>Looking ahead</h2>
<p>There will be ramifications from the Blue Jays’ pursuit of Ohtani. Fans’ expectations will be raised if and when future free agents become available on the open market — notably, <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/blue-jays-vladimir-guerrero-jr-discussed-long-term-deal-but-didnt-find-common-ground/">Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette</a> who will become free agents in 2025.</p>
<p>As we get closer to their pending free agency and negotiations, the Blue Jays would be well served to understand those players’ interests and make sure they can meet them in full — or, risk losing out again.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219564/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Blue Jays would be well served to heed the lessons learned from losing out on signing Shohei Ohtani to make sure they don’t risk losing out on any more top players.Ryan Clutterbuck, Assistant Professor in Sport Management, Brock UniversityMichael Van Bussel, Assistant Professor in Sport Management, Brock UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2097762023-11-02T21:11:32Z2023-11-02T21:11:32ZJewish women’s illustrated memoirs of the Holocaust cover matrilineal relationships<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557290/original/file-20231102-21-2mtyf1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=2%2C13%2C800%2C751&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Images from Bernice Eisenstein’s ‘I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors’ and Miriam Katin’s We Are on Our Own.’</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(National Film Board/Drawn & Quarterly) </span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/jewish-womens-illustrated-memoirs-of-the-holocaust-cover-matrilineal-relationships" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/mandatory-holocaust-education-schools-1.7015118">The Ontario government recently made a welcome announcement</a> that as of September 2025, lessons on the Holocaust will be included in the mandatory history class for Grade 10 students. The announcement precedes <a href="https://torontoholocaustmuseum.org/participate/signature-programs/neuberger-holocaust-education-week">Neuberger Holocaust Education Week at the Toronto Holocaust Museum</a>, which runs Nov. 1–9.</p>
<p>As someone who teaches the Holocaust through literary works, I have found that illustrated graphic memoirs serve as an excellent entry point to this important but difficult subject.</p>
<p>Art Spiegelman is recognized for having launched a new genre of Holocaust memoir with <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/banning-maus-only-exposes-the-significance-of-this-searing-graphic-novel-about-the-holocaust-175999">Maus: A Survivor’s Tale</a></em> (1986; 1991), a two-volume graphic work that focused on a father-son relationship.</p>
<p>Lesser known are two groundbreaking graphic works published in 2006 that foreground matrilineal connections and women’s survival during the war years: Miriam Katin’s <em><a href="https://drawnandquarterly.com/books/we-are-on-our-own-paperback/">We Are on Our Own</a></em> and Bernice Eisenstein’s <em><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/books/i-was-a-child-of-holocaust-survivors-1.5063197">I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors</a></em>.</p>
<p>These memoirs emphasize women’s embodied, gendered experience and show their intelligence, agency and resolve. </p>
<p>In documenting women’s bravery in the face of Nazi persecution, they help balance the field of Holocaust writing, which <a href="https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/bib1690">still is dominated by the experiences and perspectives of men</a>.</p>
<h2>Miriam Katin’s <em>We Are on Our Own</em></h2>
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<img alt="Drawing of a person bent over a letter with a sombre face." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554360/original/file-20231017-29-utrjoi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554360/original/file-20231017-29-utrjoi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=614&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554360/original/file-20231017-29-utrjoi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=614&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554360/original/file-20231017-29-utrjoi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=614&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554360/original/file-20231017-29-utrjoi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=772&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554360/original/file-20231017-29-utrjoi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=772&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554360/original/file-20231017-29-utrjoi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=772&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">‘We Are on Our Own’ by Miriam Katin.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Drawn & Quarterly)</span></span>
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<p><em>We Are on Our Own</em> recounts how Katin and her mother manage to survive in wartime Hungary. Katin was a small child during the war. She grew up with family stories and, as noted in the coda to her graphic memoir, “could somehow imagine the places and people my mother told me about.” </p>
<p>The memoir traces Katin and her mother’s departure from Budapest in 1944 for the Hungarian countryside, where they lived until the end of the war under the guise of a peasant woman with an illegitimate child.</p>
<p>Katin highlights her mother’s heroism. First, her mother procures false identity documents for herself and her daughter. She then burns all photographs, letters, books and other documentation that record her true family history. After a loyal housemaid helps fake her death by suicide, she adopts the facade that is essential to her life in <a href="https://www.theholocaustexplained.org/resistance-responses-collaboration/resistance/hiding/">open hiding</a>.</p>
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<p>Katin also records her mother’s experiences of harassment, rape, pregnancy and abortion. Her mother confronts jeering soldiers. She endures repeated <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kmgKAnDniI">rape by a Nazi commandant</a>, knowing the aberrant relationship ensures her survival and her ability to protect her toddler. She offers herself to a Soviet soldier, saving her daughter from untold harm.</p>
<p>And when she becomes pregnant, she overcomes intense anxiety, even thoughts of suicide, to act pragmatically and seek an abortion.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-women-change-their-stories-of-sexual-assault-holocaust-testimonies-may-provide-clues-138705">Why do women change their stories of sexual assault? Holocaust testimonies may provide clues</a>
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<h2>Bernice Eisenstein’s <strong><em>I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors</em></strong></h2>
<p><em>I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors</em> features Bernice Eisenstein’s mother’s story of survival, transcribed from a 1995 videotaped interview with Regina Eisenstein for the <a href="https://sfi.usc.edu/collections/holocaust">University of Southern California Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive</a>. </p>
<p>Eisenstein describes her mother’s “unfaltering voice” and “the precision and directness of her words,” which extend over several pages to constitute a presence in her daughter’s graphic memoir and in the history she recalls. </p>
<p>In the very act of incorporating “my mother’s story as she told it,” Eisenstein is valuing Regina’s gendered wartime experience, the judgement she showed then and “the courage she has always possessed.”</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Bernice Eisenstein’s <em>I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors</em> was adapted into an animated film by Ann Marie Fleming for the National Film Board.</span></figcaption>
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<p>In September 1939, when the Germans first enter her hometown of <a href="https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/bedzin">Bedzin, Poland</a>, Regina grasps at any opportunity to survive amid the chaos. She understands that being assigned to work duty makes her useful and less of a target. As the only family member with a work permit — she sews uniforms for German soldiers — she is able to hide her relations when the SS stand outside her door. </p>
<p>Towards the end of the war, she herself hides to avoid the <a href="https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/timeline-event/holocaust/1942-1945/death-march-from-auschwitz">death march from Auschwitz</a>. In mid-January 1945, she and a few friends decide to bury themselves under clothing stored in a warehouse. They wait until dark to emerge and race to an abandoned barrack, where they “hid for four more days without food or water. At night, we stepped out and ate snow.”</p>
<p>It is the presence and love of her mother and sister that most succour Regina. <a href="https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/auschwitz">In Auschwitz-Birkenau</a>, her mother helps Regina recover from dysentery by giving her a mixture of burned coal and water. When typhus sends Regina into a coma, she later learns her mother visited the hospital to be by her side. </p>
<p>Her mother and sister also prevent Regina from being sent to work on an officer’s farm somewhere in Germany. Later, when Regina is transferred from Birkenau to Auschwitz and the three women are forcibly parted, a sense of their abiding bond prevents a descent into hopelessness.</p>
<p>When Regina cannot find language to “describe what it was like when I am reunited with my mother and sister” after liberation, Eisenstein accepts her silence. She characterizes the experience of listening to and watching Regina on videotape as her own “silent journey,” which suggests the degree to which she connects with her mother’s experience of falling silent at the close of her 1995 interview.</p>
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<h2>Breaking silence</h2>
<p>In their graphic memoirs, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_CfLIB16RE">Katin</a> and <a href="https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/scl/2018-v43-n1-scl04443/1058071ar/">Eisenstein</a> break the silence that once shrouded their mothers’ suffering. </p>
<p>Each daughter centres her mother’s wartime story, asserts her mother’s fortitude in the face of affliction and shows her mother’s capacity to live with deep wounds.</p>
<p>Each records a singular story in an effort to validate her mother’s particular experience under Nazism and to restore women’s lived experiences to Holocaust literature and history.</p>
<p>Teachers might consider bringing these memoirs into their classrooms. My own experience confirms that students are moved by these texts and learn a great deal from the stories they tell.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209776/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ruth Panofsky does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Memoirs about the Holocaust by women emphasize women’s embodied, gendered experiences, and show their intelligence, agency and resolve in the face of Nazi persecution.Ruth Panofsky, Professor, Department of English, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2137072023-10-05T19:10:17Z2023-10-05T19:10:17ZHow Arctic landscapes and Canadian cityscapes share a similar pattern<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/how-arctic-landscapes-and-canadian-cityscapes-share-a-similar-pattern" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The year 2023 has been one of extremes, from heatwaves that baked millions across the globe and made the summer the <a href="https://climate.copernicus.eu/summer-2023-hottest-record">world’s hottest on record</a> to the fires that forced <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/world-on-fire-canada-s-worst-wildfire-season-on-record-1.6946472">tens of thousands to evacuate across Western Canada</a>. From the feel of surprising warmth in the mid-winter sun to the crinkle and cracking of leaves dried by drought, you can witness climate change with all of your senses.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/yellowknife-and-kelowna-wildfires-burn-in-what-is-already-canadas-worst-season-on-record-211817">Yellowknife and Kelowna wildfires burn in what is already Canada's worst season on record</a>
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<p>Our perception of climate change is shaped by personal experiences of such extremes, and our first-hand climate experiences are rooted in where we live. As a result, there is a profound disconnect between the experiences of those who live in cities far from the planet’s northernmost reaches and those who live in the Arctic, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD029726">where the climate is changing faster than anywhere else on Earth</a>. </p>
<p>Despite this gulf of experience, there are surprising parallels between Canadian urban cores and northern Arctic islands where the shape of the landscapes hold our shared histories.</p>
<h2>Polygons</h2>
<p><a href="https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere/frozen-ground-permafrost/science-frozen-ground">Polygons are perhaps one of the most visually striking features that can be found in the high Arctic</a>. They are vast areas of ground that are patterned by geometric protrusions, 10 to 20 metres in width, rimmed by metre-deep troughs. </p>
<p>From above, the landscape looks like it has been tiled by puzzle pieces as wide as school buses; up close, walking through polygon troughs feels like being an ant wandering the cracks in dried mud.</p>
<p>Polygons can form when seasonal temperatures interact with perennially frozen sub-surface soil, known as permafrost. Winter cold first contracts the ground so fiercely that cracks form, penetrating into the frozen sub-surface. These cracks fill with meltwater in spring, and, because permafrost has typically stayed cold year-round, the pools of meltwater freeze, expand and further push apart ground.</p>
<p>Such cracks form troughs that meet others, and since both permafrost and seasons span large areas, so too can fields of polygons. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-40795-9">The topographic pattern of polygons shapes the history of a place</a>. They efficiently organize where and how water moves through the landscape, and as such, they alter more than how the landscape looks: they fundamentally reshape how it functions.</p>
<p>Over time, streams can develop along the angular polygon boundaries where channels erode and deepen as water flows. Deeper channels expose previously-buried permafrost to warm summer air, furthering thaw and intensifying methane emissions as once-frozen organic matter decomposes. Polygons shape where water goes, and, in turn, the water reshapes the world in which it travels. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/thawing-permafrost-is-roiling-the-arctic-landscape-driven-by-a-hidden-world-of-changes-beneath-the-surface-as-the-climate-warms-174157">Thawing permafrost is roiling the Arctic landscape, driven by a hidden world of changes beneath the surface as the climate warms</a>
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<p>The impact of polygons persists even after the permafrost has thawed: looking at a map, you can spot where polygons were by the zig-zagging nature of rivers and streams that follow where polygon troughs used to be. Landscapes hold memory.</p>
<h2>Urban memories</h2>
<p>Cities, too, hold memory. If you live in a larger Canadian city, you live in a place whose character and function have been shaped by transitional patterns that facilitate flow, like in the Arctic. While in the Arctic we can look to polygons to find memory, in cities we can look to streetcars.</p>
<p><a href="https://barrydsilverstein.medium.com/the-unlikely-rebirth-of-the-streetcar-in-america-ea2207ec5c88">Networks of streetcar lines were built</a> in most major North American cities between the late 1800s and the mid 1900s in response to growing populations, from Vancouver to Miami, Toronto and San Francisco. When these streetcars patterned the cityscape, they shaped where people went. </p>
<p><a href="https://books.google.ca/books/about/The_Streetcar_Renaissance.html?id=0FsQcgAACAAJ&redir_esc=y">Areas near streetcar stops developed rapidly and reshaped the character of the neighbourhoods themselves</a>. Businesses, services and entertainment emerged and grew along the interconnected corridors that newly criss-crossed cities, and a particular urban vibrance came from the intermingling nature of these places where people could find services and amenities, live and work, gather and stay.</p>
<p>Most streetcars have been removed or replaced across North America since the mid-20th century. However, despite the loss of streetcar lines themselves, neighbourhood character has persisted along the corridors where the lines once were. Zoning laws locked in neighbourhoods just as eroded channels locked in the course of Arctic streams. </p>
<p>In patterning large areas of cities, streetcars organized how people moved, and as such, they altered more than how the city looked: they fundamentally reshaped how the city functioned. Neighbourhoods have memory in their character, as Arctic streams have memory in theirs: both products of patterned landscapes in transition.</p>
<h2>Patterns and flow</h2>
<p>Looking at a map of century-old streetcar networks is a surprisingly good way to find where interesting neighbourhoods are today. </p>
<p>Take Vancouver, where <a href="https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/vancouver-city-and-suburban-lines">historical streetcar lines mark modern commercial corridors</a>: in Kitsilano, streetcars ran along both 4th and Broadway, while downtown, streetcars formed a loop along Davie, Denman, Robson and Granville streets. </p>
<p><a href="https://cityarchives.edmonton.ca/edmonton-alberta-car-flow-on-existing-lines-1930">In Edmonton</a>, streetcars ran on Whyte Avenue between 109th and 99th streets, where cafes, bars, restaurants, and festivals bring energy to the 10-block stretch. In Toronto, where the streetcar system still remains, it is unsurprising that vibrance follows the lines on Queen, Yonge, Church and other streets. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/thawing-permafrost-is-triggering-thousands-of-landslides-across-the-arctic-114702">Thawing permafrost is triggering thousands of landslides across the Arctic</a>
