Competition

Canada’s restrictions on foreign competition hurt the economy, �Թϱ�� researchers argue in Globe and Mail

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 20 Jun 2019 16:06:10 +0000

Canada’s restrictions on foreign competition hurt the economy, �Թϱ�� researchers argue in Globe and Mail

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 06/20/2019 - 12:06

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Among OECD countries, Canada ranks among the highest for protecting domestic incumbents against foreign competition, write Rotman's Walid Hejazi and Daniel Trefler in the Globe and Mail (photo by Getty Images)

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Rotman School of Management

Canada’s protection of cellphone companies, airlines and banks from foreign competition doesn’t just mean higher prices for consumers, it also hurts the economy by stifling productivity and job creation, according to a Globe and Mail op-ed summarizing research findings by faculty members at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

Walid Hejazi, associate professor of international business, and Daniel Trefler, professor of economic analysis and policy, write that while it’s no secret Canadian consumers have long overpaid for certain services, new research shows barriers on foreign competition also hurt the economy as a whole.

“Restrictions on foreign entry have cost the Canadian economy a whopping 137,400 jobs. Or, for those who prefer dollar figures, they cost Canadian wage earners $10-billion each and every year,” they write, citing findings from their paper Implications of Canada’s restrictive FDI policies on employment and productivity, which was recently published in the Journal of International Business Policy.

“The restrictions also slow down productivity growth, creating a drag on the economy.”

Read the op-ed by Walid Hejazi and Daniel Trefler in the Globe and Mail

Mental health hotline, listening groups among ideas �Թϱ�� students pitch for global health competition

ullahnor — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 11:06:57 +0000

Mental health hotline, listening groups among ideas �Թϱ�� students pitch for global health competition

ullahnor Mon, 04/17/2017 - 07:06

Nicole Bodnar

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Nicole Bodnar

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Dalla Lana School of Public Health

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Rotman School of Management

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Team places second at Emory competition

A team of public health students at �Թϱ�� developed a four-pronged strategy to reduce stigmatization of mental illness and special needs in Liberia to secure second place in a global competition at Emory University.

Their strategy combined radio programming, a mental health telephone helpline, community events and listening groups to deliver mental health education, address isolation, as well as promote social cohesion and youth empowerment.

A multidisciplinary team of University of Toronto graduate students presented their case: ProVision: Addressing Adolescents’ Mental Health Needs in Monrovia, Liberia, at the 2017 Emory Global Health Case Competition on March 25. They also received the Participants’ Choice Award.

“We learned a lot from both our Rotman and faculty of law teammates,” said Corey McAuliffe, a third year social and behavioural health sciences PhD student who elected to enter the Dalla Lana School of Public Health’s first-ever team into this competition so she could examine a global health problem through an interdisciplinary lens.

“We each had specific ways of thinking or terminology that were foreign to those not in our own area of study. Our Rotman team members helped the public health students to understand design thinking, which was incredibly influential to our process and final intervention,” she said.

“Additionally, I learned what a PowerPoint presentation is actually supposed to look like. Our final slide deck was so engaging and powerful, and quite honestly a work of art. I don't think I'll ever look at a PowerPoint in quite the same way again."

The student team consisted of six graduate students from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, the Rotman School of Management and the Faculty of Law including: McAuliffe, Shamim Ahmed (first year PhD – social and behavioural health sciences), Tina-Marie Assi (second year MBA at Rotman School of Management), Gillian Cook (second year JD/MBA at the Faculty of Law and Rotman School of Management), Mónica Rosas Calderón (first year MBA at Rotman School of Management), and Christopher Tait (third-year PhD – epidemiology).

“I suspect what made our presentation stand out was our use of storytelling and a user-centric design process, which came out in our slides and delivery,” Assi said.

Every spring, Emory University hosts 24 teams from universities across the globe for the five-day competition. During those days, each team develops and presents a solution for one global health case study, competes for cash prizes, and networks with each other and expert judges.

The team developed a strategy to reduce stigmatization of mental illness and special needs (e.g. physical and mental disorders) among adolescents in Monrovia, Liberia, by focusing on education, mental health literacy, and increasing the pathways to health care.

