Dear CIRHR Community,
It’s been one of our busiest terms in recent memory, with much to look back on and many people to acknowledge with fondness and gratitude.
CENTRE INITIAITVES
In November, we inaugurated the USW Leo Gerard Chair in Collective Bargaining and Worker Representation, and honoured its namesake with the help of the many donors, union leaders, corporate executives, and the extended CIRHR community that made it all possible. I encourage you to check out the Faculty of Arts and Science's article about the event, and what attendees had to say about Leo Gerard's legacy as one of the most influential labour leaders in modern history. I offer my thanks to all of the donors to the USW Leo Gerard Chair which will amplify the CIRHR’s impact in the study and teaching of labour relations and human rights, and address the most pressing challenges facing the workforce today.
This past month, we also held our 2024 Sefton-Williams Memorial Lecture, delivered by Adelle Blackett, Professor of Law and the Canada Research Chair, Transnational Labour Law at the Faculty of Law, McGill University. She delivered an engaging talk which looked at Canada's Employment Equity Act framework and "where we are now," one year after the federal government's comprehensive review of this framework was made public, and answered excellent, timely questions from the audience. We also awarded the Sefton-Williams award for contributions to Labour Relations to Arbitrator Owen Shime whose illustrious career as a lawyer and arbitrator has spanned six decades. You can watch the full recording of the award ceremony and lecture now.
In the fall, our National Assembly for Workplace Democracy project brought a diverse group of 36 everyday Canadians from across the country to Toronto to learn about existing legislation and workplace protections from subject-matter experts, and collaboratively establish a set of policy recommendations to improve Canadian workers’ ability to “have their say” and influence decisions in their workplaces. Building upon the work of our Ontario Assembly for Workplace Democracy and funded by the Government of Canada, this initiative expanded the scope of the project to the national stage with the intention of providing researchers and policymakers the information necessary to empower workers' voices. I’m profoundly grateful to our 36 volunteers, as well as Dikla Yogev, Chris Ellis, Joanna Jiang, and countless volunteers for making this initiative possible. Be on the look for the Assembly’s final report in the new year.
CENTRE AWARDS AND HONOURS
I’d also like to extend our congratulations to Sasha Mozaffari and Francesco Fortino who were recently awarded the 2024 Matt Dowdle Leadership Award in IRHR which was established by the CIRHR in memory of Matt Dowdle (MIR 2004), an alumnus of the MIRHR program, and recognizes graduating MIRHR students and alumni who display qualities of leadership and team building. I also congratulate Muhammad Ahmed Saigol, our Fall 2024 recipient of the Frank Reid Prize which is presented each convocation to the top graduating MIRHR student or students.
Also deserving of congratulations are the 2024 Bora Laskin Award winners, Brian Burkett, who was presented with the award at the University of Toronto's Hart House on December 3rd, and Rick Engel (K.C.) who received his award at the Hotel Saskatchewan on November 12th. The Bora Laskin Award, which recognizes distinguished contributions to the field of labour law, was established in 2003 by the Centre in cooperation with Lancaster House.
I also want to acknowledge Professor Bob Thompson for celebrating 15+ years of the IRE16010HF: Industrial Relations course which continues to give students the opportunity to apply in-class learning to real-world scenarios through a workplace arbitration simulation. In November, the 2024 CIRHR Mock Arbitration Finals brought together MIRHR students to persuasively argue a case from either a management (Sadhana Koganti, Emilio J. Goya, Bowen Gao) or union perspective (Janet Nguyen, Courtenay Montambault, Chantol Jackson). My gratitude goes out to the arbitrators, Natalie Garvin, Senior Counsel for Labour, Employment & Compliance at ONxpress Transportation Partners; Eric G., Director of HR Legal Services at Magna International; and Brian MacDonald, Partner at Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti LLP which, very kindly, sponsors the event.
I’m also deeply grateful to Teaching Assistant, Jennifer M. Harmer, as well as our library and CIRHR teams, for supporting the coordination and delivery of the simulation.
CENTRE-SUPPORTED EVENTS
This week, we held the Third Tri-National Meeting of Labour Rights Under CUSMA-USMCA-T-MEC which brought together academics, lawyers, experts, trade unionists and representatives of the three signatory countries to the Canada-US-Mexico Trade Agreement to discuss experiences to date under the Labour Chapter, the RRM, potential avenues for reform, and how best to implement them.
But we're not finished yet! We still have one more exciting Centre-sponsored event to close out the year. On December 11th, Embrace the Future: Unlocking Longevity for Thriving Multigenerational Teams, a half-day roundtable of senior Human Resource leaders, will take place in collaboration with What’s neXT 50. Guided by renowned journalist and former CBC anchor, Alison Smith, attendees will engage in dynamic discussions with peers and industry leaders who are spearheading programs focused on longer working lives and multigenerational workforces. If you would like to join us, there’s still time to register.
CENTRE CHANGES
If you’ve been to the Centre in recent weeks, you might have noticed that we’re under construction. It has been a goal of ours to make our historic building more accessible to our CIRHR community and, while the completion date is tentative, we look forward to making our front entrance and first floor wheelchair accessible in 2025.
I also want to share an important development regarding our IRHR Library. Beginning in January, the Librarian position will be shared between the CIRHR and the Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies. This will mean that one Librarian will oversee the collections and support services in both libraries, and their time will be split between the two locations. In our final PWR Newsletter of the year, guest editor Victoria Skelton published a Soap Box piece on the changes coming to our library – I encourage you to give it a read.
Now for the bittersweet news. Manda Vrkljan, who has masterfully overseen our library over the last four years, and shepherded it through the pandemic, will be leaving the Head Librarian role at the end of this year. I speak for our community as a whole when I say that she has made an indelible impact – as a Librarian, friend, and colleague – and we look forward to her continued presence at the Centre as she works toward the completion of her MIRHR degree.
I would also like to extend a very warm welcome to our new Head Librarian, Danielle Van Wagner, who will join us in the new year. Be on the lookout for a proper introduction.
THANK YOU
To the CIRHR Community, inside and outside our building, I extend my deepest gratitude for the meaningful work we’ve done this year. I’m very cognizant of the fact that, only together, have we been able to accomplish so much, and, for all of your efforts and contributions, both seen and unseen, I thank you. Talent has a way of making work look easy, and all of your hard work, your rigor, your commitment, your attention detail, and your care have been greatly appreciated.
I wish you the most magical and restful holiday season.
Best,
Rafael
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Dr. Rafael Gomez, Professor
Director, Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources
University of Toronto