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<p>You can search for old streetcar maps for your city, too, and see how your home was shaped in a similar way. They are places where you can step out your front door and find cafes, restaurants, businesses and shops, all having grown organically on the same block, in part due to the streetcars that fostered growth along fixed lines. </p>
<p>The rapidly changing Arctic environment is a place with surprising similarities to Canadian urban histories, where polygons do to landscapes what streetcars did to cities, and where water moves as we do to shape its world. Polygons highlight the common ground between the character of Canada’s urban cores and the world’s furthest northern reaches. </p>
<p>As the Arctic continues to experience climate change at a pace more rapid than anywhere else on the planet, we would do well to see ourselves in once-frozen lands: perhaps then we will finally act.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213707/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sam Anderson receives funding from The National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jonas Eschenfelder receives funding from Simon Fraser University, Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shawn M. Chartrand receives funding from the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and from the Faculty of the Environment, Simon Fraser University, Canada. </span></em></p>While a seemingly remote and unfamiliar landscape, the Arctic shares many surprising similarities with contemporary Canadian cityscapes.Sam Anderson, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Simon Fraser UniversityJonas Eschenfelder, PhD Candidate, Simon Fraser UniversityShawn M. Chartrand, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science, Simon Fraser UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2132962023-09-28T21:20:31Z2023-09-28T21:20:31ZIndigenous-authored novels: 5 great contemporary reads for young adults<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/indigenous-authored-novels-5-great-contemporary-reads-for-young-adults" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://educationactiontoronto.com/articles/behind-first-voices-tdsbs-mandatory-course-on-indigenous-studies-an-interview-with-student-trustee-isaiah-shafqat/#">The Toronto District School Board</a> recently pledged to replace <a href="https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Home/ctl/Details/mid/42863/itemId/66">Grade 11 English courses</a> in all <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/tdsb-indigenous-course-credit-1.6734437">110 of its secondary schools with the now-mandatory First Voices course</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/grade-11-english-course-with-focus-on-indigenous-voices-to-become-mandatory-in-london-region-1.6854926">First Voices</a> is a Grade 11 English course that replaces works by authors like Shakespeare <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-goodbye-great-gatsby-hello-rita-joe-thunder-bays-schools-bring/">and Fitzgerald</a> with texts authored by Indigenous writers like Cherie Dimaline and Richard Wagamese. </p>
<p>Since Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report in 2015, schools across the country have been advancing curricula <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/indigenous-people/aboriginal-peoples-documents/calls_to_action_english2.pdf">to align with calls for reconciliation education</a>. </p>
<p>Over the summer, our Indigenous literatures lab, led by Haudenosaunee scholar Jennifer Brant at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, examined contemporary Indigenous-authored young adult texts that are well-suited for the First Voices course. </p>
<h2>Importance of Indigenous perspectives</h2>
<p>With the replacement of long-read literature comes the task of selecting texts that centre Indigenous resurgence and what Indigenous <a href="https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9780803210837/">literary scholar Gerald Vizenor refers to as survivance</a>. Survivance encompasses an active sense of presence, merging both survival and resistance.</p>
<p>We hope to see the stories in classrooms across the country that centre Indigenous community narratives from the voices of Indigenous Peoples. </p>
<p>Such stories may not always be happy or gentle, but they tell truths of Indigenous presence and visions for empowered futures. </p>
<h2>Upholding responsibilities</h2>
<p>As Cherokee author and scholar Daniel Heath Justice writes, good stories are needed that give “<a href="https://www.wlupress.wlu.ca/Books/W/Why-Indigenous-Literatures-Matter">shape, substance and purpose” to Indigenous Peoples’ existences</a> and shed light on how to uphold responsibilities to one another and to creation. </p>
<p>These stand in contrast to stories Justice discusses as “bad medicine,” stories often imposed from the outside, from the perspective of the colonizer. These stories are noxious and can poison both the speaker and the listener as they often perpetuate deficiency narratives about Indigenous Peoples.</p>
<p>This analysis speaks to the definitive need for Indigenous-authored texts in the First Voices course, and also for educators to pay attention to how these books are taught.</p>
<p>As interdisciplinary researcher Jennifer Hardwick suggests, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.3138/topia.33.99">decolonizing narratives can be misread as colonial if readers do not have the knowledge-base to engage with them</a> … It is not enough to introduce Canadians to decolonizing narratives; decolonization needs to begin with a process of unlearning and re-learning.” </p>
<h2>Engaging with books</h2>
<p>Métis professor Aubrey Jean Hanson proposes a framework of resurgence and explains that this process <a href="https://www.wlupress.wlu.ca/Books/L/Literatures-Communities-and-Learning3">relies on the willingness of non-Indigenous students and staff to engage substantially with Indigenous literary texts</a>.</p>
<p>We encourage educators to take a strength-based perspective when discussing Indigenous literature, and also to take an anti-racist approach. Anti-racist approaches acknowledge varied experiences of racism, and would help <a href="https://theconversation.com/acting-out-theatre-class-where-students-rehearse-for-change-108396">students think critically about their own lives</a> in relationship to these books.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-you-shouldnt-be-afraid-of-critical-race-theory-podcast-183973">Why you shouldn't be afraid of critical race theory — Podcast</a>
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<p>Books featured here are highly acclaimed, and show narratives of Indigenous resurgence. All except one are recently published.</p>
<p>The Indigenous literatures lab will continue to review new literary material to support educators as they learn to engage with Indigenous-authored texts in ethical and relational ways. </p>
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<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="A woman in a black dress with foliage patterning against a blue background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550752/original/file-20230927-25-2hsi10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550752/original/file-20230927-25-2hsi10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=915&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550752/original/file-20230927-25-2hsi10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=915&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550752/original/file-20230927-25-2hsi10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=915&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550752/original/file-20230927-25-2hsi10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1149&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550752/original/file-20230927-25-2hsi10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1149&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550752/original/file-20230927-25-2hsi10.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1149&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘The Break’ by Katherena Vermette.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(House of Anansi)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://houseofanansi.com/products/the-break"><strong><em>The Break</em></strong> (2016), Katherena Vermette’s debut novel</a>, is the winner of <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/books/katherena-vermette-wins-40k-amazon-ca-first-novel-award-for-the-break-1.4139287#">the Amazon.ca First Novel Award</a>, the <a href="https://www.writerstrust.com/authors/katherena-vermette/">Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award</a>, and was a finalist for other <a href="https://ggbooks.ca/past-winners-and-finalists">prestigious awards</a>.</p>
<p>It is a story about a Métis-Anishinaabe teen and her family who are drastically impacted by a violent crime in Winnipeg. As investigations uncover many unknowns, readers get meaningful insights into the realities of various characters whose lives are intricately woven together. </p>
<p>The book delves into themes of family, strength, womanhood, love and the power of generational resiliency. This novel provides a snapshot of the experiences faced regularly by Indigenous women and girls in Canada — and how systems (like policing and justice systems) often fail to protect them. Vermette’s rich and complex storytelling enthralls the reader, making this book a must-read.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550753/original/file-20230927-25-oq4inq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A floral beading pattern seen against birchbark." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550753/original/file-20230927-25-oq4inq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550753/original/file-20230927-25-oq4inq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=925&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550753/original/file-20230927-25-oq4inq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=925&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550753/original/file-20230927-25-oq4inq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=925&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550753/original/file-20230927-25-oq4inq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1162&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550753/original/file-20230927-25-oq4inq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1162&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550753/original/file-20230927-25-oq4inq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1162&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘The Strangers’ by Katherena Vermette.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Hamish Hamilton/Penguin Random House Canada)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/624145/the-strangers-by-katherena-vermette/9780735239630#"><strong><em>The Strangers</em></strong> (2021), by Katherena Vermette</a> is a <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Strangers-Katherena-Vermette/dp/0735239630#">No. 1 National Bestseller</a>, and winner of numerous awards, including the <a href="https://biblioottawalibrary.ca/en/blogs/strangers-wins-atwood-gibson-wt-fiction-prize-and-other-winners">Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Prize for Fiction</a>. </p>
<p>Vermette is a Red River Métis (Michif) author from Treaty 1 territory. <em>The Strangers</em> is a sequel to <em>The Break</em>, but can also be read as a stand-alone novel. It explores the ways government systems (child welfare, health care, education and social services) are failing Indigenous Peoples, while at the same time expecting Indigenous Peoples to fail. </p>
<p>Vermette powerfully weaves the stories of four strong women to tell an inter-generational story about rage, trauma, memory, hope and the power of family as an anchor to home.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="A woman in a yellow shirt with face turned up against a blue background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550754/original/file-20230927-27-3fon7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550754/original/file-20230927-27-3fon7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=907&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550754/original/file-20230927-27-3fon7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=907&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550754/original/file-20230927-27-3fon7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=907&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550754/original/file-20230927-27-3fon7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1139&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550754/original/file-20230927-27-3fon7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1139&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550754/original/file-20230927-27-3fon7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1139&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘The Summer of Bitter and Sweet’ by Jen Ferguson.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Heartdrum/HarperCollinsCanada)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.harpercollins.ca/9780063086166/the-summer-of-bitter-and-sweet/"><strong><em>The Summer of Bitter and Sweet</em></strong> (2022) by Jen Ferguson</a></p>
<p>Ferguson’s debut novel follows the narrative of a Métis girl, Lou, as she works at her family’s ice cream shop the summer before she starts university. Set in the Canadian Prairies, readers witness the complexities of growing up as a mixed-race teen in a part of the world where anti-Indigenous racism is prevalent. </p>
<p>Lou is forced to navigate this reality all while overcoming intergenerational trauma, mending broken relationships and discovering her own sexuality. Lou often relies on anger and secrets as a means of survival, but by exploring her identity, gaining a better understanding of her family’s strengths and their determination, she comes to understand what it means to be proud of who she is, where she comes from and the opportunities that await. </p>
<p>It is no surprise this book won the <a href="https://ggbooks.ca/#young-peoples-literature-text">2022 Governor General’s Literary Award for Young People’s Literature</a>!</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="Two faces seen in profile with a butterfly motif." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550755/original/file-20230927-23-znesi7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550755/original/file-20230927-23-znesi7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=908&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550755/original/file-20230927-23-znesi7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=908&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550755/original/file-20230927-23-znesi7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=908&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550755/original/file-20230927-23-znesi7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1141&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550755/original/file-20230927-23-znesi7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1141&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550755/original/file-20230927-23-znesi7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1141&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Firekeeper’s Daughter’ by Angeline Boulley.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Henry Holt and Co./MacMillan)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250766571/firekeepersdaughter"><strong><em>Firekeeper’s Daughter</em></strong> (2021) by Angeline Boulley</a> is <a href="https://angelineboulley.com/">a <em>New York Times</em> bestseller</a>, winner of the <a href="https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2022/01/firekeeper-s-daughter-wins-2022-printz-award#">Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature</a> and <a href="https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2022/01/firekeeper-s-daughter-wins-2022-william-c-morris-award#">other significant</a> <a href="https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2022/01/aila-announces-2022-american-indian-youth-literature-awards">honours</a>.</p>
<p>This action-packed novel takes readers on a thrilling journey of an FBI investigation. The protagonist, Daunis, must use knowledge of her Ojibwe culture and identity to solve a mystery and murder in her town, while navigating high school, love and friendship, family and kinship, and hockey. </p>
<p><em>Firekeeper’s Daughter</em> is a great introduction to Indigenous ways of knowing, while addressing negative narratives that exist. This novel will keep readers on their toes.</p>
<hr>
<p><a href="https://canadianscholars.ca/book/ravensong-a-novel-03eb2330-04fc-4364-b05a-e2508aeb5660/"><strong><em>Ravensong</em></strong> (1993) by Sto:lo writer and award-winning author Lee Maracle</a> is set in a 1950s Pacific northwest coast community that borders a settler community referred to as white town. The protagonist, 17-year-old Stacey, walks into white town daily to attend high school as one of the only Indigenous students in a world defined by significantly different rules and roles than the ones she knows.</p>
<p>It is a coming-of-age story. The book calls upon readers to see the world through the eyes of Stacey, who witnesses the injustices faced by Indigenous communities — along with the dehumanization of women in white town whose world is governed by a patriarchal worldview. </p>
<p>This story reflects on racialized, sexualized, and gender-based violence and how the power and beauty of Indigenous matrilineal laws can provide contemporary solutions to the many ills we face. Maracle recalls matrilineal traditions as a path for imagining a future in which we all thrive. </p>
<p>Maracle followed <em>Ravensong</em> with <em>Celia’s Song</em>, a finalist in the 2020 <a href="https://www.cormorantbooks.com/celias-song">Neustadt International Prize for Literature</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213296/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jennifer Brant receives funding from SSHRC and the Spencer Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erenna Morrison, Gayatri Thakor, and Meagan Hamilton do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Researchers from an Indigenous literatures lab examine texts that are well-suited for a new Grade 11 course, First Voices.Jennifer Brant, Assistant Professor in Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of TorontoErenna Morrison, PhD Candidate, Curriculum and Pedagogy, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of TorontoGayatri Thakor, PhD Student, Curriculum and Pedagogy, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of TorontoMeagan Hamilton, PhD Candidate, Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2141782023-09-25T21:14:55Z2023-09-25T21:14:55ZOntario’s Greenbelt is safe for now, but will the scandal alter Doug Ford’s course?<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/ontarios-greenbelt-is-safe-for-now-but-will-the-scandal-alter-doug-fords-course" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ford-stag-and-doe-integrity-commissioner-1.6974058">extraordinary reversal</a> on his decision to <a href="https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-to-cut-greenbelt-land-to-make-way-for-at-least-50-000-new-homes-1.6139646">open the Greater Toronto Area’s Greenbelt for housing development</a> flows from two colossal political miscalculations. </p>
