The ISSP Blog

Senior Fellow, ISSP, uOttawa
Principal, Paulicyworks

With this month’s cabinet shuffle, Canada has another minister responsible for the massive portfolio of innovation, science and economic development with over 20 agencies and 35 programs under its wing. It is worth taking the opportunity to view how science and technology came to have a seat at federal Cabinet tables 50 years ago.

Director, ISSP
Chair, Positive Energy, uOttawa

Originally published by The Hill Times on January 7, 2021

How keen are Canadians for climate action in these extraordinarily trying times? New survey results from the University of Ottawa’s Positive Energy program and Nanos Research suggest that enthusiasm may be on the rise, despite the unprecedented fiscal, economic, and health situation.

Full Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, uOttawa
Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN) Research Chair in Black women’s health/HIV care

Participatory action research is a partnership approach to research, where the researchers work collaboratively with interest groups in communities that are affected by the work and the findings,  allowing us to align science, society and policy imperatives to produce better health outcomes.

Faculty Affiliate, ISSP ​​​​​​
Member of the Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics, uOttawa

Originally published by The Globe and Mail on December 15, 2020

With the first Canadians getting the COVID-19 vaccine this week, the importance of effectively monitoring the rollout of vaccinations is coming to the fore. The federal government has recognized the importance of monitoring data, at least within federal jurisdiction, and the Prime Minister himself recently emphasized the federal government will “be a partner with the provinces …[for] better co-ordination of data.”

Faculty Affiliate, ISSP
Full Professor, Feminist and Gender Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, uOttawa

Will there be enough vaccine? Who will get it first? Will countries hoard it for their own citizens? These questions require attention, but a vaccine is a game-changer, right? Not so fast.

Canada Research Chair in Science and Society and Core Member of the ISSP
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, uOttawa

With any technology there come gains as well as new ethical and social justice issues. We know this from historical experience, such as the widespread application of computer technologies, which has been enabling for some (e.g. allowing many “creative economy” workers to operate remotely) but disabling for others (e.g. technological unemployment for some labourers).

Senior Fellow, ISSP
Retired Senior Executive

It seems that the world is awash these days in grand challenges. But perhaps grand challenges also present grand opportunities. For Canada’s Science and Technology community, let’s look at where the grand opportunities may lie.

Chair, Clean Resource Innovation Network (CRIN)

Canada’s energy future will be very different than we know it today. The future will include both clean hydrocarbon energy and renewable resources. It is vital that our policy environment allows for diverse and inclusive pathways built through collaboration to achieve our Paris targets and beyond. 

Vice-President, Indigenous Relations, Nuclear Waste Management Organization
Former CEO, Assembly of First Nations

Why should organizational leaders and managers care that their team members feel a sense of belonging and feel like they matter? In short, because pain, whether social or physical, has a negative impact on human performance. Inclusion is both a safety issue and a performance issue.

Faculty Affiliate, ISSP
Assistant Professor, Political Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, uOttawa

Despite its reputation as a more sustainable form of transport, long-distance passenger rail travel in Canada typically results in a higher carbon footprint per passenger than long-distance commercial air travel. This is what I discovered after diving into the emissions data (recently published in the journal Canadian Geographer). Here I explain why Canada’s long-distance rail services defy the ‘green’ reputation held by rail transportation globally, and offer some policy proposals for improving the situation.