Innis College

A celebrated actor, director, author and Academy Award-winning screenwriter, Sarah Polley has earned a reputation as one of Canada’s most thoughtful and influential filmmakers. She explores themes of intimacy and memory, loss and resilience, and uses her platform to speak up against injustice.

Today, for her prodigious talent in the arts and her steadfast commitment to equity and fairness, Polley will receive a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from the ��ϲ��.

Born in Toronto in 1979, Polley began her career in entertainment as a child actor. At age eight, she was cast as a lead character in Terry Gilliam’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. But the experience – which she says involved working 18-hour days and at times left her frightened and in tears – influenced her acting journey: it soured her on big Hollywood productions and led her to focus on smaller, often Canadian projects. “Baron Munchausen really defined me in terms of never really wanting to be on huge films ever,” she told the New York Times in 2007.

Polley came to widespread attention in 1990, starring as the lead in the CBC series Road to Avonlea, for which she was nominated for three Gemini Awards. Simultaneous with the success, though, came profound loss: shortly after the show’s debut – and just two days after she turned 11 – her mother, Diane Polley (also an actor), died of cancer. A few months later, Polley developed scoliosis, leaving her wearing a brace and undergoing an operation.

After a lengthy recovery, she continued acting but was uncommitted to it as a career. (She once called it a “frivolous thing to do with your life.”) By age 17, she dropped out of high school and left the entertainment industry to devote herself to political causes. Already involved with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, she became a member of the Ontario NDP.

(photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

Within months, she felt her singular focus on activism was making her, as she said in the New York Times interview, “boring, dogmatic, narrow,” so when director Atom Egoyan offered her the lead role in The Sweet Hereafter, she accepted, thinking it would provide a short break from her advocacy.

But the film was a critical success – and Hollywood came calling. She took roles in Go and Guinevere, then dropped out of Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous during rehearsals, feeling like she had taken the part by mistake. “Every day, it felt less and less like something I could pull off,” she told the New York Times.

She took some time to consider her next move and then, in 2001, at age 22, enrolled at the Canadian Film Centre, where she directed two shorts. The experience set in motion a transition from acting to writing and directing.

Polley’s debut feature, Away from Her (2006), adapted from an Alice Munro short story, tells the affecting story of an elderly couple whose marriage comes under strain as the wife develops Alzheimer’s disease. It earned Polley an Academy Award nomination for best adapted screenplay and established her as a force in filmmaking.

Her next two films, Take This Waltz (2011) and the documentary Stories We Tell (2012) cemented her reputation as a director with a deep empathy for her subjects. Stories We Tell delves into Polley’s own family history, using interviews and re-enactments to reveal a long-held family secret.

In 2019, Polley was approached to adapt and direct a film version of the novel Women Talking, by Miriam Toews, inspired by a true story about the horrific sexual abuse of women and girls in a Mennonite colony. She said in a New Yorker interview that the hardest part of the Women Talking shoot came during a scene when one of the characters talks about how men in the community got the women to doubt themselves. “That came from the experience of talking to so many women, and that feeling of being made to seem, or feel, crazy.”

In 2023, the film won the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay and was nominated for best picture.

Polley continues to support causes that are meaningful to her. She has used her platform to speak up about income inequality and sexual abuse in the entertainment industry, and to argue for filmmaking that is informed by feminist principles. In her Oscar acceptance speech, she alluded to the need for change in the male-dominated film world: “I just want to thank the Academy for not being mortally offended by the words ‘women’ and ‘talking’ put so close together like that.”

At today’s convocation for the Faculty of Music and Innis College, Polley told graduates about her experience recovering from a severe concussion and shared the life-changing advice she had received from a doctor to “run towards the danger.”

She encouraged graduates to face their fears as a way to move past them. “Have a beautiful life and don’t always avoid the edges,” she said. “Ask for help. Admit your terrors to someone you can trust. Don’t assume you aren’t equal to what you want. It’s okay to be scared, and to feel like a fraud – most of us do. Go try to do it all anyway. And if your anxiety tells you that you can’t? Thank it for trying to protect you, and tell it that it’s allowed to come along for the thrilling ride – it’s just not allowed to block the driveway.”

Over her nearly four-decade career in entertainment, Polley has received numerous high-profile honours for acting, writing and directing. She is also an Officer of the Order of Canada and a recipient of the National Arts Centre Award.

