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Simon Fraser University

As Canada’s engaged university, SFU works with communities, organizations and partners to create, share and embrace knowledge that improves life and generates real change. We deliver a world-class education with lifelong value that shapes change-makers, visionaries and problem-solvers. We connect research and innovation to entrepreneurship and industry to deliver sustainable, relevant solutions to today’s problems. With campuses in British Columbia’s three largest cities – Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey – SFU has eight faculties that deliver 193 undergraduate degree programs and 127 graduate degree programs to more than 35,000 students. The university now boasts more than 160,000 alumni residing in 143 countries.

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Displaying 1 - 20 of 343 articles
Planting trees to offset carbon is meaningless if the trees are lost to fire. A new way of understanding carbon storage based on both time and quantity stored is required to fully utilize carbon storage in climate change mitigation strategies. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Temporary carbon storage in forests has climate value — but we need to get the accounting right

H. Damon Matthews, Concordia University; Alexander Koch, University of Hong Kong; Amy Luers, Concordia University, and Kirsten Zickfeld, Simon Fraser University

Tracking both the amount of carbon and the time that it remains stored is key to unlocking the potential of nature-based carbon storage as a climate mitigation strategy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivers a speech in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Sept. 22, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Zelenskyy’s meetings with Trudeau and Biden are aimed at winning the long war

James Horncastle, Simon Fraser University

Ukraine must keep its cause in the hearts and minds of the public and its allies in the West. Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visits to Ottawa, Washington and the United Nations were in pursuit of that goal.
The term BIPOC amalgamates distinct experiences of racism and colonialism and misses those that do not fit within one category, like individuals of mixed ancestry. (Shutterstock)

Why we should stop using acronyms like BIPOC

Michaela M. McGuire, Simon Fraser University

Acronyms like BIPOC can highlight the similar ways racism impacts different people. However, they can also gloss over the distinct experiences of communities.
Blaming international students for Canada’s problems distracts attention away from finding genuine solutions. (Shutterstock)

International students are not to blame for Canada’s housing crisis

Yvonne Su, York University, Canada; Lilach Marom, Simon Fraser University; Soma Chatterjee, York University, Canada, and Tania Das Gupta, York University, Canada

International students frequently face challenges finding suitable places to live. Instead of blaming them, the government should be helping them.
People march to remember those who died during the drug poisoning crisis on International Overdose Awareness Day, in Vancouver, on Aug. 31, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Decriminalization: How police drug seizure, even without arrest, can create harms

Kanna Hayashi, Simon Fraser University

A police policy of not making arrests for simple possession is a way to essentially decriminalize personal drug use. However, confiscating drugs — even without arrests — can be harmful in many ways.
Thick wildfire smoke blankets the landscape near Water Valley, Alta., in May 2023. Evidence linking wildfire smoke with adverse health effects has been accumulating for years. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Wildfire smoke is an increasing threat to Canadians’ health

Ryan W. Allen, Simon Fraser University and Stephanie Cleland, Simon Fraser University

The notion that wildfire smoke is ‘natural,’ and therefore less harmful than other types of air pollution, is not supported by the evidence. Wildfire smoke has been linked to adverse health effects.
Face masks depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin displayed at a souvenir shop in St. Petersburg, Russia. Prigozhin reportedly died in a plane crash on Aug. 23. (AP Photo, File)

Regardless of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s fate, Vladimir Putin benefits

James Horncastle, Simon Fraser University

Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group, reportedly died when a private jet he was said to be on crashed on Aug. 23, 2023, killing all 10 people on board.
Political tribalism has severely hampered genuine action on climate change and developing more environmentally just practices and standards. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

It is not just heat waves — climate change is also a crisis of disconnection

Kiffer George Card, Simon Fraser University and Kalysha Closson

Dealing with climate change requires us to address not just our carbon emissions but also the disconnection with ourselves and our planet which fuels ecological destruction.
The Crime Severity Index is calculated like a crime rate, but different crimes are given a different weight, or importance, based on their severity. (Shutterstock)