<p>The first was failing to recognize the <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontarios-greenbelt">Greenbelt, established by the previous Liberal government in 2005</a>, had acquired an iconic status in the minds of residents of the region. </p>
<p>The Greenbelt was based on earlier <a href="https://escarpment.org/planning/niagara-escarpment-plan/">Niagara Escarpment</a> and <a href="https://files.ontario.ca/oak-ridges-moraine-conservation-plan-2017.pdf">Oak Ridges Moraine conservation plans</a>, both adopted by Progressive Conservative governments. It was deeply embedded in municipal plans throughout the region.</p>
<p>Over time, the Greenbelt <a href="https://www.greenbelt.ca/learn">became a symbol</a> in Ontario of efforts to protect prime farmland and key natural heritage sites from the region’s sprawling urban growth. </p>
<p>The government, however, refused to let go of the idea of opening the Greenbelt to development despite a <a href="https://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/specialreports/specialreports/Greenbelt_en.pdf">complete lack of evidence</a> that the land was required to meet the region’s housing needs. </p>
<p>According to the province’s integrity commissioner, it then allowed a “<a href="https://www.oico.on.ca/web/default/files/public/Commissioners%20Reports/Report%20Re%20Minister%20Clark%20-%20August%2030%2C%202023.pdf">madcap process</a>” to unfold around the actual removal of lands, which turned out to offer the potential for billions in profits to well-connected developers.</p>
<h2>Ford’s future now in doubt?</h2>
<p>The second blunder was to try to <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-doug-ford-doubling-down-amid-ontarios-greenbelt-scandal-212917">double down</a> on the Greenbelt removal decision in the aftermath of harshly critical reports from both the province’s auditor general and integrity commissioner.</p>
<p>Even after the resignations of the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/steve-clark-resigns-greenbelt-1.6956402">housing minister</a> and his <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-housing-amato-resigns-1.6944225">chief of staff</a> at the height of the scandal, Ford wouldn’t back down. </p>
<p>It took more than a month of a series of damning and embarrassing news reports — leading to the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/kaleed-rasheed-resigns-greenbelt-ford-1.6973107">resignation of yet another cabinet minister</a>, Public and Business Service Delivery Minister Kaleed Rasheed — for Ford to relent.</p>
<p>But the political damage suffered by the government through this period is starting <a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/pc-support-is-sliding-as-greenbelt-fallout-continues-poll-suggests/article_7911f9cc-a1ae-5a45-bc57-e4838747e306.html">to seem profound</a> and the fallout is certain to continue:</p>
<ol>
<li> <a href="https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/rcmp-probing-ford-government-s-handling-of-the-greenbelt-1.6530698">The RCMP</a> is considering an investigation into the Greenbelt deal-making;</li>
<li> Rasheed has <a href="https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/politics/cabinet-minister-resigns-exits-pc-caucus-after-giving-watchdog-wrong-info-about-vegas-trip-with-developer-7575532">admitted to misleading</a> the integrity commissioner under oath during inquiries into the Greenbelt decision; </li>
<li> The auditor general is planning a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-82-here-and-now-toronto/clip/16002583-auditor-general-bonnie-lysyk-breaks-findings-greenbelt-report">follow-up</a> audit on the whole episode;</li>
<li> Freedom-of-information requests from the media, and leaks from other sources, are likely to lead to further revelations in the weeks and months to come.</li>
</ol>
<p>Although the next provincial election is nearly three years away, the Greenbelt scandal has raised <a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/political-opinion/doug-ford-can-t-save-himself-even-by-sparing-the-greenbelt/article_23efd9de-cef6-53b9-a591-bcbaeeca340f.html">serious questions about the viability</a> of Ford’s own future as premier.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/doug-fords-greenbelt-scandal-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-his-years-in-power-211629">Doug Ford's Greenbelt scandal: The beginning of the end of his years in power?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Greenbelt is out of the woods</h2>
<p>Ironically, one almost certain outcome of the entire episode is that it’s probably ended any possibility of Ford’s intention to dismantle the Greenbelt.</p>
<p>The political fallout so far almost ensures no politician in Ontario will make similar moves against the Greenbelt for a generation or more. </p>
<p>The Greenbelt scandal has also vividly illustrated how badly the province has mishandled <a href="https://thepointer.com/article/2023-04-24/experts-say-pcs-proposed-bill-97-is-a-sprawl-inducing-full-frontal-assault-on-ontario-agriculture">housing and development issues</a>. </p>
<p>The province’s land-use planning system — including the Greenbelt and growth plans for the Greater Toronto Area — was once the subject of <a href="https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/86986/ontario-celebrates-second-major-award-for-growth-plan">international acclaim</a> for how it managed intense growth pressures while protecting farmland, housing affordability and natural heritage areas. </p>
<p>The Greenbelt debacle has demonstrated how that system <a href="https://theconversation.com/doug-ford-at-5-years-selling-out-ontarios-future-to-please-the-well-connected-207194">had degenerated</a> into an instrument wielded by the province to serve the wishes of well-connected developers.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/doug-ford-at-5-years-selling-out-ontarios-future-to-please-the-well-connected-207194">Doug Ford at 5 years: Selling out Ontario's future to please the well-connected</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Undoing the damage</h2>
<p>A complete <a href="https://theconversation.com/doug-ford-reverses-greenbelt-plans-construction-would-never-have-provided-affordable-housing-214138">overhaul of the land-use planning system</a> is now needed to undo the damage done by the Ford government, restore the system’s credibility and address the province’s housing needs effectively. <a href="https://theconversation.com/has-ontarios-housing-plan-been-built-on-a-foundation-of-evidentiary-sand-198133">Evidence backed by expert research</a>, reason and basic democratic principles of transparency and accountability all need to be returned to the system. </p>
<p>Although the Greenbelt appears to be safe for the time being, attention now needs to turn to the government’s handling of the redevelopment of existing urban areas, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eft5FOlUZmg">a theme Ford highlighted</a> in his speech reversing the Greenbelt removals. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Eft5FOlUZmg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Doug Ford announces his Greenbelt reversal at a news conference. (CTV News)</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So far the government’s approach to “<a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/transit-oriented-communities">transit-oriented communities</a>” — ideally communities developed within a short distance of transit lines — has been to declare these areas free-for-all zones where the development industry can do as it wishes. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/giving-developers-free-rein-isnt-the-solution-to-the-gtha-housing-challenges-176128">Predictably</a>, the results of that approach in <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-developers-propose-taller-towers-for-torontos-midtown/?utm_medium=Referrer:+Social+Network+/+Media&utm_campaign=Shared+Web+Article+Links">midtown and downtown Toronto</a>, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-ministerial-zoning-orders-1.6421555">Richmond Hill, Markham</a> <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/mississauga-lakeview-village-mzo-1.6844018">and Mississauga</a> have been an overwhelming focus on high-rise condominium developments, a lack of infrastructure and services of all forms, no mixing of uses (for example, significant new employment locations) or housing types, no attention paid to affordability and significant losses of existing affordable rental housing to “redevelopment.”</p>
<p>This is the polar opposite of the “complete communities” and urban development centres envisioned in the <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/document/growth-plan-greater-golden-horseshoe-2006">2006 growth plan to guide urban redevelopment</a> that accompanied the announcement of the Greenbelt.</p>
<h2>Challenges ahead</h2>
<p>The province has trampled on efforts by municipalities and communities to support more development along transit lines. The Ford government has apparently been intent on dismantling the <a href="https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-6813">growth plan</a> as well as the Greenbelt.</p>
<p>The challenges facing the Greater Toronto Area are multi-dimensional and complex, including:</p>
<p>— <a href="https://www.torontomu.ca/content/dam/social-innovation/Programs/Affordable_Housing_Visual_Systems_Map_Oxford.pdf">Housing needs</a>, particularly at the lower end of the income scale;</p>
<p>— Structural economic transitions and <a href="https://ppforum.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/JobPolarizationInCanada-PPF-April2021-EN.pdf">increasingly polarized</a> labour markets;</p>
<p>— <a href="https://trca.ca/climate-change-impacts-gta/">The impacts</a> of a changing climate;</p>
<p>— A <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/news/city-of-toronto-staff-report-says-toronto-faces-an-unprecedented-financial-crisis-and-the-time-is-now-for-all-orders-of-government-to-step-up-to-fulfil-their-roles/">fiscal crisis</a>, particularly for the city of Toronto, driven in large part by <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-mayors-slam-ford-download-1.5117718">provincial downloading</a>.</p>
<p>The Greenbelt fiasco has been an enormous distraction from these challenges — and it remains doubtful that the Ford government can significantly change its approach to governance to address them effectively.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214178/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Winfield receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. He was involved in the development of the original Greenbelt and Growth Plans, including serving on the Ministerial Advisory Committee on the implementation of the Places to Grow plan. </span></em></p>The Greenbelt fiasco has been an enormous distraction from the challenges facing the Greater Toronto Area — and it’s doubtful the Ford government will significantly change its approach.Mark Winfield, Professor, Environmental and Urban Change, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2141382023-09-22T00:59:08Z2023-09-22T00:59:08ZDoug Ford reverses Greenbelt plans: Construction would never have provided affordable housing<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/doug-ford-reverses-greenbelt-plans-construction-would-never-have-provided-affordable-housing" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Ontario Premier Doug Ford has announced a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ford-stag-and-doe-integrity-commissioner-1.6974058">reversal of his government’s decision to allow developers to construct residential properties on parts of Ontario’s Greenbelt</a>. While this is a positive outcome for an ongoing saga, let’s be clear: paving Ontario’s Greenbelt was never actually about providing affordable housing. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Eft5FOlUZmg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces a reversal of his government’s plans to allow housing development on parts of the Greenbelt on Sept. 21 in Niagara Falls, Ont.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Sure, there would have been houses where farms once stood, adding to the province’s overall supply. While housing experts would agree that our housing supply needs to grow as our population grows, we also need to ask questions: What kind of housing do we need? For whom? And where? </p>
<p>Once we expand the housing debate beyond a need to build, it becomes clear that building on the Greenbelt is neither necessary, nor a solution.</p>
<h2>More doesn’t necessarily mean affordable</h2>
<p>First, much of the housing that gets built on fringes of our urban regions is not in any way affordable. While <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/article-toronto-area-lot-sizes-continue-to-shrink/">suburban plot sizes are smaller</a> than in the 1960s, houses have become bigger, meaning they are not cheap to buy, even in more modest developments. </p>
<p>But it’s not just new subdivisions that get built when rural land is turned into houses. Beyond Brampton, towards Guelph and Waterloo Region, there are enormous mansions on multi-acre lots that most families would struggle to afford. These huge properties are becoming typical in expansion of the Greater Toronto Area.</p>
<p>Second, while some housing in the suburbs might be cheaper than downtown, the <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/commuting-costs-eat-up-house-savings-in-many-gta-communities-study-finds/article_0845a9ca-d99e-5727-8d60-eb5b370bc1cc.html">extra commuting costs of living far from jobs</a> adds to a household’s expenses and negates much of the cost-saving of buying a less expensive house further away. This kind of housing policy locks generations of Ontarians into costly car-dependency; it also costs the government more to maintain and expand highway infrastructure to meet this suburban growth.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549692/original/file-20230921-23-kxb231.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="aerial view of a suburban neighbourhood bordered by farmland" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549692/original/file-20230921-23-kxb231.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549692/original/file-20230921-23-kxb231.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549692/original/file-20230921-23-kxb231.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549692/original/file-20230921-23-kxb231.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549692/original/file-20230921-23-kxb231.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549692/original/file-20230921-23-kxb231.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549692/original/file-20230921-23-kxb231.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The cost of providing and servicing infrastructure to new suburban developments is much higher than for existing urban areas.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Related to this, it costs much more for municipalities to service these new communities compared to housing built within existing urban areas. This is not just the initial costs of <a href="https://usa.streetsblog.org/2015/03/05/sprawl-costs-the-public-more-than-twice-as-much-as-compact-development">preparing and providing services</a> (water, electricity, roads) to new subdivisions — <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26150800">annual operating costs to service sprawling neighbourhoods on the edges of cities is much higher than denser and more central neighbourhoods</a>. Someone has to pay for <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/urban-expansion-costs-menard-memo-1.6193429">these extra costs</a>, either through higher property taxes or poorer services.</p>
<p>Fourth, there are many sites already zoned for new subdivisions. While some are being developed, others are simply being held by developers until the time is right to maximize their profits. In other words, there’s already plenty of land, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-caledon-mzo-greenbelt-1.6946441">in places such as Caledon</a>, where new population growth can be accommodated.</p>
<p>Finally, several <a href="https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contributors/mapping-hamilton-s-vacant-spaces-helps-paint-a-picture-for-the-future/article_b7e510a3-6d13-5667-8a7f-259efc4fdce5.html">studies</a> have pointed out that there is more than enough room <a href="https://www.ssho.ca/">within the existing urban footprint</a> to accommodate expected population growth. It requires denser, smarter and more creative approaches, but there is <a href="https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contributors/building-a-denser-inclusive-hamilton/article_5654dbf2-c677-5783-bc37-f01007e63f74.html">plenty of land to develop and redevelop</a> within our cities. This removes the need to destroy precious farmland and other natural areas that are vital to <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115763">our health, economy, food supply and well being</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/southern-ontario-housing-farmland/">Southern Ontario needs a lot more housing</a>. But it needs genuinely affordable housing for low- moderate- and middle-income households. This housing supply rarely, if ever, gets built when farmland is lost.</p>
<h2>Solving the housing crisis</h2>
<p>Expanding our urban areas into the Greenbelt will not solve the housing crisis. So, what would a provincial policy that was genuinely focused on making housing more affordable look like?</p>
<p>To start, it would focus not just on adding new supply, but ensuring that existing housing remains affordable. Thousands of apartments that were affordable to low- and moderate-income households <a href="https://chec-ccrl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Updated-Analysis-on-Housing-Erosion-from-2021-Census-Steve-Pomeroy.pdf">have been lost to processes such as renoviction and demoviction</a>.</p>