Anne Innis Dagg, renowned zoologist and feminist, remembered as ‘the woman who loves giraffes’

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 19:33:32 +0000

Anne Innis Dagg, renowned zoologist and feminist, remembered as ‘the woman who loves giraffes’

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 04/05/2024 - 15:33

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(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Topic

Anne Innis Dagg, a renowned zoologist and feminist, is being remembered for her passion for her long-necked research subjects.

The Waterloo, Ont.-based scientist, conservationist and feminist whose story was chronicled in the award-winning documentary, The Woman Who Loves Giraffes died Monday after a brief illness, CBC reports. She was 91.

Innis Dagg was celebrated for her foundational contributions to giraffe science and advocacy for women in academia – and she leaves behind a deep and decorated legacy at the ��ϲ��.

Even before she enrolled to study biology at ��ϲ��, her family name was a familiar presence around campus. Her mother, Mary Quayle Innis, served as the dean of women at University College, and her father, Harold Innis, was an esteemed professor of political economy and the namesake of Innis College.

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Innis Dagg won a gold medal – and a $500 prize – for graduating first in her class in 1955. After staying at ��ϲ�� for another year to earn a master’s degree in genetics, she used the prize money to underwrite her first trip abroad to study wild giraffes.

In an interview ahead of her Snider Lecture at ��ϲ�� Mississauga last year, Innis Dagg recalled the skepticism about her solo 1956 trip to South Africa, where she became the first Western scientist to observe the world’s tallest mammal in its natural habitat.

“I just wanted to see them and be near my beloved giraffe,” she said. “I didn’t really think about it being unusual.”

After receiving a PhD in animal behaviour from University of Waterloo, Innis Dagg was hired as an assistant professor in the University of Guelph’s zoology department in 1968.

But even as she gained recognition for her scholarship, Innis Dagg struggled to secure a tenured faculty position. “My career was sidetracked by the institutional sexism that was rampant in academia,” said Innis Dagg.

Despite career setbacks, Innis Dagg went on to publish more than 60 scientific articles and more than 20 books – and, alongside naturalist Bristol Foster, co-wrote what is considered to be a seminal text in the field of giraffe science, 1976’s The Giraffe: Its Biology, Behaviour and Ecology.

In 2019, Innis Dagg was named an honorary member of the Canadian Society of Zoologists and a Member of the Order of Canada.

She was awarded an honorary degree from ��ϲ�� in 2021. In her address, she urged graduating students to chase their curiosity even in the face of challenges.

“Find another way. Reach out to others who will help you. Look for those mentors who will bring out your best – and shine,” she said.

“Finally, be kind to nature and the animals with whom we share the world. It is my everlasting hope that people will treat animals and their environment with the same respect as we treat each other.”

Watch Innis Dagg receive her ��ϲ�� honorary degree

Remembering Norman Jewison, one of Canada's most celebrated filmmakers

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 20:50:38 +0000

Remembering Norman Jewison, one of Canada's most celebrated filmmakers

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 01/23/2024 - 15:50

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(supplied image)

Sally Szuster

Topic

Our Community

Alumni

Faculty of Arts & Science

Subheadline

The acclaimed director was a ��ϲ�� alumnus and former chancellor of Victoria University in the ��ϲ��

The ��ϲ�� community – and film fans around the world – are mourning the death of alumnus Norman Jewison.

One of Canada’s most celebrated filmmakers, Jewison received many awards and accolades for his artistic vision that challenged the status quo and brought a deep humanity to the characters and stories he told.

Jewison, who graduated from ��ϲ�� in 1949 as a member of Victoria College, served as chancellor of Victoria University in the ��ϲ�� from 2004 – 2010. One of ��ϲ��’s most distinguished graduates, he also received an honorary doctorate from ��ϲ�� in 1985 and from Victoria University in 2001.

The Jewison stream of Vic One, the award-winning first-year program at Victoria College, is named in his honour. There is also a Norman Jewison Fellowship in Film Studies at Innis College.

Norman Jewison (photo by Peter Bregg)

“Norman Jewison embodied a dazzling sense of curiosity and creativity that is such a big part of the Vic U ethos,” says Rhonda N. McEwen, president and vice-chancellor of Victoria University in the ��ϲ��, which is planning to lower its flag to half-mast to honour Jewison’s legacy.

“He was an inspiration to others while he was a student on campus and continued to evoke a sense of awe in generations of students, alumni, staff and faculty who watched as he went on to make films that are now an indelible part of our cultural landscape.

“He showed his gratitude for his university experience with generous donations to Victoria University throughout his life. I had the pleasure to meet his son and granddaughter recently and we enjoyed recounting his Vic U adventures. He will always be remembered here.”

