Prof. Ross McKitrick, Economics, was the co-author of an op-ed column in the Financial Post on July 10. In the column, McKitrick discussed energy rates for Ontario businesses and their potential negative impact on jobs. McKitrick studies environmental economics and Ontario energy policy.
Prof. Lee Niel, Population Medicine, was interviewed by CTV News on July 9. Niel, who studies companion animal behaviour, was interviewed about a possible dog attack in Hamilton, and what might prompt an animal to behave in that way. Her research focuses on dog aggression in terms of genetics, neurobiology and interactions with the environment.
Post-doctoral researcher Alana Pindar, Environmental Sciences, spoke on CBC News on July 9. She was discussing a study that she co-authored on the decline of bumblebees due to climate change. Pindar spoke about the implications of what this would mean for farmers and the general public. She is researching the impact of climate change, pesticide use and habitat changes on pollinators such as bumblebees.
Prof. Nigel Raine, Environmental Sciences, was interviewed by the Globe and Mail on July 9. In the interview, Raine spoke about Pindar’s recent study that said climate change was a key factor in the decline of bumblebees. Raine, the Rebanks Family Chair in Pollinator Conservation, studies the various factors involved with the decline of pollinators, and looks at ways to conserve them.
Prof. Michael von Massow, Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management, was interviewed by a number of CBC Radio stations on July 8. In the interviews, von Massow discussed food waste, and spoke about possible laws in Europe that would ban supermarkets from discarding food. He spoke with Toronto’s Metro Morning, Kitchener-Waterloo, and several other stations, including Halifax, Saskatoon, Victoria and Windsor. Von Massow studies supply chain management and sustainability.
In an op-ed column for the Globe and Mail on July 6, Prof. David MacDonald, Political Science, looked at the term “cultural genocide” used in discussing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recent report on Canadian aboriginal treatment and residential schools. MacDonald was also interviewed July 7 by the Australian Broadcasting Corp. for a report on residential schools. He studies Canadian and Australian indigenous politics.
Prof. Sylvain Charlebois, Marketing and Consumer Studies, was interviewed by a number of CBC Radio stations on July 7 about the effects of drought in Western Canada on beef prices. He spoke with Here and Now, as well as stations in Winnipeg, St. John’s, Vancouver, Ottawa and Edmonton. Charlebois co-authors the annual Food Price Index from the U of G Food Institute.
U of G’s Biodiversity Institute of Ontario was featured in a National Geographic report on July 6. The story discussed how technological advances might protect endangered animals from wildlife smuggling. DNA barcoding, developed by Prof. Paul Hebert, Integrative Biology, allows researchers to identify species from fragments of their genetic material.
Prof. Glen Filson, Environmental Design and Rural Development, and Bamidele Adekunle, an adjunct professor in the school, wrote a column on strategies to increase investment and trade among African countries for the U.K.-based academic discussion site The Conversation on July 6. Filson studies agriculture and farming systems, and Adekunle focuses on entrepreneurship and international trade.