On a mid-morning Friday in late November, I was guiding a group of young Indigenous women from Saskatchewan to Ahqahizu (A-ka-hee-zu), the giant sculpture of an Inuk man who is playing soccer with a walrus head, that is positioned at the north end of the York Stadium. The visitors hailed from Treaty 6 […]
Story
Honouring the Citizen-Taxpayer at the York University Common - L. Anders Sandberg
There is a new bench placed on the York University Common with a plaque that reads “Dedicated to the Citizen-Taxpayer.” It is in honour of all citizens, across the world, who feel a sense of pride and duty in paying their taxes. Taxes are in part used to pay for the social infrastructure […]
“To Be or Not To Be”: The Wheelchair Ramp at Curtis Lecture Halls - Megan Grace Halferty
The presence of wheelchair ramps in buildings is often seen as a sign of progress towards a more accessible future where persons with disabilities are included in the design of buildings and public access spaces. This argument can be made with regard to the wheelchair ramp that is located at the north end of […]
Looking for the Huron-Wendat at York University? - L. Anders Sandberg
Just to the south of York University, along Black Creek, in former farmers’ fields, in a utility corridor harbouring hydro towers, pipelines, and a recreational trail, there is an Ancestral Huron-Wendat village.1 It dates from the late fifteenth to mid-sixteenth century and it was at that time one of several similar villages in […]
Who is Osgoode of Osgoode Hall Law School? - L. Anders Sandberg
In 1797, the Law Society of Upper Canada (since 2017 the Law Society of Ontario) was formed and three decades later it established Osgoode Hall as its home at the corner of University Avenue and Queen Street. The building was modest, located outside the municipal limits, and housed law courts and judicial offices and […]
What’s in a Name? What does the Duke of York have to do with York University? - L. Anders Sandberg
What's in a name? It turns out quite a bit, judging from what has taken place lately with Confederate and colonial figures and their names and statues being challenged and removed from public places all over the world. But how do these events touch me and other members of the York University community? This […]
Planning for Transit Equity: Lessons from the York University Subway Expansion - Alana Barone and Natalie Maw
York University is well known for being a largely commuter-based campus. Between the two of us, for example, we can count the amount of people we know who live on campus on one hand. Most of our peers come from the Greater Toronto Area and beyond: Mississauga, Richmond Hill, Scarborough, Oakville and even Ajax. […]
Speaking Up for Fair Fares at Queen’s Park - ENVS 1200 Taking Action
On March 9, 2020, six FES students in ENVS 1200 - Taking Action: Engaging People and the Environment, travelled to Queen’s Park on the invitation of Jessica Bell, the NDP critic on transportation issues. They were there to listen to the debate on a motion presented by Bell and NDP leader Andrea Horwath to […]
Gandhi versus Ambedkar: The Story of Two Statues in the Scott Library - L. Anders Sandberg
A sunny day in late December 2018 turned out to be my one-day immersion course on India. It was almost Christmas and I went to one of the stores at York Lanes and bought some sweatshirts with York logos on them. I discovered that they were made in India and, so the enthusiastic sales […]
The Walkers Walk: The Pavilion That Was Not To Be - L. Anders Sandberg
In 2008, Mark Osbaldeston wrote a book called Unbuilt Toronto: A History of a City That Could Have Been documenting and telling the stories surrounding unrealized building proposals in the city. This short reflection is inspired by that idea. But it is also much more. It also reflects on the questions and trepidations involved […]