Victoria University Library (E.J. Pratt Library) holds a large collection of Jewison’s photographs and publicity materials, papers and correspondence, shooting scripts and schedules primarily for films directed or produced by Jewison between the years 1975 and 2003. Materials related to the films Fiddler on the Roof, …And Justice for All, A Soldier’s Story, Moonstruck, The Hurricane, The Statement and others are held in this collection.

As a student, Norman Jewison was involved in various theatrical productions, including the Vic “Bob Revue,” Canada’s longest-running collegiate sketch comedy show (supplied image)

As a ��ϲ�� student pursuing a bachelor of arts degree, Jewison was involved in writing, directing and acting in various theatrical productions, including the All-Varsity Revue in 1949 and the Vic “Bob Revue,” Canada’s longest-running collegiate sketch comedy revue, which was founded in 1874.

Ira Wells, director of academic programs at Victoria College, wrote the biography Norman Jewison A Director’s Life in 2021.

“Norman Jewison was among the greatest film directors of his generation,” says Wells. “His films were animated by a profound social conscience and commitment to civil rights and human dignity – and by a belief in the integrity of film itself. He believed that film could change its audience, even in a small way.

“Mr. Jewison was fond of saying, ‘film is forever.’ His unwavering support for Canadian talent through the Canadian Film Centre, and for Victoria College and ��ϲ�� students, made concrete differences in the lives of many. His abiding belief in the power of cinema will inspire generations to come.”

��ϲ�� Mississauga event to spotlight Anne Innis Dagg, the founder of giraffe science

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 17:20:53 +0000

��ϲ�� Mississauga event to spotlight Anne Innis Dagg, the founder of giraffe science

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 10/10/2023 - 13:20

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Widely considered the founder of giraffe science, ��ϲ�� alumna Anne Innis Dagg is a passionate advocate for equity in academia (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Topic

Subheadline

This year's virtual Snider Lecture includes screening of an award-winning documentary about the esteemed zoologist followed by a Q-and-A

At the age of 23, as a recent ��ϲ�� alumna, Anne Innis Dagg defied the naysayers and set off alone for South Africa.

The year was 1956 and a young woman travelling solo overseas was unusual. She faced multiple obstacles, but Innis Dagg was driven by her lifelong curiosity about the world’s tallest mammal: the giraffe.

“I just wanted to see them and be near my beloved giraffe. I didn’t really think about it being unusual,” Innis Dagg said recently during a conversation at her home in Waterloo, Ont. “It was just something I wanted to do.”

Today, she’s widely considered to be the founder of giraffe science.

Innis Dagg will be the focus of this year’s virtual Snider Lecture at ��ϲ�� Mississauga, which includes the screening of an award-winning documentary – the Woman Who Loves Giraffes – followed by a pre-recorded question-and-answer session with the esteemed zoologist.

Anne Innis Daag (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

“We are excited to bring a special presentation to our remote audience,” says Lawrence Switzky, associate professor in the department of English and drama at ��ϲ�� Mississauga and chair of the Snider Lecture Committee. “For the past 49 years, the Snider Lecture Series has brought together members of our community to learn about, question and reflect on some of the most important issues around us.”

The documentary the Woman Who Loves Giraffes recounts Innis Dagg’s time in Africa and her subsequent publications, which formed the basis of giraffe study. The film also details her struggles as a female academic in the 1960s and 1970s, which prompted her to call out sexism in academia and champion feminist causes.

Innis Dagg’s ties to ��ϲ�� are numerous and enduring, dating back generations. Her mother, Mary Quayle Innis, was a former dean of women at University College. Her father, Harold Adams Innis, was a renowned political economist and the namesake of Innis College. He was interested in biodiversity and was an avid adventurer and explorer, once travelling by canoe to the Arctic to observe beavers, moose and bears.

“I inherited those traits from him,” Innis Dagg said.

Innis Dagg earned an honours bachelor of biology degree from ��ϲ�� in 1955 and later went on to earn a master’s degree in genetics from the university. She also has a PhD from the University of Waterloo.

During ��ϲ��’s spring 2021 convocation season, she was recognized with an honorary degree. The same year, she was named an Alumni of Influence at University College.

In her convocation address, Innis Dagg recounted the “demoralizing” experience that helped propel her passionate advocacy for equity in academia.

In 1968, she was hired as an assistant professor in the zoology department at the University of Guelph, where she taught courses on mammals and wildlife management – but she did not receive a tenured faculty position.