To reduce rising crime rates, Canada needs to invest more in social services

Martin Andresen, Simon Fraser University

Recent data from Statistics Canada shows crime rates in Canada rising. Crime has become a hot-button political issue in Canadian cities. But what does the data actually mean?
Generative AI used to recreate Drake’s voice was trained on many copyrighted songs featuring his voice. Drake appears on screen during a tribute to Lil Wayne at the Black Music Collective on Feb. 2, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Why the growth of AI in making art won’t eliminate artists

Arne Eigenfeldt, Simon Fraser University

As a composer who has used creative AI in my music, I see that many artists will need to renegotiate terms of their labour, but there are also opportunities for different forms of collaboration.
Le premier ministre Justin Trudeau et Sophie Grégoire Trudeau arrivent à l'abbaye de Westminster avant la cérémonie de couronnement du roi Charles à Londres en mai 2023. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Les adversaires politiques de Justin Trudeau devraient éviter de tirer profit de sa séparation

Stewart Prest, Simon Fraser University

De nombreuses personnes éprouvent de l’empathie pour ce que Justin Trudeau et Sophie Grégoire Trudeau traversent en ce moment ; les adversaires politiques devraient en faire autant.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau arrive at Westminster Abbey prior to the coronation ceremony of King Charles in London in May 2023. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Justin Trudeau’s political foes should avoid capitalizing on his marital breakdown

Stewart Prest, Simon Fraser University

Many Canadians likely have a great deal of empathy for what Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau are going through right now — which is why opposition politicians should too.
Striking International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada workers march to a rally as gantry cranes used to load and unload cargo containers from ships sit idle at port, in Vancouver, on July 6, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C. labour dispute: It’s time for an industrial inquiry commission into ports and automation

Peter Hall, Simon Fraser University

We need a new agreement between employers and employees in the B.C. ports that will allow both sides to enjoy the benefits of new workplace technologies.
It is clear that some public trust in public health, science and government has been lost in Canada and around the world. (Shutterstock)

Inquiry must assess how Canada’s fragmented COVID-19 response lost the public’s trust

Tania Bubela, Simon Fraser University; Kimberlyn McGrail, University of British Columbia, and Sharmistha Mishra, University of Toronto

Now is the time to learn from the COVID-19 response through an action-oriented independent inquiry focused on accountability. Reforms to data generation, access and use are essential.
With more and more Canadians cycling, it is crucial we have up-to-date information on what cycling infrastructure exists and where to find it. (Callista Ottoni)

How Canada’s first national cycling map will benefit both riders and public planners

Meghan Winters, Simon Fraser University; Colin Ferster, Simon Fraser University, and Karen Laberee, Simon Fraser University

Cycling in Canada has been experiencing a great boom in recent years. Yet, there was no consistent and complete way to measure cycling infrastructure, until now.
A Ukrainian soldier prepares to fire a Russian TOS-1A Solntsepyok heavy flame-thrower rocket launcher, captured by a Ukrainian army battalion, towards Russian positions on the frontline near Kreminna, Luhansk region, in July 2023. (AP Photo/Libkos)

Ukraine’s slow advance doesn’t signal failure in its counteroffensive against Russia

James Horncastle, Simon Fraser University

The slow pace of the Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia doesn’t suggest military success for Ukraine is impossible.
Les personnes seules sont plus malades et vivent moins longtemps. Tout comme les recommandations concernant l’alimentation et l’exercice physique, les directives de santé publique en matière de liens sociaux peuvent nous aider à vivre plus heureux et en meilleure santé. (Shutterstock)

Les liens sociaux sont essentiels pour le bien-être. Voici sept manières d’éviter l’isolement

Kiffer George Card, Simon Fraser University

La solitude est un fléau et créer des liens sociaux est essentiel pour notre bien-être. Les recommandations de santé publique à cet égard peuvent nous aider à vivre plus heureux et en meilleure santé.

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