<p>The most important aspect to help keep existing housing affordable is <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520386228/shaking-up-the-city">rent control</a>. But one of Ford’s first acts as premier was to <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/the-ford-government-removed-rent-control-on-new-units-a-year-later-tenants-are-reporting/article_aee5f429-cba9-5f07-a7ac-1387a7a59730.html">abolish rent control on any new unit first occupied on or after Nov. 15, 2018</a>. That means that tenants who live in the thousands of condo towers that have been popping up since then can be subject to <a href="https://nowtoronto.com/news/toronto-sisters-fight-for-rent-control-after-7000-monthly-rent-increase/">whatever kind of rent increase</a> their landlords want to charge.</p>
<p>Tenants who reside in buildings first occupied prior to this still enjoy some degree of rent control. But the previous Progressive Conservative government, under Mike Harris, <a href="https://doi.org/10.60082/0829-3929.1059">also got rid of vacancy control</a>, meaning that when a tenant leaves, landlords can raise the rent to whatever they like. This not only creates a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2017.04.011">huge incentive</a> for landlords to evict sitting tenants, but has also led to an erosion of the housing supply that is affordable to tenants.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549693/original/file-20230921-23-3m9hoz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="four cranes and buildings under construction" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549693/original/file-20230921-23-3m9hoz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549693/original/file-20230921-23-3m9hoz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549693/original/file-20230921-23-3m9hoz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549693/original/file-20230921-23-3m9hoz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549693/original/file-20230921-23-3m9hoz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549693/original/file-20230921-23-3m9hoz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549693/original/file-20230921-23-3m9hoz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The condo boom in Ontario has not translated into the availability of affordable housing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The role of policy</h2>
<p>How can the provincial government help shape the kind of new supply that we need? The provincial government has taken some initiative to <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/more-homes-built-faster">permit up to four units on residential plots of land previously zoned only for one single family home</a>. However, the evidence is mixed as to whether this <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2023/08/15/what-really-created-minneapolis-apartment-boom">produces this kind of housing</a> (at the appropriate price) that households need.</p>
<p>We need to think differently about the <a href="https://theconversation.com/publicly-owned-land-should-be-used-for-affordable-housing-not-sold-to-private-developers-198654">public land</a> that is owned by everyone in Ontario. We used to build genuinely affordable housing on public land; the <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/partners/advmoderncity2016/why-torontos-st-lawrence-neighbourhood-is-a-model-for-affordable-housing/article35872718/">St. Lawrence neighbourhood</a> in downtown Toronto remains the <a href="https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/127154/1/Hulchanski%201990%20Planning%20the%20St%20Lawrence%20Neighbourhood%20-%20Chap%203%20-%20Learning%20from%20St%20Lawrence.pdf">gold standard</a> of how to build housing that meets the needs of communities.</p>
<p>Today, all levels of government, and many other public sector agencies, own land throughout the province. When this land is surplus, it is usually sold on the open market to the highest bidder. The Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force recommended that <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/housing-affordability-task-force-report">all future government land sales have a 20 per cent affordable housing requirement</a>, although this was not taken up.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/publicly-owned-land-should-be-used-for-affordable-housing-not-sold-to-private-developers-198654">Publicly owned land should be used for affordable housing, not sold to private developers</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Instead, there have been several high profile sales of Ontario government land that have resulted in no affordable housing, including a parking lot at the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/provincial-land-transit-hub-private-developer-sale-1.6330555">Port Credit GO station in Mississauga</a>, which was sold to a private developer for $64.5 million with no provisions for any affordable housing.</p>
<p>Land that Metrolinx has acquired for the Ontario Line will also be <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/metrolinx-land-sold-developers-affordable-housing-1.6817447">sold on the open market to the highest bidder</a>, with no requirements for any affordable or non-market housing.</p>
<p>This land should be kept in public ownership to build the kind of housing that the market is unwilling or unable to build. Paving over the Greenbelt was never necessary to meet our need for affordable housing. </p>
<p>A housing policy based on Greenbelt expansion has rightly been tossed aside. Now it’s time for the provincial government to step up and develop housing policies that will actually make a difference and get to the heart of why housing is so expensive. Fortunately, this isn’t rocket science and many of the solutions already exist.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214138/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brian Doucet receives funding from SSHRC and the Canada Research Chairs program. </span></em></p>Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s plan to allow developers to build projects on parts of the Greenbelt was under the auspices of providing additional housing. But it would never have been affordable.Brian Doucet, Canada Research Chair in Urban Change and Social Inclusion, University of WaterlooLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2127522023-09-19T21:13:40Z2023-09-19T21:13:40ZDiscriminatory policing is denying Black youth their childhood<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549188/original/file-20230919-17-h1y5xk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=28%2C40%2C3805%2C2115&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Youths’ stories detail concerning interactions with the police which speak to ongoing anti-Black racism in Canadian policing.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/discriminatory-policing-is-denying-black-youth-their-childhood" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>A <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-police-hit-with-class-action-lawsuit-over-carding-stops/article_472b85b0-9220-5e9a-aa4c-461ccc2cc0d0.html">class-action lawsuit</a> was brought against the Toronto Police Service in August over the force’s historic use of street checks, known as carding. The <a href="https://www.mccarthy.ca/en/carding-class-action">lawsuit</a> highlights the damaging and discriminatory impacts of carding, which has disproportionately affected Black and Indigenous youth. </p>
<p>Officially, the practice was halted years ago, though the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ont-toronto-police-carding-1.6939215">lawsuit alleges that the practice continues</a>. The allegations have not been tested in court.</p>
<p>Following the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52861726">2020 murder of George Floyd</a>, millions mobilized worldwide to demand accountability from police and bring attention to the anti-Black racism embedded in policing practices. <a href="https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.3138/9781442602502-005/html?lang=en">Racial disparities are evident in Canada</a>. Black communities are significantly over-represented in the criminal justice system, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/21533687211006461">second only to Indigenous communities</a>. </p>
<p>The Canadian judicial system is a complex, integrated network of policing, courts and correctional institutions. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0145935X.2023.2243436?src=recsys">Our recent research</a> focuses on policing practices in Ontario, specifically when Black youth encountered police before 18-years-old. Youths’ stories highlighted concerning interactions with the police which speak to the ongoing problem of anti-Black racism in Canadian policing.</p>
<h2>Black youth and policing practices</h2>
<p>Anti-Black racism occurs early in the legal process, well before sentencing and incarceration. Anti-Black racism persists in policing, evidenced by the <a href="https://www.ohrc.on.ca/sites/default/files/A%20Disparate%20Impact%20-%20TPS%20inquiry%20%28updated%20January%202023%29.pdf">Ontario Human Rights Commission’s interim report</a> on racial profiling and discrimination against Black individuals by the Toronto Police Services. </p>
<p>When examining Black children’s experiences, extra nuances concerning age must be considered. Childhood and adulthood have been recognized as distinct developmental ages since the 1900s and have been officially enshrined in Canadian law with the introduction of the <a href="https://publications.gc.ca/collections/Collection/J2-248-2004E.pdf">Juvenile Delinquents Act in 1908</a>.</p>
<p>Youth criminal justice legislation has centred on diversion and prevention, rather than punishment, which recognizes young people’s distinct developmental needs. The <a href="https://www.laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/y-1.5/index.html">Youth Criminal Justice Act</a> recognizes the lasting impact of confinement on young people; since coming into effect in 2003, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/ontarios-new-child-welfare-policy-is-promising-but-youth-leaving-care-need-more-support-202437">number of youth in detention</a> has <a href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/may-2018/learning-from-our-success-in-reducing-youth-imprisonment/">steadily decreased</a>. Despite positive outcomes that signal the success of diversion practices, Black youth in Ontario continue to experience negative encounters with police. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548972/original/file-20230919-21-velats.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A logo of the toronto police service on a glass door." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548972/original/file-20230919-21-velats.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548972/original/file-20230919-21-velats.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548972/original/file-20230919-21-velats.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548972/original/file-20230919-21-velats.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548972/original/file-20230919-21-velats.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548972/original/file-20230919-21-velats.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548972/original/file-20230919-21-velats.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In August a class-action lawsuit was brought against the Toronto Police Service over street checks, alleging the practice disproportionately harmed racialized people.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Our study</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/0145935X.2023.2243436">Our research explores the experiences of Black youth</a>, ages 16 to 26, living in the Greater Toronto Area. We discuss findings from the <a href="https://rcypartnership.org/en/">Rights for Children and Youth Partnership</a>, a research project exploring the rights of Latin American and Caribbean youth. </p>
<p>We conducted interviews with 47 Black youth who had previous contact with police between ages 12 and 17. We found that, despite their age or degree of vulnerability, Black youth felt police perceived them as agitators to be feared and as threats to the general public, rather than children in need of protection.</p>
<p>One interviewee, Matt, told us how he was first stopped by police while walking home from school with two friends while in eighth grade. According to Matt, the police claimed that the three boys matched a description. The boys were handcuffed and forced to sit on the curb. While two were eventually let go, one was arrested and taken to the station. Matt said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“We [were] underage first and foremost…they didn’t read us no rights…didn’t ask no questions, and they didn’t tell us what we were being arrested for…They came in there for one thing.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>While the use of force is concerning and <a href="https://www.ccja-acjp.ca/pub/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2021/08/Full-Report-PUF.pdf">supposed to be a last resort</a> in all police interactions, its use with youth is particularly concerning, given their vulnerability. Youth recalled threats of implied or explicit violence from police. </p>
<p>Another interviewee, Shawn, recounted being arrested for shoplifting. The officer said he wished he could have used more force on the then 17-year-old. Shawn said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I got kneed a couple of times … the cop was saying, "Oh I wish I was here, I would have got to use this,” and he was talking about his taser … “I wished you had tried to escape from me, I would have used this on you.”“ </p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://genderjusticeandopportunity.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/girlhood-interrupted.pdf">A study by the Center on Poverty and Equality</a> in the United States found that Black children — particularly girls — were perceived as older, needing less protection and more knowledgeable about "adult” topics. Black youth felt they were expected to know the full extent of the law and were granted little leeway if they were unaware. </p>
<p>In nearly every interview of our study, youth disclosed receiving little to no support or information from the officers with whom they interacted. Caity told us how she was arrested after a fight broke out at school. She was 12 at the time and described the lack of support from police officers: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I’m terrified at this point because I didn’t know it was going to be this serious and everything was a surprise to me … I’m crying a little bit. The lady is very cold with me, she’s in no way — not that she had to be kind — but she just didn’t, there was no warmth in her at all.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Most of the people we spoke to had their first encounters with police officers at a young age — for some as early as 12 or 13. The youth consistently felt they were perceived as criminals, regardless of the setting they were in. </p>
<p>These racially discriminatory practices indicate anti-Black bias wherein routine activities involving Black children and youth result in active policing. The participants largely expressed that they believed the police had mistreated them. </p>
<p>Minors are meant to be treated differently than adults in the legal system because of their young age. Police are denying Black youth their childhood, and governments must demand greater transparency. Ultimately, more accountability is needed from police to the young people they are meant to be protecting and serving.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/212752/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Veronica Escobar Olivo receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marsha Rampersaud receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p>Black youth felt their age and inexperience were often disregarded by police officers who held them wholly responsible for knowing and abiding by the law.Veronica Escobar Olivo, Research Associate, School of Social Work, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityMarsha Rampersaud, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Science, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2108492023-09-05T16:30:54Z2023-09-05T16:30:54ZVoices of Black youth remind adults in schools to listen — and act to empower them<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/voices-of-black-youth-remind-adults-in-schools-to-listen-and-act-to-empower-them" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The idea of inviting students into classroom conversations that teach them to define and express their concerns, ideas and opinions takes inspiration from the <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child">United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)</a>. </p>
<p>The right to be heard is the general principle, and Article 12 of the UNCRC provides for children’s involvement in decision-making that affects their lives. It includes the right for children to express their views. </p>
<p>Many educators are increasingly concerned with the representation of <a href="https://www.edcan.ca/articles/why-student-voice-matters/">student voices</a> in kindergarten to Grade 12 classrooms. <a href="https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/cultivating-a-pedagogy-of-student-voice">In the words of educator Shane Safir:</a> “Educators should view students not as empty vessels for the transfer of information but as knowledge builders in their own right. We need to share influence in the classroom rather than hoard it.”</p>
<p>But this concern is not necessarily adopted by all teachers. Creating dialogue among educators and students, especially Black Canadian youth, regularly proves problematic <a href="https://thewalrus.ca/canadian-education-is-steeped-in-anti-black-racism/">because of the history of their negative schooling experiences</a>.</p>
<p>As an education researcher who examines schooling experiences of Black Canadian youth and their families, I have worked alongside Black high school students in grades 10-12 to engage youth voices at the <a href="https://www.tdsb.on.ca/CEBSA/Black-Student-Summer-Leadership-Program">Black Student Summer Leadership Program</a>. This is offered through the <a href="https://www.tdsb.on.ca/CEBSA">Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement</a> at the Toronto District School Board.</p>
<p><a href="https://yparhub.berkeley.edu/why-ypar">Youth Participatory Action Research</a> involves youth participating in their communities and in their own education to research issues that affect their lives. It also necessarily implies action on the part of receptive and understanding adults, willing and poised to help bring about changes youth need to see.</p>