“My career was sidetracked by the institutional sexism that was rampant in academia,” said Innis Dagg, who has tackled gender issues in several of her more than 20 books.

She acknowledged that the fight for equality isn’t over. “Women should continue to demand their place in science. I encourage them to reach out to mentors and peers to develop a support network and continue to push forward, even if it feels uncomfortable.”

Now 90, Innis Dagg is working to ensure the future of giraffes via a foundation she runs with her daughter, Mary Dagg.

“One of the philosophies of my foundation is that education equals conservation. The more people know about giraffes, the more they want to become engaged in their survival.”

For children aged seven to 17, the Anne Innis Dagg Foundation offers the Junior Giraffe Club to engage and inspire a new generation of giraffologists.

More importantly, she wants to instil a sense of determination and engagement: “Get involved in whatever your passion is.”

��ϲ�� Faculty of Law hosts screening of film celebrating 'the supreme life of Rosalie Abella'

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 13:56:10 +0000

��ϲ�� Faculty of Law hosts screening of film celebrating 'the supreme life of Rosalie Abella'

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 09/27/2023 - 09:56

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A ��ϲ�� alumna, Rosalie Abella was the first pregnant woman appointed to the judiciary in Canada, the first refugee appointed to the bench in Canada and the first Jewish woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada (photo by Polina Teif)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Subheadline

"Rosie has been motivated by the pursuit of justice and a steadfast, infectious belief in the power of individuals, institutions and the law to be forces for the good"

Equal rights champion. Innovator. Icon.

For her many accomplishments, retired Supreme Court of Canada justice Rosalie Silberman Abella, a dual graduate of the ��ϲ��’s University College and the Faculty of Law, is the focus of a new documentary about her life, Without Precedent: The Supreme Life of Rosalie Abella.

��ϲ�� Law will host a special screening of the film Thursday, which had its debut premier at Hot Docs International Film Festival this spring. The event will be held at the Jackman Law Building in the room that honours Abella: The Rosalie Silberman Abella Moot Court Room.

“Rosie has been motivated by the pursuit of justice and a steadfast, infectious belief in the power of individuals, institutions and the law to be forces for the good,” says University Professor Jutta Brunnée, dean of the Faculty of Law and James Marshall Tory Dean’s Chair. “She's inspired generations of students and young lawyers.”

Abella’s is an especially storied legal career.

Her father graduated with master’s degree in law from Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, but war broke out before he was ever able to practise. Her parents were married on Sept. 3, 1939 – the day Britain declared war on Germany following the invasion of Poland – and both survived several years in different concentration camps during the Holocaust.

Abella was born after the war on July 1, 1946 in a displaced persons camp in Stuttgart, Germany. The family came to Canada as Jewish refugees in 1950. But as a non-citizen, her father could not practise law.

“It's one of my earliest memories in Canada, of his coming home and saying, 'I can't be a lawyer here’. I remember saying – ‘Then I'm going to be a lawyer’ – I had no idea what it meant. But I was four years old and could see how disappointed he was,” she told a ��ϲ�� audience in 2019 when she received ��ϲ��’s Rose Wolfe Distinguished Alumni Award.

“I just stayed on that course. I was going to be what he couldn't be. What was amazing was that he never complained. Neither of my parents or grandmother ever complained. They thought that this is a country of opportunities, but you have to make them happen.”

True to her vow, Abella graduated from ��ϲ�� Law in 1970. She was one of only seven women in a class of 150 law students.

She became the first pregnant woman appointed to the judiciary in Canada at age 29. She was also the first refugee appointed to the bench in Canada, as well the first Jewish woman appointed to Canada’s Supreme Court.

Among her many contributions to legal thought and jurisprudence, Abella created the term and concept of employment equity when she was the sole commissioner of the 1984 federal Royal Commission on Equality in Employment. Her definition of equality was adopted by the Supreme Court of Canada in its first decision under Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“Our generation revolutionized how the law worked for people,” says Abella in Without Precedent.

Rosalie Abella with her late husband Irving Abella in a still from the film (image courtesy of Melbar Entertainment Group)

Following the screening, Abella, the distinguished jurist-in-residence at ��ϲ�� Law who received an honorary degree from the university in 1990, will be joined in conversation with the award-winning filmmakers of Melbar Entertainment Group.

"In a long career of documenting the famous and the infamous, the rare opportunity to focus on an individual with the insight, humanity and power to change history and lives was one of the great highlights of my career," says director and producer, Barry Avrich, a graduate of Woodsworth College whose previous credits include Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz and David Foster: Off the Record.