“It was extraordinary to watch the students come together as a team – I have never seen a group model the ideals of multidisciplinary collaboration so well,” said Uttam Bajwa, a post-doctoral fellow in DLSPH’s Office of Global Public Health Education and Training, who served as the team’s mentor.

Bajwa supported the team in Atlanta during their case presentation. What set the group apart, she said, was how their model was evidence-based, involved rich community consultation, and demonstrated sensitivity to power, politics, and privilege in global health work, especially the need for meaningful, mutually beneficial partnerships.

“My congratulations to our outstanding case competition team for developing a compelling evidence-based solution to a wicked global health problem,” said Erica Di Ruggiero,assistant professor of social and behavioural health sciences and director of the Office of Global Public Health Education and Training.

McAuliffe offered this advice for students who are considering entering a team in this competition:

“Be ready to work extremely hard and be open to challenging previous conceptions. Make sure to build a strong foundation and a solid rapport with your teammates. And most importantly, be humble and keep it lighthearted. In the end, the competition is about fostering an understanding of interdisciplinary teamwork and fostering relationships with your teammates and colleagues.”

�Թϱ�� creative writing team wins improv competition by combining laughs with storytelling

ullahnor — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 17:52:42 +0000

�Թϱ�� creative writing team wins improv competition by combining laughs with storytelling

ullahnor Wed, 02/08/2017 - 12:52

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From left to right, �Թϱ�� Scarborough students Cassandra MacDonald, Trevon Smith and Janet Monk are winners of the International Festival of Authors' Lit Jam (photo by Ken Jones)

Heather Beaumont

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Heather Beaumont

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Three talented creative writing students from �Թϱ�� are winners of the International Festival of Authors’ inaugural Lit Jam – a timed, improvisational contest that matches storytelling teams against each other.

Lit Jam asks student teams to create a story entirely on the spot based on an opening phrase. Each team is given three minutes to develop their story backstage, then has to alternate improvising and developing their story onstage for another five minutes.

“Lit Jam is like Chopped, the cooking competition on TV,” says Trevon Smith, a fourth-year student in �Թϱ�� Scarborough’s journalism program. “We’re given ingredients on the spot and then tasked with making something out of them.”

�Թϱ�� Scarborough’s team, which competed against the University of Guelph, Ryerson University and the Humber School of Creative and Performing Arts, consisted of Smith and fellow students Janet Monk and Cassandra MacDonald. The competition was judged by a panel of published authors.

“I was sweating bullets before I went onstage,” says Smith. “Then everything clicked when I got up to the mic. I looked out at the audience. The lights were so bright. I couldn’t see faces, but I knew friends, family and professors were in the audience, and I knew they were rooting for us.”

Immediately after selecting the story prompt, “What’s with the soap?” the team exchanged knowing looks. They recognized the potential of a generic prompt and began developing an intriguing story arc about two inept killers before going back onstage. Their story had the audience in stitches.

“We’re starting to turn heads,” says Andrew Westoll, assistant professor, teaching stream from �Թϱ�� Scarborough's department of English. “This is an important moment in the development and evolution of our creative writing program.”

Established three years ago, there are currently 50 students in the program at �Թϱ�� Scarborough, which is unique for being the only program at �Թϱ�� that allows students to earn a minor in creative writing. Westoll says he proud of the team, and the students' efforts reflect the talent coming out of the creative writing program.

In addition to winning $1,500, there are plans for the team to be interviewed for CBC Radio’s Here and Now, and a polished version of their improv story is to be published in NOW Toronto.

“The real prize is getting published and getting our names out there,” says Monk, a third-year major in music and culture. “The whole thing is absolutely mind-blowing. We were up against published people, people with awards.”

Smith, Monk and MacDonald first met in Westoll’s fiction class but really got to know each other and their different storytelling styles during weeks of one-hour practices before the Lit Jam competition.

At first, they weren’t sure how to hand the story off to each other to keep the flow going so they developed a finger-snapping strategy. When a teammate snapped his or her fingers, it was a signal to help out, explains Monk.

“The person who is not talking is saying, ‘I have an idea. Let me in, or I’ll lose it.’”

With each practice, the trio became more aware of their individual strengths, adds Monk

MacDonald, a third-year mental health studies student, calls Smith, “Left Turn Man” because Smith “enjoys taking stories in another direction to keep things exciting.”