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<h2>Struggles in and for ‘voice’</h2>
<p>One of the greatest struggles to allow for “voice” is the role of adults in these interactions and the hierarchical nature of schools. Paying attention to student voice involves changing fundamental values, norms and institutional practices, which means teachers need to be open to this shift.</p>
<p>The term youth voice has gained credibility since the early 1990s. Scholars and education researchers challenged school staff to stop seeing <a href="https://jyd.pitt.edu/ojs/jyd/article/view/244/230">youth as passive recipients of an education</a>. “Youth voice” describes the many ways youth might have opportunities to have a voice and active participation in decisions shaping their lives. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/if-i-could-change-one-thing-in-education-community-school-partnerships-would-be-top-priority-188189">If I could change one thing in education: Community-school partnerships would be top priority</a>
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<p>Positioning Black students as learners and collaborators will require a shift in educators’ attitude towards them. That is, changing perceptions that see them as a threat. </p>
<p>Educators need to acknowledge <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-curb-anti-black-racism-in-canadian-schools-150489">stereotypical perceptions of Black people and communities that often inform how schools and teachers interpret Black students’ behaviours</a>, and get to know Black students <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-top-scholar-students-really-so-remarkable-or-are-teachers-inflating-their-grades-191035">beyond their academic</a> or <a href="https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1102&context=cie-eci">extra-curricular achievements</a>.</p>
<h2>Black youth’s whole selves</h2>
<p>If schools desire genuine opportunities for students to be heard, educators must see Black youth as their whole selves. Teachers who view the validity in sharing power in classrooms will actively seek Black students’ input. This must be done outside of the formalized structure of student councils or associations where students are elected to represent student communities. </p>
<p>Change is needed in the way Black students’ voices are positioned in education, bearing in mind:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Black youth are not voiceless. They should be able to inform decisions. To include students’ input in the decision-making process fosters their growth and development. </p></li>
<li><p>There are many ways youth exercise their voices among their peers. For Black youth to negotiate education spaces safely, they often choose how to amplify their voices, including what to say, when to speak up and who to address.</p></li>
<li><p>Educators must remember they (we) are not granting Black students the ability to speak. Rather, we must strive to create classroom and school environments where Black students’ voices and ideas are welcomed and respected.</p></li>
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<img alt="A youth in front of a bookshelf wearing overalls" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545408/original/file-20230829-15-2x840h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545408/original/file-20230829-15-2x840h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545408/original/file-20230829-15-2x840h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545408/original/file-20230829-15-2x840h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545408/original/file-20230829-15-2x840h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545408/original/file-20230829-15-2x840h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545408/original/file-20230829-15-2x840h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Educators must see Black youth as their whole selves.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/fQBVH6DBtD8">(Mike Von)</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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<h2>Youth Participatory Action Research</h2>
<p>When Black students work in an environment where they feel safe to express their concerns, this creates avenues for them to build transferable skills (like writing, community activism, research, public speaking and so on).</p>
<p>The TDSB’s Black Student Summer Leadership Program was originally created in 2019 through a partnership with the Jean Augustine Chair at York University, with graduation coaches for Black students at the helm. Since then it has evolved with the support of other departments at the board. Black students involved in this program <a href="https://tvo.me/tvo-media-education-group-welcomes-15-toronto-students-in-this-years-black-student-summer-leadership-program/">gain leadership opportunities</a> and positive relationships with adults and their peers while participating in research.</p>
<p>Participatory action research has been associated with revolutionary educational projects. It’s inspired by the work of education scholar Paulo Freire who wrote about <a href="https://freechild.org/2018/06/21/youth-and-popular-education/">popular education as a way of raising people’s consciousness and empowerment</a>. </p>
<h2>Youth as co-researchers</h2>
<p>The principle of Youth Participatory Action Research includes adults sharing the space with youth as co-researchers, sharing ownership in decision-making and supporting and empowering youth as agents of change. It is inquiry based. Topics chosen by students are grounded in their lived experiences either in school and community. </p>
<p>Together, or individually, Black students have learned how to engage in participatory action research using an <a href="https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1864&context=tqr">Afrocentric research paradigm</a>. For research to be relevant to Black students in the summer program, they learn to use methods and choice of presentation tools that embodies their creativity, skills, lived experiences <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-intersectionality-all-of-who-i-am-105639">and intersecting identities</a>.</p>
<p>Black students learn how to become submerged in their own research, rather than experiencing themselves as the object of others’ research.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1692571900633817576"}"></div></p>
<h2>What shapes education</h2>
<p>Youth Participatory Action Research provides Black students with opportunities to discuss what shapes their education. In the summer program, Black students present research projects to education stakeholders. </p>
<p>Their findings include sharing practical solutions based on their experiences negotiating things such as: anti-Black racism, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/black-canadians-school-curriculum-1.5706510">lack of representation in curriculum</a>, <a href="https://www.edcan.ca/articles/colour-of-wellbeing/">mental health and well-being</a>, student-teacher interactions and relationships, <a href="https://cetl.udmercy.edu/preventing-linguistic-racism-and-discrimination/">linguistic</a> or <a href="https://mjlh.mcgill.ca/2022/09/08/afro-hair-and-the-law-the-state-of-american-and-canadian-law-on-race-based-hair-discrimination/">hair discrimination</a> and newcomer experiences. </p>
<p>Among their recommendations are carefully outlined considerations for school improvement efforts. For example, students have called for providing ongoing professional development training for teachers and school staff that is culturally relevant and responsive to Black students’ well-being and needs. Some research has highlighted the need for more accountability from staff, based on examining policies to protect their rights as students so they may be successful.</p>
<p>In order for change to be implemented, key decision makers need to be willing to engage youth and to act. Authentically empowering student voice requires that educators listen, validate youth knowledge and experience, and respond. </p>
<h2>A promising approach</h2>
<p>Youth Participatory Action Research is a promising approach for <a href="https://www.tdsb.on.ca/About-Us/Equity-Anti-Racism-and-Anti-Oppression/Black-Student-Excellence/The-Impact-YPAR-Had-On-This-Westview-CI-Graduate">creating avenues to support Black students’ self-determination and agency</a>. </p>
<p>Amplifying youth voice in alignment with the mission and values of school communities is significant for an empowered path forward. Such a path does not see decisions being made for and about Black student lives as an afterthought. </p>
<p>Rather, as outlined in the UNCRC, commitments to participatory action research acknowledge Black youth as competent to act, experts in their own daily lived social realities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210849/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tanitiã Munroe works for Toronto District School Board. </span></em></p>A leadership program for Black youth sees students participate in research related to their communities and education to propose solutions to issues that affect their lives.Tanitiã Munroe, PhD candidate (ABD) and researcher, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2105062023-08-27T13:32:46Z2023-08-27T13:32:46ZBike and EV charging infrastructure are urgently needed for a green transition<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/bike-and-ev-charging-infrastructure-are-urgently-needed-for-a-green-transition" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The green transition is happening too slowly. We are in a climate emergency and it is clear that we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by transitioning to more sustainable transportation.</p>
<p>However, without sufficient infrastructure to enable electric vehicles (EVs) or cycling for <a href="https://www.burnhamnationwide.com/final-review-blog/bike-infrastructure-key-to-healthier-cities-reduced-emissions">commuting</a>, these options will remain too inconvenient or unsafe for most. Canada’s <a href="https://unfccc.int/news/climate-plans-remain-insufficient-more-ambitious-action-needed-now">climate obligations</a> will not be met without these infrastructure changes.</p>
<p>We just experienced the hottest July <a href="https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/july-2023-set-be-hottest-month-record">on record</a>. We cannot burn more carbon, no matter the remaining <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/chapter-2/">carbon budget</a>. Climate <a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/photos-extreme-weather-events-2023-climate-change/">disasters around the world today</a> are dictating timelines now. Meanwhile, gas cars are needlessly on city streets, adding to traffic congestion and pollution while urban sprawl means gas <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2022/aug/31/how-car-culture-colonised-our-thinking-and-our-language">car driving habits</a> expand.</p>
<p>Canada requires urgent investment in transport infrastructure and incentives to reverse this trend.</p>
<h2>Policy breakdowns</h2>
<p>Here in Toronto, a recent mayoral election provided a platform for two candidates who made election promises to close down <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/traffic-congestion-byelection-campaign-trail-1.6883005">cycling lanes</a>. Meanwhile, a lack of high-quality cycling infrastructure in the city incentivizes travel by car to the <a href="https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2020/cities-and-happiness-a-global-ranking-and-analysis/">detriment of the city’s happiness</a> and carbon budget.</p>
<p>This stands in stark contrast to a city like Copenhagen, Denmark where <a href="https://cyclingmagazine.ca/advocacy/over-60-per-cent-of-people-in-copenhagen-commute-to-work-or-school/">62 per cent of people commute by cycling</a>. A city which, by some metrics, <a href="https://www.earthtrekkers.com/copenhagen-happiest-destination-europe">may also be the happiest in the world</a>. </p>
<p>Closer to home, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-canadas-first-national-cycling-map-will-benefit-both-riders-and-public-planners-208347">cycling infrastructure remains poor</a> and bike theft rose by <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/bicycle-thefts-in-canada-soar-by-429-per-cent-during-summer-months-report-1.6467265">429 per cent in Canada this summer</a>. However, the solutions to this problem, such as bicycle lockers, are not widely enough installed and where they do exist, they are only for regular users and require a <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/streets-parking-transportaon/cycling-in-toronto/bicycle-parking/bicycle-lockers/">reservation and monthly payments</a>. </p>
<p>Solutions such as an <a href="https://www.translink.ca/news/2021/june/translink%20launches%20new%20on-demand%20bike%20lockers">on-demand bicycle storage system</a> being piloted in Vancouver and the <a href="https://thebicyclevalet.ca/our-locations">Vancouver City Centre Bike Valet</a> show promise for nation-wide implementation but will require effort to implement at scale.</p>
<h2>Nowhere to charge</h2>
<p>Likewise, a recent survey says that <a href="https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/two-thirds-of-canadian-drivers-unlikely-to-buy-an-electric-vehicle-1.6462200">Canadians are not switching</a> to cleaner EVs partly because of a lack of charging infrastructure. In a climate emergency, bike and electric vehicle infrastructure should have been installed long ago. </p>
<p>Toronto’s mandate is to reach <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/musservices-payments/water-environment/environmentally-friendly-city-initiatives/transformto/">net zero by 2040</a>, but its efforts pale in comparison to the actions of other cities in Canada and around the world.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-far-to-the-next-electric-vehicle-charging-station-and-will-i-be-able-to-use-it-heres-how-to-create-a-reliable-network-209222">How far to the next electric vehicle charging station – and will I be able to use it? Here's how to create a reliable network</a>
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<p>A variety of <a href="https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/global-ev-policy-explorer">incentives and legislation</a> are accelerating an EV transition including fee exemptions, grants and mandated targets. Brazil is proposing that all gas stations offer EV charging. </p>
<p>Ireland’s <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/oireachtas/2022/07/13/all-car-sales-will-have-to-be-electric-by-2030-to-reach-climate-targets-oireachtas-committee-told/">zero emissions office</a> is aiming for 100 per cent of new car sales to be EVs by 2030. France supports EV purchases with funding and bonuses for low income individuals. Ecuador’s public transport will be 100 per cent electric by 2025 and Sweden’s government fleet will be electrified by 2035. Colombia and South Africa are setting EV charging infrastructure minimums.</p>
<p>There are notable Canadian EV initiatives in <a href="https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/global-ev-policy-explorer">Québec and British Columbia</a>. Québec has ambitious electrification plans including expanding EV charging, funding further vehicle electrification across the province. B.C. is improving upon the Canadian national mandate by installing more EV charging stations and planning a changeover to clean vehicles. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/right-to-charge-laws-bring-the-promise-of-evs-to-apartments-condos-and-rentals-206721">Right-to-charge laws bring the promise of EVs to apartments, condos and rentals</a>
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<p>In contrast, Ontario and Toronto are without any unique innovations in electric vehicle infrastructure or policy.</p>
<h2>An electric future</h2>
<p>EVs are already addressing local air pollution around the world and reducing <a href="https://aafa.org/asthma/asthma-triggers-causes/air-pollution-smog-asthma/">health issues such as asthma</a>. Higher EV sales are also associated with higher <a href="https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/human-development-index#/indicies/HDI">human development indexes</a> (HDI). An HDI is a national measure of wealth, and a good reflection of standard of living, including health and education. Countries with higher EV sales also tend to lead worldwide in the development of environmental inventions. Healthier inventions make a <a href="https://hdr.undp.org/">better life</a>.</p>
<p>Perhaps in Sweden, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Norway and certain Canadian provinces such as Québec and B.C., the connection is clearer between switching to cleaner technologies and increasing levels of personal health and <a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/happiest-countries-in-the-world">happiness</a>. Improving <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/climate-solutions/education-key-addressing-climate-change">education</a> is a catalyst for change. </p>
<p>If Canada is to meet its climate commitments, it has to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. Infrastructure investments, such as for EVs and cycling, improve our quality of life and the <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/articles/markets/080816/can-infrastructure-spending-really-stimulate-economy.asp">economy</a> at the same time. Building infrastructure is a classic approach to boosting an economy. It is also a green economic opportunity if the right choices are made.</p>
<p>Canada can start by applying well-known policy solutions and rapidly installing infrastructure nationwide. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.114961">Studies have validated this recommendation</a> and additional phased-in electrical grid capacity is neither controversial nor impractical. Emissions reductions with EVs as compared to gas cars, no matter the energy fuel source, ultimately validate EVs green utility over gas powered cars. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/batteries-in-electric-vehicles-have-more-mileage-in-city-driving-rather-than-highway-driving-206564">Batteries in electric vehicles have more mileage in city driving rather than highway driving</a>
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<p>Around the world, such as in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.8b05264">China</a> where they have energy mix variations <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-021-02209-6">across regions</a> including coal, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2022.122063">EVs make sense</a>. Emissions reductions for Ontario have been calculated at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b01519">around 80 per cent</a> when EVs are driven. </p>