"This film is a testament of an infinitely inspiring journey that will be remembered for generations."

Producer Mark Selby, a graduate of the cinema studies program in the Faculty of Arts & Science, says he's thrilled to have the documentary screened at ��ϲ��.

“Canada does not make celebrities out of its Supreme Court justices, but if ever there was someone who should be renowned across the country for her incomparable achievements and devotion to helping people, it’s Rosalie Abella,” Selby said.

In photos: Students settle into their new homes across ��ϲ��'s three campuses

bresgead — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 21:56:14 +0000

In photos: Students settle into their new homes across ��ϲ��'s three campuses

bresgead Tue, 09/05/2023 - 17:56

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(photos by Don Campbell, left, and Nick Iwanyshyn, centre and right)

Topic

Undergraduate Students

University College

Subheadline

From instant ramen noodles to lengthy goodbyes, it was a busy – and emotional – Labour Day weekend 2023 at ��ϲ�� residences

Incoming students from across Canada and around the world made the ��ϲ�� their home over Labour Day weekend, pulling up to their residences across the three campuses with boxes of belongings, preferred snacks and plush creature comforts in tow.

Returning students and residential staff welcomed ��ϲ��’s newest community members with enthusiastic cheers and a helping hand in hauling suitcases, boxes and appliances through the hallways and to their rooms.

Parents ticked off items on their to-do lists as they prepared to say goodbye, some admitting they were saving their tears for the trip home, while siblings and friends helped figure out how to decorate new quarters.

First-year students, meanwhile, settled into their surroundings and looked forward to writing an important new chapter in their lives.

Interactive Digital Producer Nick Iwanyshyn and Staff Reporters Adina Bresge and Don Campbell were on hand to capture the emotions and excitement of move-in day in photos at each of the three campuses.

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

New arrivals at University College on the St. George campus were greeted with signs and cheers as they unloaded their cars outside Morrison Hall.

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Like many students, ��ϲ�� Mississauga’s Diore Thorpe stocked her dorm room with all the essentials – including a ready supply of instant ramen.

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Crystal Zhang, a first-year student at Trinity College, says she felt “mildly terrified” but “very excited” about living on her own for the first time.

While she’s comfortable doing her own laundry, she’s less confident in her cooking skills. “I’m glad I got a meal plan,” said Zhang, who is beginning her studies in Rotman Commerce.

(photo by Don Campbell)

Hundreds of students moved in to ��ϲ�� Scarborough’s new sustainable student residence, Harmony Commons, which is built to passive house standard – a type of building designed for energy-efficient heating and cooling.

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Sahil Basra, who is studying computer science, battled the heat as he lugged his desktop and monitor up to his room. “I’m exhausted,” Basra said, bracing himself for several more trips up and down the stairs.

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Mya Thompson brought an armful of plushies – a shark, a frog and a dinosaur – to keep herself cozy at Innis College.

While the life sciences student was thrilled to be in the big city, her mother admitted that she was holding back tears for the drive back to Port Dover, Ont. “I’m excited for her, though, to chase her dream,” Eva Thompson said.

photo by Don Campbell)

Luggage carts helped with the heavy lifting as students got to know one another at ��ϲ�� Scarborough.

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Staff and volunteers at ��ϲ�� Mississauga’s Erindale Hall residence ferried students’ belongings to their rooms in giant plastic bins.

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Esmé L. Wilson’s parents flew in from San Francisco to get her set up in her room. While she was ready for classes to begin, Wilson felt less prepared for the coming Canadian winter. “I have no idea what kind of jackets I’ll need,” she said. “I’ll probably have to buy a lot of new things.”

From the oil sands to politics: New grad Eli Rose aims to use his voice to empower others

siddiq22 — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 20:29:21 +0000

From the oil sands to politics: New grad Eli Rose aims to use his voice to empower others

siddiq22 Tue, 06/20/2023 - 16:29

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Eli Rose says his undergraduate experience taught him how to articulate his ideas as an advocate (photo by Shayla Anderson)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Innis College

Political Science

Student Life

Subheadline

Getting involved in student leadership helped underscore ��ϲ�� political science graduate's interest in building community

Eli Rose has a reputation for asking challenging questions – and he intends to continue asking them, as an advocate for those who cannot.

A longtime mentor and community organizer, Rose – a member of Innis College – graduates this week from the ��ϲ�� with a degree in political science.

