July 17, 2020 by
A&S News
Scholars from a range of disciplines across the Faculty of Arts & Science are sharing their expertise on pressing issues in the media — from police oversight to partnerships between various nations and Chinese digital tech company Huawei.
Here’s some of what A&S scholars had to say this week.
July 10, 2020
- Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies associate professor Scot Wortley speaks with CBC News about independent oversight of police in Ontario, handled by the province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU). Wortley says many SIU reports show instances where the organization has said there isn't enough evidence to lay charges against the police — something he says could be attributed to officers not cooperating with investigators.
- Erick Laming, a PhD candidate at the Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies, comments on a variety of aspects of police oversight in Nova Scotia as provided by the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT). In a CBC News story and in a conversation with CBC Radio’s Information Morning, Laming discusses diversity among investigators, average annual caseloads and differences in mandates as compared to other similar agencies across Canada.
July 11, 2020
- Department of Earth Sciences professor Miriam Diamond comments on water quality at Toronto’s beaches in the Toronto Star (paywall). Diamond says Ontario’s developed shoreline means more waste gets flushed into the lake after major rainfalls and urges people to check for water advisories before going swimming.
July 12, 2020
- Erick Laming comments on Indigenous police forces in Canada on CTV News.
July 13, 2020
- Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies professor emeritus Anthony Doob comments on the rate of police-related deaths in Nunavut, which is considered high when compared to other jurisdictions in Canada. Doob tells CBC News, “What the statistics show in this case is that it's pretty unlikely that this is a chance phenomenon. It looks like there's something systematic here."
- Department of Philosophy professor Mark Kingwell explores the human capacity for denial in an op-ed in Maclean’s magazine.
- Brenda Wastasecoot, assistant professor at the Centre for Indigenous Studies, speaks about awareness of anti-Indigenous oppression throughout Canadian history in a toronto.com story. "It's important to know who you are as Canadians. How you got to be here to enjoy the wealth of this land, to know what your obligations are. You represent half of a treaty that was signed," says Wastasecoot. "It's important to acknowledge that history."
- John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher with the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, speaks with The Guardian about the targeting of a pro-independent Catalonia politician in Spain with cyber spyware. “This case is extremely troubling because it suggests that possible domestic political espionage was taking place,” says Railton.
July 14, 2020
- Lynette Ong, a professor in the Department of Political Science and the Asian Institute at the Munk School, speaks about the United Kingdom’s decision to remove all equipment made by Chinese tech company Huawei from its 5G digital network, on The Early Edition, CBC Radio’s morning program in Vancouver. “I see this as a backlash against China post-pandemic as well as the passing of the new security law in Hong Kong,” Ong says.
- Christopher Parsons, a senior research associate at The Citizen Lab at the Munk School, is featured in a report about security threats related to digital equipment built by Chinese tech company Huawei on CBC News’s The National (watch at 32:42).
July 15, 2020
- Matti Siemiatycki, an associate professor in the Department of Geography & Planning and interim director of the School of Cities speaks about the relationship between the Government of Ontario and transit planning agency Metrolinx in the Toronto Star (paywall). “The initial view that Metrolinx was going to be an independent agency, arm's length from government, providing advice...that line is really now starting to be blurred," Siemiatycki says.
- Department of History professor Robert Bothwell comments in a Toronto Star story about how the United States has alienated its allies under Donald Trump’s administration, and Canada’s challenges as a middle power.
- Christopher Parsons comments on cybersecurity concerns amid pressure on Canada to decide about using equipment from Huawei in its 5G digital network. In the Toronto Star (paywall), Parsons says, “It’s so important to develop a robust cybersecurity strategy to protect Canadians, and not just an anti-Huawei system.”