<p>The International Energy Agency offers a <a href="https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/global-ev-policy-explorer">comprehensive policy database of worldwide examples</a> for places like Toronto that are lagging on clean transportation transition policy and change. Beyond benchmarking, Canada could strive for leadership on the world stage by investing in university research and applying ambitious initiatives across the country. </p>
<p>Canada has an opportunity that should not be missed to stimulate its economy by investing in sustainable transportation infrastructure to accelerate the green transition.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210506/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deborah de Lange receives funding from SSHRC and ESRC. </span></em></p>Canada should invest in sustainable transportation infrastructure to accelerate the green transition.Deborah de Lange, Associate Professor, Global Management Studies, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2098322023-08-13T13:34:33Z2023-08-13T13:34:33ZHow Airbnb may be fuelling gentrification: A case study in Toronto<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541098/original/file-20230803-27-7ead3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3610%2C2399&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A new study sheds light on how short-term rentals like Airbnb make housing less affordable.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The average asking price for a rental unit in Canada <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/average-asking-price-for-canadian-rental-unit-hits-record-high-in-june-rentals-ca-1.6478222">reached $2,042 in June</a>, marking a 7.5 per cent increase from 2022. Metropolitan districts are particularly affected by rising rental costs, with some local families forced to <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/single-dad-affordable-housing-vancouver-1.6899715">relocate due to a lack of affordable housing</a>.</p>
<p>While several factors may contribute to this, some have pointed to <a href="https://hbr.org/2019/04/research-when-airbnb-listings-in-a-city-increase-so-do-rent-prices">Airbnb as one of the reasons</a> for the rental crisis. Airbnb <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9758708/airbnb-short-term-rentals-affordable-housing/">says it is not the cause of the housing affordability crisis</a>.</p>
<p>Despite the significant public interest in how short-term rentals like Airbnb might make housing less affordable, empirical evidence of exactly how, and to what extent this is happening, is sparse.</p>
<p>Our preliminary study of Toronto’s rental market (which will be submitted later this summer to the <a href="https://www.ssrn.com/index.cfm/en/">Social Science Research Network</a>, an open-access repository of academic research papers), used data from Toronto Regional Real Estate Board and <a href="http://insideairbnb.com/get-the-data/">Airbnb listings from 2015 to 2020</a>, and suggested there were two ways Airbnb was affecting the rental market during this period: reducing the number of available rentals and contributing to the gentrification of neighbourhoods.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/airbnbs-adverse-impact-on-urban-housing-markets-109772">Airbnb's adverse impact on urban housing markets</a>
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<h2>How Airbnb may lead to gentrification</h2>
<p>Short-term rentals, like those offered by Airbnb, bring in outsiders, often with little regard for local community norms, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-an-airbnb-guest-trashed-a-penthouse-2014-3">leading to conflicts and complaints</a>.</p>
<p>While dealing with these temporary disturbances is usually possible with <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/airbnb-anti-party-crackdown-tip-line/">traditional policing and communication</a>, such short-term rentals can have lasting impacts on neighbourhoods.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A map displaying a number of available rental properties at various prices" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541099/original/file-20230803-27-km6l0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541099/original/file-20230803-27-km6l0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541099/original/file-20230803-27-km6l0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541099/original/file-20230803-27-km6l0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541099/original/file-20230803-27-km6l0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541099/original/file-20230803-27-km6l0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541099/original/file-20230803-27-km6l0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Airbnb affects the rental market by reducing the number of available rentals and contributing to the gentrification of neighbourhoods.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When homeowners convert their properties into Airbnb rentals, it may reduce the long-term rental supply in their neighbourhoods. This could increase rental prices, <a href="https://www.acto.ca/a-new-poll-shows-the-majority-of-ontario-renters-are-having-to-choose-between-food-and-paying-their-rents-when-it-comes-to-housing-affordability-this-province-is-on-fire/">stretching the budget</a> of lower-income families.</p>
<p>The lucrative short-term market may also attract new housing <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0308518X18778038?icid=int.sj-full-text.similar-articles.2">investments targeted at Airbnb rentals</a>. This could further squeeze local families, who may find themselves in bidding wars. Eventually, the economic pressure could force these families out of their neighbourhoods, leaving only the wealthier population in place.</p>
<p>Property values could increase as vacated homes are filled by wealthier families moving in from outside, who can afford the high prices. Over time, the neighbourhood could change to comprise mostly relatively wealthier citizens in a process called <a href="https://theconversation.com/centring-race-why-we-need-to-think-about-gentrification-differently-199168">gentrification</a>.</p>
<h2>Is Airbnb driving up prices in Toronto?</h2>
<p>With <a href="https://news.airbnb.com/about-us/">6.6 million active listings spanning over 220 countries and 100,000 cities</a>, Airbnb offers three types of accommodations: entire homes or apartments, private rooms and shared rooms.</p>
<p>Our analysis focused on the entire homes or apartments category. In the time period of the study, owners of these accommodations were able to choose between the long-term and short-term rental markets, but those who only rented out a portion of their residence were less likely to be part of the long-term market.</p>
<p>We found that Airbnb rentals can squeeze out long-term rentals in neighbourhoods. As the number of Airbnb rentals in a neighbourhood increased, the availability of long-term rentals decreased and vice versa.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A graph illustrating that long-term rental supply decreases when new Airbnb listings increase" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540203/original/file-20230731-24-u4e3ln.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540203/original/file-20230731-24-u4e3ln.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540203/original/file-20230731-24-u4e3ln.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540203/original/file-20230731-24-u4e3ln.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540203/original/file-20230731-24-u4e3ln.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540203/original/file-20230731-24-u4e3ln.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540203/original/file-20230731-24-u4e3ln.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A graph comparing a) excess supply in the long-term rental market to b) the ratio of new Airbnb listings relative to the supply of long-term rentals.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Iman Sadeghi and Sourav Ray)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>On average, we estimate that an increase of one per cent in Airbnb listings per square kilometre in a district, is associated with a 0.09 per cent increase in long-term rental rates. A <a href="https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/mksc.2020.1227">similar study</a> conducted in the United States, estimated an average increase of 0.018 per cent. While the numbers may not be easily comparable since one is for a metropolitan area and another is for the whole country, they are indicative of the potential impact.</p>
<p>We found evidence that Airbnb may be leading to higher potential rent income for property owners. This difference in income between the potential short-term rentals and traditional long-term rentals, known as the rent gap, draws investors to properties that can be used for short-term rentals.</p>
<p>The reduced availability of long-term rentals can lead to bidding wars for housing, which can lead to even higher rents. As telltale evidence we found that a 10 per cent increase in this rent gap is associated with a 3.1 per cent surge in long-term rental prices. This is equivalent to a $80 monthly rent hike for the average one-bedroom property in Toronto. </p>
<p>These results offer tentative evidence of the potential impact of Airbnb on long-term rental rates during the time period of the study.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A graph showing the rent gap in Toronto increasing from 2015 to 2020" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540204/original/file-20230731-21-vlfbz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540204/original/file-20230731-21-vlfbz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=262&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540204/original/file-20230731-21-vlfbz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=262&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540204/original/file-20230731-21-vlfbz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=262&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540204/original/file-20230731-21-vlfbz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540204/original/file-20230731-21-vlfbz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540204/original/file-20230731-21-vlfbz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The average rent gap in Toronto from 2015 to 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Iman Sadeghi and Sourav Ray)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Mixed social impact</h2>
<p>Despite evidence that Airbnb may be associated with rising rents, its <a href="https://www.epi.org/publication/the-economic-costs-and-benefits-of-airbnb-no-reason-for-local-policymakers-to-let-airbnb-bypass-tax-or-regulatory-obligations/">broader social impact</a> remains <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/airbnb-study-vancouver-1.3830803">controversial</a>.</p>
<p>For homeowners, Airbnb offers a new income source. Travellers can boost local employment opportunities as retailers, restaurants and other businesses cater to their needs. A flow of young people can energize neighbourhoods with their joie de vivre and creativity.</p>
<p>Yet affordable housing is a basic need for our society. With almost 40,000 total listings in <a href="http://insideairbnb.com/toronto/">Toronto</a>, <a href="http://insideairbnb.com/vancouver/">Vancouver</a> and <a href="http://insideairbnb.com/montreal/">Montréal</a>, Airbnb is a big player in the economy, but is only one part of the larger picture affecting the availability of affordable housing.</p>
<p>Attempts to mitigate Airbnb’s effect on housing affordability have had <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/canadians-are-being-crushed-by-a-housing-crisis-are-short-term-rentals-to-blame-1.6911344">challenges</a>. <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-airbnb-ruling-1.5364775">Toronto’s short-term rental bylaw</a>, which was upheld in 2019, limits Airbnb stays in principal residences to a maximum of 180 days per year. The city subsequently began <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/cc/bgrd/backgroundfile-163225.pdf">enforcing the licensing and registration of short-term rentals in 2021</a>.</p>
<p>Narrowly focused policy interventions may not only be ineffective, but may have unexpected negative impacts. In fact, there is also evidence that <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/11/research-restricting-airbnb-rentals-reduces-development">restricting Airbnb rentals reduces the development of new housing units</a>, leading to less housing availability. These factors illustrate how Airbnb is part of a bigger picture and addressing this complex issue will require more studies and creative policy measures.</p>
<p><em>This is an updated version of a story originally published on Aug. 13, 2023. The updated version makes clear the context of the research cited in the article is for the period 2015-20 only and does not analyze the rental market since then.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209832/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Iman Sadeghi received funding from MacData, an institute affiliated with McMaster University, in 2020. The current project, while related, is distinct from the aforementioned MacData-funded initiative.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sourav Ray does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Do you ever worry about how Airbnb rentals might be affecting your neighbourhood? Your concerns might not be misplaced.Iman Sadeghi, PhD Candidate, DeGroote School of Business, McMaster UniversitySourav Ray, Lang Chair and Professor of Marketing, University of GuelphLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2075672023-08-10T21:12:17Z2023-08-10T21:12:17ZWhy old, shared dorms are better than new, private student residences<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540873/original/file-20230802-17546-ddbo2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=129%2C272%2C1638%2C924&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Before the 1960s and until 1990, university residences were constructed to support multiple chance encounters with students on the same floor or building through shared space. Dorm life in Washburn Hall, San Jose State College, early 1970s. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(San José State University Special Collections & Archives)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/why-old-shared-dorms-are-better-than-new-private-student-residences" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>As students globally prepare for university, many contemplate where to live or prepare to move into new accommodations. Students are faced with a variety of new options, different from their parents’ dorm rooms.</p>
<p>As universities have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12380">become more commercialized</a>, they are entering into <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/bisnow/2017/06/16/universities-are-increasingly-asking-private-developers-to-build-their-student-housing/?sh=43991a191f32">partnerships with developers, banks and marketing professionals</a> that favour apartment construction, emulating units of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02513625.2010.10557065">condo boom</a>. </p>
<p>Enrolments in Toronto universities <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3710008601">have been on the rise</a> in the last two decades, at the same time the whole city is navigating a housing <a href="https://thevarsity.ca/2022/09/11/rising-rents-and-rising-woes-how-students-are-navigating-torontos-brutal-rental-market/">affordability crisis including a gruelling rental market</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231178540">Our recently published study</a>, involving all 41 of Toronto’s university residences, found that in the past 30 years, newer residence halls that have been built increasingly stress privacy over communal spaces. Previous <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2019.1611590">research has found</a> a lack of student socialization spaces negatively affects students’ academic performance and well-being. </p>
<h2>Space affects academic performance and well-being</h2>
<p>Living on campus has historically been associated <a href="https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.1984.0016">with better grade point averages (GPAs) and well-being</a>. Firstly, students’ proximity to campus matters for developing positive relations with faculty and with the campus community. Secondly, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916581131002">common everyday residence life activities and chance encounters</a> with peers encourages students to meet new people, to socialize and build resilient friendship support networks. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People seen sitting at a cafeteria sharing a meal." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541756/original/file-20230808-23-7me5ss.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541756/original/file-20230808-23-7me5ss.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541756/original/file-20230808-23-7me5ss.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541756/original/file-20230808-23-7me5ss.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541756/original/file-20230808-23-7me5ss.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541756/original/file-20230808-23-7me5ss.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541756/original/file-20230808-23-7me5ss.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Student socialization when dining creates opportunities to meet new people and build networks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Paradoxically, both universities with private partners and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X19884577">private developers</a> alone are marketing increased privacy in student accommodations, in response <a href="https://doi.org/10.19030/cier.v3i10.238">to perceived demand</a>. Many privacy-oriented apartments house only one or two students, but privacy is a questionable benefit for students. Recent investigations have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2019.1611590">concluded living with larger amounts of privacy has negative effects on students’ GPA</a>.</p>
<p>In more private units, everyday common activities are reduced, and so is the probability of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916581131002">chance encounters and friendships</a> that potentially increase <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2019.1611590">GPA and well-being</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/students-returning-to-campus-want-the-university-experience-missed-during-covid-19-186507">Students returning to campus want the 'university experience' missed during COVID-19</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Measuring privacy</h2>