“After a while we could read each other well enough to know when to step in,” MacDonald says. “Trust was our greatest strength as a team.”

Green energy challenge: �Թϱ�� team takes on University of Washington and Iowa State

lanthierj — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 21:02:19 +0000

Green energy challenge: �Թϱ�� team takes on University of Washington and Iowa State lanthierj Fri, 10/07/2016 - 17:02

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(photo of UTS courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Keenan Dixon

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Keenan Dixon

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Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

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Students design energy saving lighting retrofit for downtown Toronto high school

They’re the only Canadian team to make it into the finals.

The University of Toronto student chapter of the Canadian/National Electrical Contractors Association (CECA/NECA) is one of three finalists to compete at the 2016 Green Energy Challenge in Boston this weekend.

The students from �Թϱ�� Engineering will compete against teams from Iowa State and the University of Washington. The final three were selected from 14 proposals.

The �Թϱ�� team partnered with University of Toronto Schools (UTS), a Grade 7 to 12 university preparatory school in downtown Toronto, to design an energy efficiency upgrade, including a small-scale photovoltaic system that would serve as a teaching and learning tool for students.

“We selected UTS because it is an aging building that uses older lighting systems and could benefit greatly from an upgrade,” said Dmitri Naoumov of civil engineering, the team’s project manager. “The school is also planning a major renovation, so our proposal could help to inform the energy needs and improvements.”

Competing alongside Naoumov are Matheos Tsiaras, Ernesto Diaz Lozano Patiño, Greg Peniuk, Mackenzie De Carle and Nataliya Pekar – all from civil engineering – and chemical engineering's Arthur Leung and Claire Gao.

Their design includes detailed technical solutions for classroom lighting retrofit, integrated window treatments and the design of a rooftop 4kW photovoltaic solar array, which all meet the unique needs of the building and the climate in Toronto. By upgrading the lighting system to use lower wattage bulbs, using occupancy sensors and installing light shelves that regulate daylight, the team determined that UTS could reduce its annual energy consumption by up to 125 MWh, or enough to light 10 typical homes.

"The lighting in the rooms was below the recommended levels for classroom learning,” said Naoumov. “By increasing the light in classrooms, we are helping to create an environment more conducive for students and teachers.”

UTS is eager to incorporate the students’ energy efficient and technologically savvy infrastructure into its daily operations. Because many Toronto public school buildings are showing their age, this could serve as a model for future upgrades across the city.

“UTS is an Eco School and we aim to reduce our environmental footprint and energy costs,” said Philip Marsh, vice-principal of UTS. “The team’s analysis and understanding of how to improve the efficiency of our building was impressive. We see the proposed roof solar array as a viable design option for the future.”

Competing for the first time at the Green Energy Challenge in 2015, the �Թϱ�� team placed fourth with its lighting and back-up power retrofit proposal for the Good Sheppard Ministries shelter in downtown Toronto. Although the project did not win them a spot at the convention, Good Sheppard Ministries is currently implementing their design throughout its facility.

CECA/NECA brings together electrical contractors across the country to share experience and advice. Established in 2014, the �Թϱ�� chapter extension is the first of its kind in Canada. Its goal is to bridge the gap between contracting and engineering and engage students with first-hand, applied experience. In addition to pitting their design savvy against groups at other North American universities, the group hosts networking and social events and connects students with scholarship and job opportunities.

Competition

Canada’s restrictions on foreign competition hurt the economy, �Թϱ��� researchers argue in Globe and Mail

Read the op-ed by Walid Hejazi and Daniel Trefler in the Globe and Mail

Mental health hotline, listening groups among ideas �Թϱ��� students pitch for global health competition

​�Թϱ��� creative writing team wins improv competition by combining laughs with storytelling

Green energy challenge: �Թϱ��� team takes on University of Washington and Iowa State

Canada’s restrictions on foreign competition hurt the economy, �Թϱ�� researchers argue in Globe and Mail

Mental health hotline, listening groups among ideas �Թϱ�� students pitch for global health competition

�Թϱ�� creative writing team wins improv competition by combining laughs with storytelling

Green energy challenge: �Թϱ�� team takes on University of Washington and Iowa State