Dr. Evan Fraser, director of U of G’s Arrell Food Institute, co-wrote an opinion piece for the Hill Times with Deb Stark, former deputy minister of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. They wrote that Canada is well-positioned to take a leadership role at the United Nations Food Systems Summit, due to …

Dr. Byram Bridle, a professor of immunology with the Department of Pathobiology at U of G’s Ontario Veterinary College, provided a commentary for the Conversation Canada about the potential health effects for children who have remained indoors for most of the last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He argued that kids who have been …

Dr. Timothy Dewhirst, a professor in the Department of Marketing and Consumer Studies, wrote a commentary in the Toronto Star about the NHL’s decision to include brand advertising on player helmets this season. He said branding has become normalized with hockey in the last few decades and that while the helmet ads are likely the …

With only about half of Canadians eligible for paid sick days – even in the midst of a pandemic — what can be done to ensure more Canadians aren’t forced to choose between paying their bills or going to work ill? The issue of paid sick days has sparked arguments over who should pay: governments …

Dr. Maya Goldenberg, a professor in the Department of Philosophy, was interviewed on CBC Radio’s Fresh Air about her new book, Vaccine Hesitancy: Public Trust, Expertise, and the War on Science. Goldenberg explained that vaccine hesitancy has been around ever since the first vaccine was invented in the late 1700s. The reasons for that hesitancy …

Dr. Kate Parizeau, professor in the Department of Geography, Environment & Geomatics, spoke to CBC News Network’s Canada Tonight about a United Nations report that found the average Canadian wastes 79 kg of food at home per year. Parizeau said Canadians tend to be large food consumers and wasters in part because we have so …

Ashleigh Weeden, a rural studies PhD candidate in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, contributed a commentary to The Conversation Canada about the implications of “region hopping” during the pandemic. She wrote that while inter-regional travel in the province is no longer strictly limited to essential reasons, smaller communities remained concerned about influxes …

Three University of Guelph spoke to several media outlets over the controversy dubbed “buttergate.” After Canadian bakers took to social media to report their butter seemed harder in recent months, allegations were made that it could be due to dairy cows being fed more palm oil derivatives in their feed, which could have changed the …

U of G’s Student Experience team were featured in a Toronto Star special article that looked at how Ontario universities adjusted their Orientation Weeks to meet the challenge of needing virtual programming for remote learning first-year students. Rosanna Beattie, coordinator of U of G’s orientation programs, told the paper that she and her team designed …

Dr. Nita Chhinzer, a professor in the Department of Management in U of G’s Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics, spoke to the Toronto Star about the downsides of video-call layoffs. The article noted that several Canadian corporations have recently laid off employees en masse through short and largely impersonal video conference calls. …

With the federal government introducing legislation that would relax penalties for drug possession charges, a University of Guelph sociologist said the move suggests the Canadian public has grown more open to less severe punishments for drug offences. Dr. Andrew Hathaway is a professor in the Department of Sociology who researches drug policy in Canada and …

Dr. Ralf Gellert, a professor in U of G’s Department of Physics, made several media appearances this week to discuss the landing of the latest Mars rover, Perseverance, on the red planet. Gellert was the instrument lead scientist on three previous Mars rover missions: Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity. He was involved in building the Alpha-Particle …

CBC Radio’s The Next Chapter featured an interview with Dr. Madhur Anand, professor in the School of Environmental Sciences, about her memoir, This Red Line Goes Straight to Your Heart. This Red Line tells the stories of Anand’s parents and their tale of immigration after the partition of Pakistan from India, as well as how …

CBC Windsor highlighted a new paper by School of Environmental Sciences researchers who made the first Canadian sighting of hibiscus bees (Ptilothrix bombiformis) in Canada. Master’s student Janean Sharkey described the discovery in Ojibway Prairie Park Nature Reserve (OPPNR) in Windsor, Ont., in a research paper co-authored by post-doctoral researcher Dr. Alana Pindar and Dr. …

Dr. Meghan McMurtry, a professor in the Department of Psychology, contributed a commentary to The Globe and Mail about how those with a high degree of fear of needles can conquer their fear in order to get the new COVID-19 vaccines. McMurtry, who researches pain and health in children and adolescents, explained that a form …

Two naturalist interns with the University of Guelph’s Arboretum, Kitty and Jenny Lin, spoke to CBC Radio’s Fresh Air about how to spot snowy owls migrating to Ontario and respectfully enjoy their presence. The Lins explained that snowy owls often migrate south from the Arctic tundra to southern Ontario to search for food, and can …

Dr. Ann Pegoraro, the Lang Chair in Sport Management in the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics, spoke to The New York Times about the decision by the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) to suspend its playoff plans because of an outbreak of COVID-19 among players. Pegoraro noted it was ironic that the …

Dr. Simon Somogyi, the Arrell Chair in the Business of Food and associate professor in U of G’s School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management, spoke to CTV News about the reasons behind a sudden shortage of bottled alfredo sauce. Somogyi, who researches food supply chains, said companies are limiting production of alfredo sauce due …

Prof. Timothy Dewhirst, Department of Marketing and Consumer Studies, wrote a commentary in the Toronto Star about why amid a pandemic, our expectations for the usual Super Bowl spectacle should be tempered. Dewhirst noted that in-person attendance at the game will be limited, as will be the number of media and number of people descending …

Recent reports suggest Canadian Olympic Committee leadership would like to have Team Canada athletes vaccinated early so they will be ready to compete when the Tokyo Olympics begin on July 23. Should Canada’s athletes be prioritized for early vaccination? Three University of Guelph business professors recently considered this question in a commentary for The Conversation …