<p>To study students’ experience of privacy and socialization, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221089953">we developed</a> a scale of six levels, called the Hierarchy of Isolation and Privacy in Architecture Tool (HIPAT). </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540579/original/file-20230801-23-p50dlr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A chart showing primary territories, secondary territories, tertiary territories representing HIPAT levels" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540579/original/file-20230801-23-p50dlr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540579/original/file-20230801-23-p50dlr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=164&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540579/original/file-20230801-23-p50dlr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=164&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540579/original/file-20230801-23-p50dlr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=164&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540579/original/file-20230801-23-p50dlr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=207&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540579/original/file-20230801-23-p50dlr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=207&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540579/original/file-20230801-23-p50dlr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=207&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hierarchy of Isolation and Privacy in Architecture Tool (HIPAT) levels.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shelagh McCartney and Ximena Rosenvasser)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These levels express the capacity of the spaces for students in their unit to be on their own (Level 1), to be with one other person (Level 2) and to be in a small group (Level 3). </p>
<p>HIPAT levels also signal students’ ability to have chance encounters with other students and university users in different areas on their floor (Level 4), in their building (Level 5) and in public spaces for all the student community (Level 6).</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-022-09950-4">second study</a> we created a taxonomy to classify students’ rooms and living facilities defined by their lived experience, called Housing Unit Classification (HUC). </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540578/original/file-20230801-29-x6q1jn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A list of different kinds of housing units." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540578/original/file-20230801-29-x6q1jn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540578/original/file-20230801-29-x6q1jn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=703&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540578/original/file-20230801-29-x6q1jn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=703&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540578/original/file-20230801-29-x6q1jn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=703&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540578/original/file-20230801-29-x6q1jn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=883&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540578/original/file-20230801-29-x6q1jn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=883&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540578/original/file-20230801-29-x6q1jn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=883&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">HUC Housing Unit Classification.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shelagh McCartney and Ximena Rosenvasser)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This HUC classification defines each unit type by the HIPAT levels of each living facility (bedroom, bathroom, lounge and kitchen and dining) and levels of socialization available for each student. </p>
<h2>Inhibiting resilient networks</h2>
<p>Our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231178540">research project analyzed</a> all the university residences that were controlled or affiliated with Toronto universities. Over half the residences (23) were selected for more detailed study of privacy and socialization opportunities, and how they changed over time. </p>
<p>Describing the privacy and socialization spaces of each residence permits us to classify how much the built space of residences enable students to socialize with new people and create resilient networks. We delineated four time periods of residence design: </p>
<ul>
<li>11.2 per cent of students today live in HUC Type 1 traditional rooms in residences built before 1960. These residences would be a small community of around 60 students living in a building that is a few storeys high.</li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540574/original/file-20230801-21-lhklor.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Layout design of traditional residences showing rooms off a long hallway versus heterogenous residences showing units with multiple rooms in them and privacy-oriented residences showing" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540574/original/file-20230801-21-lhklor.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540574/original/file-20230801-21-lhklor.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540574/original/file-20230801-21-lhklor.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540574/original/file-20230801-21-lhklor.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540574/original/file-20230801-21-lhklor.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540574/original/file-20230801-21-lhklor.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540574/original/file-20230801-21-lhklor.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Layout design of traditional residences, heterogenous residences and privacy-oriented residences.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shelagh McCartney and Ximena Rosenvasser)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<ul>
<li><p>26.3 per cent of students live in “traditional residences” built between 1960 and 1990, characterized by features like bedrooms (HUC Types 1 & 2) on both sides of a long hallway with common washrooms and lounges shared with the floor and dining space shared with the whole building, with around 200 to 300 students for each residence.</p></li>
<li><p>33.9 per cent of students live in residences built between 1990 and 2010 that combine traditional rooms and apartment units in the same residence (“heterogenous residences”). Compared with traditional residences, students have different living experiences in the same building. </p></li>
<li><p>28.6 per cent live in residences that were built between 2010 and 2021 and are privacy-oriented, with mostly suites and apartment units. Students living in these residences no longer share a washroom and are less likely to have a common dining experience with other people outside of their unit. </p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541996/original/file-20230809-15-i2ynmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Bar graphs showing varied types of housing units." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541996/original/file-20230809-15-i2ynmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541996/original/file-20230809-15-i2ynmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541996/original/file-20230809-15-i2ynmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541996/original/file-20230809-15-i2ynmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541996/original/file-20230809-15-i2ynmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=615&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541996/original/file-20230809-15-i2ynmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=615&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541996/original/file-20230809-15-i2ynmp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=615&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Changing privacy in Toronto student residence units. New construction of units tends towards apartment-style units with more private space.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shelagh McCartney and Ximena Rosenvasser)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Reports on <a href="https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/acuho/journal_vol36no2/index.php?startid=86">student housing construction</a> show that there is a trend towards building more suites and apartments. These are not built with the common spaces of traditional residences that have historically facilitated socialization and been positively associated with higher GPA and well-being.</p>
<h2>Privacy is not a luxury</h2>
<p>Student residences built in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom over the past 20 years prioritize privacy and risk isolation to accommodate perceived student preferences. This trend is to the detriment of students’ social spaces, and should be questioned. </p>
<p>A student’s living situation is a key component of their university education. Universities should remain in the business of student housing. Universities and developers need to focus on building student housing that fosters community building in order for socialization and new relationships to occur. </p>
<p>Meeting students’ socialization needs is the first step towards a more egalitarian and successful university experience.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207567/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shelagh McCartney receives funding from the the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and from the Four Toronto University Presidents Initiative through StudentDwellTO. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ximena Rosenvasser does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Student residences built in recent decades prioritize privacy, yet research shows a lack of student socialization spaces negatively affects students’ academic performance and well-being.Shelagh McCartney, Associate Professor, Urban and Regional Planning, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityXimena Rosenvasser, Architecture and Urbanism Researcher, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2109592023-08-04T19:22:47Z2023-08-04T19:22:47ZToronto Caribbean Carnival should bring attention to anti-Black racism affecting communities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541161/original/file-20230804-15-wejf60.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C0%2C7114%2C4743&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A dancer with Tribal Carnival is helped into her costume ahead of the King and Queen Show, part of Toronto Caribbean Carnival, on Aug. 3, 2023.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/toronto-caribbean-carnival-should-bring-attention-to-anti-black-racism-affecting-communities" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Every summer Toronto plays host to revellers and spectators, visitors and locals, for one of the biggest events of the season: the <a href="https://www.torontocarnival.ca/">Toronto Caribbean Carnival (TCC)</a>. Last year’s carnival brought almost two million people and <a href="https://www.torontocarnival.ca/_files/ugd/08adeb_c1c4596d9016436d886b6809be94dc14.pdf">just under half a billion dollars to the city</a>, and similar if not greater numbers are expected this year.</p>
<p>Under the theme of “Diversity and Culture Live Here,” the Festival Management Committee that oversees carnival events is encouraging everyone to join in the fun. Many see TCC activities, especially the culminating <a href="https://www.torontocarnival.ca/event-details/the-grand-parade">Grand Parade</a>, as an opportunity to go full throttle with the bacchanal. And carnival is about play and pleasure and partying.</p>
<p>But beyond the fun and sparkly costumes are some real problems around the exploitation of the culture of a community that usually doesn’t receive positive play in the media and elsewhere at other times of the year.</p>
<p>Heavy commercialization of the TCC also results in a significant amount of money coming into the city with not much of it bringing any benefit to Caribbean communities.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541162/original/file-20230804-27-22wyvj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A dancer in a large costume on stage during a Caribbean carnival." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541162/original/file-20230804-27-22wyvj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541162/original/file-20230804-27-22wyvj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541162/original/file-20230804-27-22wyvj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541162/original/file-20230804-27-22wyvj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541162/original/file-20230804-27-22wyvj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541162/original/file-20230804-27-22wyvj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541162/original/file-20230804-27-22wyvj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tribal Carnival’s front Princess, Caneisha Edwards, takes part in the King and Queen Show, part of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, on Aug. 3, 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Carnivals and protest</h2>
<p>In the post George Floyd era, it is even more important that these issues are acknowledged and tackled head on. One would hope, for example, that event organizers would consider explicitly framing at least some of the main events through the lens of what the world learned about anti-Black racism from the Black Lives Matter protests.</p>
<p>On the official <a href="https://www.torontocarnival.ca/donate">TCC website</a>, organizers ask for donations so that the “community and festival” can “continue to celebrate, raise awareness and to resist discrimination and oppression through our original music, masquerade performances, culinary experiences, and other expressions of our Caribbean culture.”</p>
<p>This suggests they understand the TCC can amplify and build on conversations and actions initiated during the protests. Perhaps, too, that phrasing on the website could mean an openness to embracing social critique and protest, which are hallmarks of Caribbean carnivals in other locations, such as in Trinidad and Tobago.</p>
<p>Carnival celebrations <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/arts/exhibitionists/mas-protest-how-traditional-carnival-was-born-out-of-resistance-1.4773816">born out of resistance</a> to, and which mark emancipation from, chattel slavery have long been part of the cultural experience of Caribbean peoples. Carnival traditions in the Caribbean have also long found a balance between creating a spectacle and being socially responsive, between being celebratory while also unafraid of challenging the status quo.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541182/original/file-20230804-27-2amatg.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman in a large multicolored costume on a stage." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541182/original/file-20230804-27-2amatg.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541182/original/file-20230804-27-2amatg.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541182/original/file-20230804-27-2amatg.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541182/original/file-20230804-27-2amatg.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541182/original/file-20230804-27-2amatg.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541182/original/file-20230804-27-2amatg.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541182/original/file-20230804-27-2amatg.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A participant parades a costume during the King and Queen Show, part of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, on Aug. 3, 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If the carnival’s organizers used its visibility to bring attention to structural and institutional anti-Black racism affecting communities, it would more fully embrace that Caribbean tradition.</p>
<p>So far, though, there’s not much evidence of such explicit framing. It would be a seriously missed opportunity if the 2023 festivities came to an end without engaging with the ways the community is affected by anti-Black racism.</p>
<h2>Raising awareness</h2>
<p>This 56th year of the TCC is kicking off on the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/BLM-tenth-anniversary?fbclid=IwAR0HJmw252qzvtb-NU6cw3s2xtmu2tNR4T6zr6Yi_IAVLShnFegZWCwTZsI">10th anniversary of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement</a>. This is only the second year, too, that the TCC’s main events overlap with Emancipation Day.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/emancipation-day.html">Emancipation Day</a>, observed on August 1, was made official in Canada in March 2021 in the wake of the BLM protests. The day offers Canadians an occasion to learn about <a href="https://www.vehiculepress.com/q.php?EAN=9781550653274">Canada’s history of enslaving Black and Indigenous Peoples</a> and better understand how racism continues to impact communities today.</p>
<p>TCC dates also coincide with <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/simcoe-day-canada-s-roots-in-slavery-and-the-historic-abolition-1.1303678">Simcoe Day</a>, which is observed in <a href="https://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/pages/programs/provincial-plaque-program/provincial-plaque-background-papers/chloe-cooley">remembrance of the 1793 anti-slavery act</a>.</p>
<p>So, if there was ever a time for the TCC to lean into its social commentary and protest roots, that time is now.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541164/original/file-20230804-23-ygrmno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman at a demonstration carrying a Black Lives Matter flag." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541164/original/file-20230804-23-ygrmno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541164/original/file-20230804-23-ygrmno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541164/original/file-20230804-23-ygrmno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541164/original/file-20230804-23-ygrmno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541164/original/file-20230804-23-ygrmno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541164/original/file-20230804-23-ygrmno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541164/original/file-20230804-23-ygrmno.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People attend the #BLM Turns 10 People’s Justice Festival on July 15, 2023 in Los Angeles. The Black Lives Matter movement was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of the man who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As someone who belongs to the Caribbean diaspora in Toronto, something I would like to see happen with the TCC is more overt critical engagement on the part of organizers, <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-history-of-mas-notting-hill-carnival/owVRsWygiT1m0g?hl=en">mas bands</a>, masqueraders and performers with anti-Black racism and other types of social injustice and inequity in Canada.</p>