As he leaves the undergraduate life and prepares for graduate school, Rose spoke with Faculty of Arts & Science writer Cynthia Macdonald about how his many leadership activities have prepared him for his ultimate ambition: a career in politics.

How did you come to study at the ��ϲ��?

I had a full life before coming to ��ϲ��, having graduated from college with a marketing diploma. I worked in the oil fields of Alberta, then went back to school for another certificate. But it was always my dream to go to ��ϲ��. When my mom’s sister, to whom I was close, passed in 2018, I decided to dedicate the next part of my journey to honouring her.

You’re going to do a master’s degree in political science in the fall. Why did you decide on that field?

I have my own political aspirations, actually! Being in government has always seemed very interesting to me. I grew up in Malvern, in the northeastern part of Toronto. It’s a part of the city with many issues such as street violence and a lack of essential services. I was advocating for solutions to problems like that even before I knew that I could be an advocate professionally. I was already thinking about different ways to make life a little more just for people there, supporting communities that needed a bit more help.

But it wasn’t until I came to university that everything came together. I started to see who I am and what I wanted to do – the kind of change and impact I’d be able to create.

You’re the winner of a student leadership award and you’ve improved the student experience at your college and beyond. What initiatives did you participate in?

I first got involved with the Association of Political Science Students. That led me to get involved with the undergraduate chapter of Black Future Lawyers, where I was vice-president of finance and helped the founder recruit the rest of the board.

But where things really took off for me was when I became a student mentor at Innis College at the tail end of my second year. I helped with training and offered support. I met a lot of good people and found I was able to empower others, especially first-year students. From there, I started building relationships and worked on the Innovation Hub to help redefine the student experience.

All these experiences gave me the confidence and the courage to go after things I wanted, or even just to voice my opinion. One of my ideas was to create an identity matching system for mentors: aligning students with mentors who matched their backgrounds and interests. I was also one of the first two Black orientation coordinators and was on the working group of the Black Student Experience at Innis, making a point of ensuring that the group would be sustainable after its founders had graduated.

You seem to have a real focus on empathy, identity and the empowerment of individuals, whether at school, work or elsewhere.

I think that comes from my own experience of feeling undervalued – showing up to the workplace in a way where I’m not bringing my true self. There’s a lot of overlap between my working world and my academic world – it’s just different language.

As a young teenager growing up in my neighbourhood, I saw how power dynamics could negatively affect my friends. Now that I’ve gone through university, I’ve been able to better articulate and visualize ideas in order to find solutions.

Why have you decided to pursue a future in politics?

My senior thesis really changed me. I chose to research political career structures – in particular, how identity conditions people’s lived experiences and careers. Working on that gave me the clarity to proceed with where I’m going next.

We’re in an era of political mistrust and multiple truths – and that’s a barrier for those who might consider a career in politics. But if you really want to effect change, the political arena is the best place to do that. We elect people to represent us, and those are the people making the decisions. Why wouldn’t I want to have a seat at the table, especially to act for those who haven’t been represented?

Opening myself up to criticism will be difficult – but that’s okay, because I’m coming at public service from a space of truth and care and support. And I want to use my experiences – as a mentor, as a team lead, as a facilitator of discussions around identity – to help empower others and give them a voice. And this is the way I know how to do it.

Alanis Obomsawin, one of the world’s most acclaimed Indigenous filmmakers, receives honorary degree

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 20:50:26 +0000

Alanis Obomsawin, one of the world’s most acclaimed Indigenous filmmakers, receives honorary degree Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 06/19/2023 - 16:50

Scott Anderson

Topic

Our Community

Convocation 2023

Faculty of Arts & Science

For six decades, the artist Alanis Obomsawin has held a mirror up to Canada. One of the most acclaimed Indigenous filmmakers in the world, she is best known for her tenure at the National Film Board of Canada and her catalogue of more than 50 films that elevate the voices of those who have been silenced or ignored in this country – particularly Indigenous Peoples.

Obomsawin is also internationally recognized as a singer-songwriter, storyteller, engraver and printmaker.

Today, for her work as a multi-disciplinary artist and a documentary filmmaker advocating for social justice, Obomsawin receives a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from the ��ϲ��.

A member of the Abenaki Nation, Obomsawin was born in New Hampshire in 1932, but spent the first part of her childhood on the Odanak reserve in Quebec. Her father was a guide and a medicine maker, and her mother ran a boarding house.

When she was nine, the family moved from the reserve to Trois-Rivières, where they were the only Indigenous family in the neighbourhood. Obomsawin left Trois-Rivières at age 22 and spent time learning English in Florida before settling in Montreal in the late 1950s.

