This coming week offers members of the Massey College community a wealth of opportunities to engage on important issues and—importantly—consider concrete solutions.
For Junior Fellows exclusively, U of T’s Provostial Advisor on Civil Discourse Randy Boyogoda will join me and Junior Fellows in a conversation about creating conditions for respectful discussion and engaging with diverse viewpoints for the greater good.
For our wider community, the Walter Gordon Symposium will examine the pursuit of equity in energy, housing, and immigration in Canadian policy and practice.
These important conversations (along with some wine grazing, music making, medal bestowing, and theatrical reading) will make for another enriching and meaningful week at Massey College.
I look forward to seeing you at many of the events below.
Best wishes,
James Orbinski
Principal
UPCOMING EVENTS
March 10 – A conversation about Leadership, Learning, and Civility for the Public Good (exclusive for Junior Fellows)
Junior Fellows are asked to join Senior Fellow Professor Randy Boyagoda and Principal James Orbinski in conversation around creating conditions for respectful discussion, promoting shared understanding despite differences, and engaging with diverse viewpoints for the greater good. RSVP
March 10 – Chapel Royal Explorations: Music of the Heart
Everyone is invited to join a Talking Circle in the Chapel from 4:00-6:00pm. The subject is music, its connection to culture and spiritual practice, and its ability to free our minds and our spirits. Participants will have the opportunity to talk about music that has special meaning for them. It is a space to listen, share and learn. Senior Resident alumnus Gordon Rixon will lead and moderate. Light refreshments will be served. All are welcome! RSVP
March 14 – Walter Gordon Symposium: Equity in Peril: Immigration, Urban Planning, and Energy
With climate change, a shifting political landscape, and a cost-of-living crisis reshaping Canada’s policy landscape, this event brings together policymakers, academics, and community leaders to discuss equitable solutions for housing, energy, and immigration.
Co-sponsored by Massey College and the Munk School of Global Affairs, with support from Tom Axworthy (Chair in Public Policy) and Carolyn Tuohy (Senior Fellow). Special thanks to the Junior Fellow organizing team. RSVP
March 14 – Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco: A Staged Play Reading
Please join the Massey By-the-Book Players* for a staged reading of the absurdly comedic play, Rhinoceros by Eugène Ionesco. The sublime is confused with the ridiculous in this commentary on the human condition. A small town is besieged by one roaring citizen who becomes a rhinoceros and proceeds to trample on the social order. All members of the Massey community are welcome to attend.
The event will be followed by an informal discussion about the play.
*The Massey By-the-Book Players is an ad hoc group of Junior Fellows, Senior Fellows, staff, and other Massey community members, coming together for the love of theatre! RSVP
March 15 – Wine Grazing: The Voice of the Volcano
Join us for a Massey tradition, featuring wines from Mount Etna paired with gourmet small plates. Guided by sommelier Patrick Groves, the evening includes a special performance by Opera Revue. Open to all current, former, and affiliated College members and their guests. Hosted by the Massey College Wine Grazing Committee. Ticket sales end three days in advance. RSVP
Wednesday, March 19 – Junior Fellow Lecture Series: The Brain, The Mind
Presented by the Junior Fellows, these lectures take place roughly once a month and invite three Junior Fellows to give an after dinner lecture on a chosen topic through the lens of their various fields of study. RSVP
March 20 – Ethics Series – Legislating Homelessness: Government Response to Homelessness?
This discussion will examine government authority, human rights, and homelessness, including recent proposals to restrict food aid and shut down encampments using the Notwithstanding Clause. Senior Fellow Peter Biro, Diana Chan McNally, Junior Fellow Megan McKinnon and Don Gibson (moderator) will explore the legal and ethical implications of such policies and consider alternative approaches. RSVP
March 21 – Womxn in Leadership Networking
Join the afternoon of networking, mentorship, and meaningful conversations at Massey College, where we celebrate and empower womxn in leadership. RSVP
March 22 – Book History and Print Culture’s Annual Colloquium
This year’s theme is Scandalous Book History: The Secret Life of Books. The event is from 9:00am – 5:00pm, followed by a wine and cheese reception. Registration is limited. RSVP
Monday, March 24 – Cancel Culture & Anti-Racism: A Double-Edged Sword?