<p>For masqueraders, that could mean choosing to play mas in ways that are more reminiscent of what people in the Caribbean call ‘ole mas.’ Bands could facilitate this socially- and politically-engaged mas by creating appropriate costumes and play scenarios for their band members.</p>
<p>Organizers could program events that promote greater awareness about the history of Caribbean carnivals. These could be public lectures, workshops and exhibits that take advantage of the reach and accessibility of virtual forums. Organizers could encourage greater engagement by artists and content producers with social events and topics, especially ones that concern Black and Caribbean Canadian communities.</p>
<p>They could also be more proactive about how corporate sponsorships and the growing commercialization of TCC events can be harnessed to benefit Caribbean and Black communities in Toronto.</p>
<p>The spotlight this summer on a post-pandemic, post-BLM iteration of the TCC could also help reignite productive public discussion about the policing of Black communities in Toronto. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/frustration-over-police-presence-at-caribbean-carnival-reflects-debate-over-anti-black-racism/article31149670/">TCC’s history with the police has not always been comfortable</a>. Toronto’s police force has repeatedly demonstrated over the years that it makes a problematic association between large gatherings of Black and other people of colour and public acts of violence.</p>
<p>Efforts have been made in recent years to address this, especially at the Grand Parade. <a href="https://thecaribbeancamera.com/toronto-caribbean-carnival-kicks-off-with-a-blazing-hot-launch/">News coverage</a> of the 2023 carnival observed that “In a departure from previous years, the Toronto Police chief was notably absent from the launch event, with only Black auxiliary officers seen near the stage.” But there is still a lot of work to do around changing how police interact with Black communities.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541163/original/file-20230804-19-77kck2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A large group of people in costumes at a carnival" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541163/original/file-20230804-19-77kck2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541163/original/file-20230804-19-77kck2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541163/original/file-20230804-19-77kck2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541163/original/file-20230804-19-77kck2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541163/original/file-20230804-19-77kck2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=473&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541163/original/file-20230804-19-77kck2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=473&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541163/original/file-20230804-19-77kck2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=473&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Masqueraders attend the Caribbean Carnival parade in Toronto on July 30, 2022. The 55th annual parade returned after the COVID-19 pandemic postponed it for two years.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Helping Black businesses</h2>
<p>The TCC is arguably Toronto’s biggest and most visible Black-owned business. But while various businesses in the city — hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues, cultural attractions and landmarks — benefit financially, that has not been the case for many Black businesses, especially small ones.</p>
<p>The increasing commercialization of the TCC, such as big brand sponsorship of the bands and the trucks that accompany them along the Grand Parade route, is a significant part of this problem.</p>
<p>Current funding structures, and “business as usual” approaches exemplify how Blackness can be co-opted to serve corporate interests while Black communities are shut out of the benefits and profits. It’s Blackness on display — and only when such display is profitable — with little to none of this profit going to Black communities.</p>
<p>The City of Toronto and the TCC could demonstrate commitment to addressing anti-Black racism by rethinking the carnival’s financial participation and profit distribution models to benefit Black-owned businesses and communities.</p>
<p>There are already organizational structures in place for facilitating this. For example, the Festival Management Committee’s <a href="https://www.bbep.ca/about">Building Black Entrepreneurs Program</a> which has received funding from the federal government’s <a href="https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2020/09/09/prime-minister-announces-support-black-entrepreneurs-and-business">Black Entrepreneurship Program</a>. There’s also the City of Toronto’s <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/get-involved/community/confronting-anti-black-racism/">Confronting Anti-Black Racism unit</a>.</p>
<p>The Festival Management Committee, the City, TCC community stakeholders, partners and sponsors as well as the larger public need to have these conversations. Until then, simply focusing on jumping, waving, wining, feting and playing does a disservice to the true spirit of Caribbean carnivals.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210959/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hyacinth Simpson receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>Toronto’s Caribbean Carnival brings festivities and fun to the city every summer. But beyond the dances and parades, carnivals are and should be places to protest and raise awareness of injustices.Hyacinth Simpson, Associate Professor, Department of English and Interim Director, Dimensions Program, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2107802023-08-03T20:16:34Z2023-08-03T20:16:34ZWhy a Toronto high school principal’s death is wrongly linked to anti-racist training<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540866/original/file-20230802-24657-nrwsv2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=378%2C1260%2C5592%2C2404&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A social media narrative that anti-racism and equity work is to blame for a high school principal's death could mean challenges ahead for equity workers. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Christina Wocintech/Unsplash)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/why-a-toronto-high-school-principals-death-is-wrongly-linked-to-anti-racist-training" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Last month, a former Toronto school principal, <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/former-principal-who-sued-tdsb-over-alleged-bullying-during-anti-racism-training-dies-by-suicide/article_4b9f98a9-7394-5517-909b-c69eb581aec9.html">Richard Bilkszto, died by suicide</a>. Although the <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/why-do-people-commit-suicide">reasons for suicide are complex</a>, his family and lawyer released a statement linking his death to an anti-racism workshop he had attended. </p>
<p>Those ardently opposed to “woke politics” are now using Bilkszto’s tragic death to decry anti-racism and equity work. The Ontario Ministry of Education, led by Stephen Lecce, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/lecce-tdsb-principal-death-staff-review-1.6917432">has called the allegations “serious and disturbing” and plans to conduct a review of how anti-racism and equity work is done at school boards</a>. </p>
<p>The workshop Bilkszto attended was led by Kike Ojo-Thompson, CEO of the KOJO Institute. <a href="https://kojoinstitute.com/statement-from-kojo-institute-ceo-july-27-2023/">Ojo-Thompson</a> has called the death of Bilkszto a tragedy. Ojo-Thompson was unaware that earlier this year, Bilkszto had filed a lawsuit against the school board concerning the anti-racism workshop she led about white supremacy.</p>
<p>As someone who has worked in the fields of equity, education and anti-racism, I understand both the importance and the burden of naming “racism” and “white supremacy” within institutions. It is crucial to support those who risk their reputations and livelihoods to do this naming.</p>
<p>I see the current media storm as a precedent-setting moment on the risks associated with institutional equity work. I believe it will also test Canadians’ commitment to doing the work needed to address racism. </p>
<p>The minister’s response as well as those by right-wing news media have helped to fuel a narrative that anti-racism and equity work is to blame. </p>
<h2>Anti-racism training denigrated by news media</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12356503/Toronto-schools-launches-probe-suicide-principal-Richard-Bilkszto-killed-bullied-harassed-following-dust-KOJO-Institute-anti-racism-trainer-Kike-Ojo-Thompson.html"><em>Daily Mail</em></a> described the investigation into Bilkszto’s death as one that will look into “whether the obsession with woke policies may have contributed” to his death.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://nationalpost.com/opinion/richard-bilkszto-cherished-merit-and-equality-canada-should-too"><em>National Post</em></a> wrote: “It’s no coincidence that Bilkszto came out humiliated” since “the DEI industry is designed to sell guilt and shame and perpetuate a culture of victimhood.” </p>
<p>The <a href="https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/lilley-ontario-orders-review-of-school-training-after-principal-dies"><em>Toronto Sun</em></a> has suggested there is need to look at “the general issue of diversity, equity and inclusion training” concluding “reform may be sorely needed.”</p>
<h2>Equity work disrupts ‘safe spaces’</h2>
<p><a href="https://canadacouncil.ca/glossary/equity">Equity</a> training aims to address practices that sustain institutional inequities. It begins with the acknowledgement of both historical and contemporary inequities and the premise that such work is needed to bring about equity.</p>
<p>Even at its mildest, equity work involves taking some people outside of their comfort zone. But equity work at its most meaningful involves getting people to recognize that their comfort zone has depended on other people’s silence and marginalization.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman stands at a board pointing at sticky notes, a group of people sit in front of her." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540867/original/file-20230802-17-yvpt1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540867/original/file-20230802-17-yvpt1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540867/original/file-20230802-17-yvpt1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540867/original/file-20230802-17-yvpt1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540867/original/file-20230802-17-yvpt1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540867/original/file-20230802-17-yvpt1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540867/original/file-20230802-17-yvpt1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Equity training takes people outside of their comfort zones.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Jason Goodman/Unsplash)</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Yet equity work is often conducted within the context of a market-based relationship, where client priorities dictate the boundaries of change and disruptiveness. These boundaries are frequently constructed around language choices — with terms like “diversity” and “inclusion” being permissible while, <a href="http://www.yorku.ca/lfoster/documents/Canadian_Experience_Rule_RDRJournal_FINAL.pdf">“racism” is deemed too polarizing</a>. </p>
<p>When wading into discussions about equity and racism, the practice of establishing guidelines has been a central strategy for mitigating the associated risks. This practice has often been described as building a “safe space.” But <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b6af3b236099ba883a28b1e/t/5dcc5b2ae2b90a3c5af08fc5/1573673770842/From+Safe+Spaces+to+Brave+Spaces_2013.pdf">long-time social justice educators, Brian Arao and Kristi Clemens,</a> argue “that authentic learning about social justice often requires the very qualities of risk, difficulty and controversy that are defined as incompatible with safety.” This is especially the case when these conversations are taking place within the very institutions that are being asked to confront their own racist and inequitable practices. </p>
<p>Safety also gets conflated with comfort when people expect these conversations not to be upsetting or difficult, or expect not to be held accountable for their comments. This is an impossible standard to set for conversations that challenge institutional norms and social inequities. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-two-pandemics-of-anti-black-racism-and-covid-19-are-tied-together/">McGill University political scientists Tari Ajadi and Debra Thompson</a> describe this type of racism as “simultaneously individualistic and systemic.” Discussing racist systems requires reference to tangible individual instances of racism to illustrate how racism is reproduced. </p>
<p>Sometimes this is met with tears and sometimes this is met with defensiveness. For example, in a training I once conducted, a white woman cried when she realized that she had been using language to describe Black children which I explained reiterates racialized stereotypes that harm and dehumanize Black people. </p>
<p>Even when we try to make intentional language choices, such as “address the comment, not the speaker,” the illustration of racism will feel personal for those whose behaviour is implicated. </p>
<p>In her column for the <em>Toronto Star</em>, journalist <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/a-toronto-principal-s-suicide-was-wrongly-linked-to-anti-racism-training-here-s-what/article_52f30ce3-e754-5947-a754-91746b8af7ce.html">Shree Paradkar</a>, carefully delineated between the ideas of “upholding white supremacy” and “calling someone a white supremacist” in her review of Ojo-Thompson’s words in the session recordings. But this delineation fails to satisfy <a href="https://twitter.com/jonkay/status/1684758380055814144">those avowedly anti-woke commentators</a> for whom the language of racism and white supremacy is always considered unspeakable.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-be-a-mindful-anti-racist-147551">How to be a mindful anti-racist</a>
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<h2>The unspeakability of racism</h2>
<p>Following the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/08/16/902179773/summer-of-racial-reckoning-the-match-lit#:%7E:text=Summer%20of%20Racial%20Reckoning%20explores,civil%20rights%20icons%20see%20it.">2020 “summer of racial reckoning</a>,” almost every sector in Canada was compelled to initiate equity work. Many developed <a href="https://www.expresspros.com/CA/Newsroom/Canada-Employed/Fewer-Than-Half-of-Canadian-Companies-Have-Diversity-Equity-and-Inclusion-Policy.aspx?&referrer=http://www.expresspros.com/CanadaEmployed/">Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) policies</a>, and several demonstrated a willingness to have <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/systemic-racism-discrimination/anti-racism-toolkit/courageous-conversations-guide.html">difficult conversations on racism</a>. </p>
<p>Since then, the perceived urgency of this equity work has been steadily waning, yet the resistance to this work has remained forceful. </p>
<p>Equity studies scholar <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/canadian-journal-of-law-and-society-la-revue-canadienne-droit-et-societe/article/abs/unspeakability-of-racism-mapping-laws-complicity-in-manitobas-racialized-spaces/22CDD014685783D6A9CD87144E265D4D">Sheila Dawn Gill</a> offered the term “unspeakability of racism” to describe the barriers to naming racism within Canadian spaces. She used the example of the silencing of the late Cree politician, Oscar Lathlin, for using the term “racist.” This silencing was again applied to current NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s use of “<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/pov-racism-white-fragility-1.5619647">unparliamentary language</a>.” </p>
<p>Broad acceptance of the reality of systemic racism is meaningless if it cannot be applied towards understanding how racism is enacted both individually and institutionally through comments, actions and specific circumstances. Institutional commitments to anti-racism are meaningless if they do not extend support and care to those doing this work.</p>
<p>Two decades ago, Canadian political scientist <a href="https://www.academia.edu/5741567/Smith_Race_Matters_and_Race_Manners_">Malinda Smith</a> described how the “race manners” of Canada continue to support the suppression of the naming of racism and obscure the way that race continues to matter throughout Canadian institutions. </p>
<p>The vilification of Ojo-Thompson for talking about white supremacy demonstrates the enduring hold of Canada’s race manners, even in the wake of our collective racial reckoning. </p>
<p><em>If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, you need to know you’re not alone. If your life or someone else’s is in danger, call 911 for emergency services. Or, call <a href="https://talksuicide.ca/">Talk Suicide Canada</a> at 1-833-456-4566.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210780/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicole Bernhardt has previously received payment for equity and anti-racism training from government, non-profit, and private institutions. She has never worked with, or received payment from, the KOJO Institute. She has also received an Ontario Grant Scholarship and the Abella Scholarship for Studies in Equity.</span></em></p>The media storm that is building on equity work after the death of a Toronto school principal will test Canadians’ commitment to doing the work needed to be done to address racism.Nicole Bernhardt, Assistant Professor, Political Science, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.