She began performing as a singer and a storyteller, making appearances on reservations, in prisons and schools and at music festivals.

In an interview with the CBC later in her career, Obomsawin recalled that she started singing as a way to teach children about Indigenous history. “My main concern was education,” she said. “I was very young and wanted to influence change of what they were teaching about the history of this country."

Associate Professor James Cahill hoods Alanis Obomsawin on stage with Chancellor Rose Patten and President Meric Gertler (photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

In the mid-1960s, Obomsawin organized fundraising concerts to pay for the construction of a swimming pool on the reserve where she grew up after the nearby river was deemed too polluted. The CBC interviewed her about her efforts, and producers from the National Film Board who had seen the clip invited her to be an adviser on a film about Indigenous Peoples.

In 1971, she directed her first film for the NFB, Christmas at Moose Factory, and in 1977 she became a permanent staff member.

Over her expansive career, Obomsawin has covered a wide variety of subjects important to Indigenous Peoples – from fishing and treaty rights to residential schools and protests. In 1986’s Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Métis Child, Obomsawin recounts the tragic story of a young boy’s suicide, which led to a government report on social services for Indigenous foster children in Alberta.

Her 1990 documentary, Kanesatake: 270 Years of Resistance, which she filmed during the standoff between Mohawk activists and the government, has been hailed by critics “one of the great acts of courage in the history of documentary filmmaking” and “a watershed film in the history of First People’s cinema.” She would go on to make three other films about the Oka crisis.

A deep belief in the need to educate Canadians about the concerns of Indigenous Peoples lies at the heart of Obomsawin’s work. “I think that the way we have taught the history of this country has been a crime. The way that it was designed to create hate towards our people for a very long time,” she told the Ottawa Citizen in 2015.

“I know that the films can change attitudes,” she added.

The seven films she made between 2010 and 2019 illuminated the lives and voices of Indigenous children, creating a useful context for discussing the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

Listening, she told the CBC, is most important for her when it comes to documentary filmmaking. “If you go and you say, ‘Oh, I know the story, I don’t need to hear anymore,’ there is trouble there.” For Obomsawin, documentary filmmaking is a process of discovery.

In addition to her film career, Obomsawin has worked as an engraver and print maker, with exhibitions in Canada and Europe. She features mother and child imagery prominently in her work, as well as material from her dreams, animal spirits and historical events.

Obomsawin has received many honours, including TIFF’s Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media, and the Glenn Gould Prize. She has received multiple Governor General’s awards, a National Aboriginal Achievement Award and more than a dozen honorary degrees. She was invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2017. Appointed to the Order of Canada in 1983, she was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada in 2019.

��ϲ�� Alumni Reunion to highlight Lesra Martin’s inspiring story

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 25 May 2023 15:51:35 +0000

��ϲ�� Alumni Reunion to highlight Lesra Martin’s inspiring story

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 05/25/2023 - 11:51

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(photo by Matthew Sherwood)

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Martin will be the keynote guest in a virtual event on May 31

��ϲ�� alumnus Lesra Martin has uplifted scores of people through his book The Power of a Promise – and through the 1999 Hollywood film The Hurricane, which took inspiration from Martin’s own inspiring journey as a teenager.

Now, Martin will be the keynote guest at ��ϲ��’s Alumni Reunion on May 31, when he’s scheduled to speak at a virtual alumni event that will give the audience a chance to submit questions.

“I believe we all have, in our DNA, a desire to be the best we can be,” Martin says.

“To make a meaningful, positive impact when and where we can. Like orbs of light, set out on a mutual mission, U of T alumni are achievers, doers, believers and leaders.”

Martin’s journey began in New York City, where he was working to help feed his family at the age of 10. He was offered a chance to go back to school in Canada when he was 15. He began learning to read for the first time, despite his fears that he couldn’t succeed academically.

Martin went on to attend ��ϲ��’s Innis College and earned a degree in anthropology in 1988.

His activism was sparked after reading The Sixteenth Round written by former boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter. It told the story of how Carter had been wrongfully imprisoned for murder in the 1960s.

Moved by Carter’s story, Martin wrote a letter of support – sparking a friendship with the former boxer. Soon, Martin was convincing his foster family to advocate on Carter’s behalf. Five years of activism later, Carter walked free.

Martin’s story of resilience and perseverance provided a foundation for his career as a lawyer, the making of The Hurricane film, his advocacy for literacy and an invitation to speak at the United Nations.