This timely and thought-provoking conversation will explore the complexities of holding individuals accountable while fostering both personal and systemic growth and change. Hosted by Junior Fellow and Equity and Inclusivity Secretariat Co-Chair Kejah Bascon. RSVP
March 25 – Senior Fellow Luncheon with Barbara Sherwood Lollar on “Looking down to the stars – a life exploring deep waters”
All are welcome to this special lunch and lecture in the Upper Library.
Our place in the universe, the stewardship of our planet and environment, the possibility of life elsewhere – all these themes are investigated through first exploring the Earth itself. Join Barbara Sherwood Lollar in a brief tour of the deepest oldest waters on the planet and the links to life. RSVP
March 26 – Alumni Dinner (1995-2004 cohort)
All are welcome to the final Alumni Dinner of the year. Celebrate and build community over dinner. RSVP
March 28 – Convocation High Table
Please join us at the High Table celebrating our convocating Junior Fellows (and recently convocated alum). We will gather over a delicious meal and honour the brilliant minds who have contributed to Massey College and beyond.
APRIL EVENTS
April 2 – Massey Dialogues: Ageing and Loneliness in the City – Challenges and Paths
As our population ages, loneliness has emerged as a pressing public health concern. While social isolation can have serious consequences, there are also innovative efforts to foster connection and well-being among older adults. This panel discussion will explore the complexities of loneliness in the context of aging, sharing creative approaches in how to ease it, and creative ideas on paths forward. RSVP
April 7 – Book Club presents Native Nations by Kathleen DuVal
Massey Book Club teams up with the Literary Review of Canada’s Alex Sallas to discuss Native Nations: A Millennium in North America, the 2024 Cundill History Prize-winning book.
Kathleen DuVal shows how the definitions of power and means of exerting it shifted over time, but the sovereignty and influence of Native peoples remained a constant—and will continue far into the future. RSVP
April 15 – Liberal Democracy in the Rearview?
Join Massey College, Section 1 and the Canadian International Council for a timely discussion on liberal democracy. See schedule, speakers and register here.
COMMUNITY NEWS
AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS
- Junior Fellow Keagan Rankin was awarded Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)’s Gold Roof Award for Housing Research Excellence. This was for his project: Providing Affordable Housing Within Climate Limits: A Model of Sustainable Future Growth which he did with his research partner Senior Fellow Shoshanna Saxe.
- Senior Fellow Barbara Sherwood Lollar, has been awarded the 2025 Wollaston Medal by the Geological Society of London.
Congratulations Keagan and Barbara!
NEWS
- Alum Otuto Chukwu co-wrote a chapter titled Equity in Access to Cancer Care which has been published in the book Cancer Systems and Control for Health Professionals. Preview it here. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781394191369.ch2.3
- Senior Fellow Ron Deibert is featured on a CBC list of Canadian nonfiction books to read this spring.
- Alum Julian Posada co-authored a paper titled Factors Influencing Trust in Algorithmic Decision-Making, published in Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence.
- Senior Fellow Sir Mark Vlasic attend the Munich Security Conference to premiere ERASE THE NATION, a film he executive produced about the Russian destruction of cultural and religious heritage in Ukraine, and to chair a MSC panel discussion on international law enforcement and police diplomacy.
- Senior Fellow Armine Yalnizyan talked to The Current this week about how tariffs will affect your money.
- In February, at the invitation of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Context of Climate Change, the Climate Justice Committee of Liberal International (UK) chaired by Senior Fellow David Zimmer submitted a paper titled Fossil Fuel Based Economies and Human Rights.
Attention family doctors and nurse practitioners:
Massey College Alumni Olivier Sorin and Ryan Doherty have launched a primary care clinician census in partnership with the University of Toronto Department of Family and Community Medicine to better
understand the preferences and needs of all family doctors and nurse practitioners working in the Toronto region. The census will improve health care system planning with a focus on helping patients without family doctors gain access to primary care.
If you are a physician, please help get the word out. The census is collecting responses until the end of March. Learn more about the project.
If you work in health care or are a physician or nurse practitioner working in Toronto, you can fill out the census here.
THE JCR PODCAST – Saving Journalism through Community Building
In this episode, we hear about how Rappler, an innovative online media outlet in the Philippines, works with citizens to rebuild trust in news. Its lead Pia Ranada, the 2024 Marshall McLuhan Journalism Fellow from the Philippines, speaks with William Southam Journalism Fellow Beatrice Senadju, an award-winning broadcast journalist from Ghana. Listen here.
