by Mark Winfield Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives went into the 2018 Ontario election campaign promising, among other things, to fix the province’s ‘hydro mess.’ In practice fixing the hydro 'mess' turned out to be a lot more complicated than it sounded. In the end, the first Ford government did little other than double down on
[ Read More ]
Why did you choose York University? I chose York University because I noticed that it had programs that overlapped disciplines, which I found very attractive since I wasn’t entirely sure what career I wanted to focus on just yet. I like that I didn't necessarily have to commit to one skill with these programs. Also,
[ Read More ]
by Mark Winfield Major wars are often watershed moments in history. Their outcomes define governance structures, politics and policy directions for decades, even centuries, to come. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine already seems certain to have these kinds of effects at the national, regional and global scales. The invasion has quickly come to dominate political and
[ Read More ]
Ontario’s nuclear plan raises questions about what is “clean” energy and the need for open, evidence-based decision-making around net-zero pathways. by Mark Winfield, Colleen Kaiser In December, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) announced it will work with GE Hitachi to develop a new 300MW nuclear power reactor at the provincially owned utility’s Darlington site. The news was presented as
[ Read More ]
by Cynthia Morinville With the current climate emergency requiring an immediate divestment from fossil fuels, lithium is quickly becoming one of the critical metals necessary to the energy transition. From the uptake of electric vehicles to the production of batteries for the storage of renewable energies, the global demand for lithium is expected to increase
[ Read More ]
Canada's key role at COP26 In interview with Prof Mark Winfield By Caryn Ceolin Posted Oct 31, 2021, 3:41PM EDT. Last Updated Oct 31, 2021, 5:06PM EDT. Summary World leaders are gathering in Glasgow for COP26 to confront what climate scientists warn is the disaster ahead. Experts want to see more ambitious national emissions reduction targets
[ Read More ]
The 26th United Nations conference on climate change, also known as COP26, will be convening in Glasgow, Scotland, from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12. Everyone knows the climate catastrophe is dire, but what will it take for nations to take urgent action? BY RADHIKA DESAI Interview with Professor Emeritus Peter Victor Extinction Rebellion activists are seen
[ Read More ]
The project has developed and built a smart grid solar-powered charging station that can store solar electricity. The project generates practical data regarding current costs for building and operating standardized renewable energy charging stations for electric vehicles in Toronto. It is also yielding empirical data regarding actual emission reduction potential as well as technical and
[ Read More ]
Toronto Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) The project identified effective approaches and strategies to increase renewable energy implementation rates through research and consultation with international/national industry experts, government regulators, NGOs, academics and community experts. It aimed at expanding the market for related technologies in Ontario particularly within the Greater Golden Horseshoe region. More information can be
[ Read More ]
Environment Canada (EC) January 2008-December 2011 The project aimed at identifying and assessing various methodological approaches for analyzing and encouraging the development of a reflexive institutional approach for supporting climate change research, ecojustice, and sustainability initiatives at York. Researcher: Co-PIs: Kaz Higuchi, Jim Maclellan and Neil Comer (Environment Canada) Project Theme: Energy & Climate Change