“I believe that sharing our stories can help shore each other up,” he says.

“When we share our lived experiences, we learn from one another and strengthen our resolve to forge new paths forward.”

��ϲ�� grad draws on real-life experience to play patient on ‘The Good Doctor’: CTV

bresgead — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 17:12:00 +0000

��ϲ�� grad draws on real-life experience to play patient on ‘The Good Doctor’: CTV

bresgead Fri, 02/24/2023 - 12:12

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With her mother at her side, Elspeth Arbow poses for a convocation photo in 2019 – about a about a year after receiving her second double-lung transplant (photo by Lisa Lightbourn)

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Elspeth Arbow brought authenticity to her acting debut on The Good Doctor as a cystic fibrosis patient in need of a lung transplant – a procedure she’s undergone twice in real life.

Arbow graduated from ��ϲ�� with a bachelor’s degree in cinema studies in 2019, about a year after receiving her second double-lung transplant.

Originally from Saint John, N.B., Arbow told CTV News Atlantic that she initially had reservations about playing a character whose health struggles so closely mirrored her own – but has never been one to back down from a challenge. “I realized the thing I would be reliving is the same thing that made me the type of person that would want to do this,” she told the broadcaster.

Arbow, who was a member of Innis College, says she had some emotional moments while shooting the TV medical drama, but ultimately, she enjoyed her experience on set – from the catering to meeting Freddie Highmore, the show’s star.

Innis College

One of Canada’s most eminent filmmakers, Sarah Polley receives ��ϲ�� honorary degree

Anne Innis Dagg, renowned zoologist and feminist, remembered as ‘the woman who loves giraffes’

Read more about Innis Dagg at ��ϲ�� Mississauga

Watch Innis Dagg receive her ��ϲ�� honorary degree

Remembering Norman Jewison, one of Canada's most celebrated filmmakers

��ϲ�� Mississauga event to spotlight Anne Innis Dagg, the founder of giraffe science

��ϲ�� Faculty of Law hosts screening of film celebrating 'the supreme life of Rosalie Abella'

In photos: Students settle into their new homes across ��ϲ��'s three campuses

From the oil sands to politics: New grad Eli Rose aims to use his voice to empower others

Alanis Obomsawin, one of the world’s most acclaimed Indigenous filmmakers, receives honorary degree

��ϲ�� Alumni Reunion to highlight Lesra Martin’s inspiring story

��ϲ�� grad draws on real-life experience to play patient on ‘The Good Doctor’: CTV

Read more at CTV News Atlantic

Watch a video of Elspeth Arbow’s ��ϲ�� convocation

Innis College

One of Canada’s most eminent filmmakers, Sarah Polley receives ������ϲ����� honorary degree

Anne Innis Dagg, renowned zoologist and feminist, remembered as ‘the woman who loves giraffes’

Read more about Innis Dagg at ������ϲ����� Mississauga

Watch Innis Dagg receive her ������ϲ����� honorary degree

Remembering Norman Jewison, one of Canada's most celebrated filmmakers

������ϲ����� Mississauga event to spotlight Anne Innis Dagg, the founder of giraffe science

������ϲ����� Faculty of Law hosts screening of film celebrating 'the supreme life of Rosalie Abella'

In photos: Students settle into their new homes across ������ϲ�����'s three campuses

From the oil sands to politics: New grad Eli Rose aims to use his voice to empower others

Alanis Obomsawin, one of the world’s most acclaimed Indigenous filmmakers, receives honorary degree

������ϲ����� Alumni Reunion to highlight Lesra Martin’s inspiring story

������ϲ����� grad draws on real-life experience to play patient on ‘The Good Doctor’: CTV

Read more at CTV News Atlantic

Watch a video of Elspeth Arbow’s ������ϲ����� convocation

One of Canada’s most eminent filmmakers, Sarah Polley receives ��ϲ�� honorary degree

Read more about Innis Dagg at ��ϲ�� Mississauga

Watch Innis Dagg receive her ��ϲ�� honorary degree

��ϲ�� Mississauga event to spotlight Anne Innis Dagg, the founder of giraffe science

��ϲ�� Faculty of Law hosts screening of film celebrating 'the supreme life of Rosalie Abella'

In photos: Students settle into their new homes across ��ϲ��'s three campuses

��ϲ�� Alumni Reunion to highlight Lesra Martin’s inspiring story

��ϲ�� grad draws on real-life experience to play patient on ‘The Good Doctor’: CTV

Watch a video of Elspeth Arbow’s ��ϲ�� convocation