We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former CIRHR graduate coordinator, long-time professor, and much-loved colleague, Jeffrey G. Reitz. Jeffrey taught at the University of Toronto for more than five decades, and acted as a Research Associate at the Centre from 1983 to 2020, as well as the Associate Director for our graduate program from 1992 to 1997, and again in 2000. He made an indelible impression during his tenure here, and this commemorative page is dedicated to his memory and the impact he’s made on members of our CIRHR community. Here are just a few personal messages from former students and colleagues who wanted to acknowledge his contributions during their time at the Centre. If you would like to contribute your own commemorative message, we would be most pleased to receive your email at cirhr.communications@utoronto.ca -- this will page will continue to be updated.
“Professor Reitz was not just a colleague but a personal mentor to me during my doctoral studies. I never would have known about social capital, which was at the time a Sociology theory, had I not taken Prof. Reitz's course. His knowledge was deep, and his patience with students like myself that asked very many questions, was very great. He will be missed!” - Rafael Gomez, current CIRHR Director and Centre alum, (MIR 1997, PhD 2000)
“While I was Director of the Centre for Industrial Relations, Jeff was a graduate coordinator and did a tremendous job. What is particularly impressive in his career is his ability to carry out his internationally recognized research (as Canada’s guru on immigration) while also carrying out extensive administrative tasks such as Chair of the Department of Sociology and Director of the Munk School’s Harney Program on Ethnic Immigration and Pluralism Studies. He will be sorely missed academically and personally.” - Morley Gunderson, former CIRHR Director (1973 and 1985-1997)
“I knew Jeff from way back in the day when he was a Professor at the Centre for Industrial Relations (as we were then), 121 St. George, the house next door to our current location. Jeff left the Centre a number of years ago for his quite illustrious academic pursuits – but whenever I ran into Jeff he was easy, interesting, and fun to talk to. I particularly remember him telling me how much he enjoyed his sabbatical in Paris with Donna. To quote Prof. Randall Hansen from his In Memorium for Jeff: ‘he had a wicked sense of humour that could be expressed in a broad smile and an infectious chuckle or a dry, ironic comment.’ I couldn’t agree more.” - Victoria Skelton, IRHR Reference Librarian (1985-2008) and Head Librarian (2008-2022)
“I was shocked and saddened to learn about the sudden passing of Professor Jeff Reitz, a well-respected scholar of international migration. I came to know Jeff when I started my doctoral studies in the Centre of Industrial Relation at the University of Toronto in 1999. Jeff taught me a course of Research Method where I conducted study of minimum wage impacts on youth employment using Statistics Canada’s Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics data as a term paper for the course, which is the first empirical study of my academic career. Eventually I published 6 papers on minimum wages in Canada and China. Unlike other professors who used textbooks, Jeff used his course package drawing on many of his own empirical studies, often with strong policy implications, including some supporting anti-discrimination court cases to uphold the Canadian Human Rights legislation, which inspired my later research on immigrant and racial discrimination and labour market inequality starting early 2000. He introduced us to his new book, hot from press at the time, Warmth of the Welcome: The Social Causes of Economic Success for Immigrants in Different Nations and Cities (1998), where Jeff compared trends in immigrant inequality in the U.S., Canada, and Australia with a rigorous study of 79 cities. Jeff demonstrated strong commitment in his research and his students. I still remember when I first presented the findings of my SSHRC/Metropolis funded project "Macroeconomic Impacts of Canadian Immigration: Results from a Macro-Model", at the CERIS Research Seminar on October 22, 2010 -- Jeff attended the event with Professor Morley Gunderson. He asked thoughtful questions and made insightful comments as well. Jeff is an excellent professor as well as a prolific and impactful scholar in our field. His important work in international migration has profoundly influenced our research programs and public policies. He will be deeply missed.” - Tony Fang, Centre alum, (PhD 2004)
"I had the great privilege of learning from and working alongside Jeff Reitz for over two decades. I first met him as a master’s student. He welcomed me into his seminar, mentored me through early stumbles as a research assistant, and offered my first glimpse into what meaningful, collaborative academic work could look like. He later became my PhD co-supervisor and profoundly shaped my thinking. Since then, we co-authored numerous papers and continued to learn from one another. Through it all, Jeff remained deeply generous—with his time, his insights, and his belief in others. Jeff’s influence extended far beyond those of us lucky enough to work closely with him. He was a foundational figure in Canadian migration studies—someone whose scholarship challenged taken-for-granted narratives about multiculturalism and immigrant integration. His work combined theoretical insight with empirical rigour, and he played a pivotal role in shaping both academic and policy debates in Canada and beyond. His legacy lives on in the field he contributed so much to, and in the many scholars—like me—who were so deeply shaped by his mentorship and example." - Rupa Banerjee, Centre alum, (MIR 2003, PhD 2007)
"I was saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Professor Jeff Reitz. I had the great pleasure to take a sociology course from Jeff when I returned from practice to start my PhD in 1997. While I had been exposed to issues of what we now call DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) during my time as an HR/LR practitioner, Jeff provided such valuable insights into the theories and research underlying this area. Indeed, he fully encouraged me to examine issues related to sexual orientation where I published some of my first articles. I thank him for his contributions to our knowledge base and his positive impact on his students. He will be missed!" - Travor C. Brown, Centre alum, (MIR 1992, PhD 1999)
"I was saddened to hear of the loss of Dr Jeffrey Reitz. I was fortunate to work as a research assistant for Dr Reitz between 1999-2001. His work and interests on the economics differentials of minorities felt groundbreaking at the time. I will never forget his patience with me as I coded data and ran and re-ran census stats. While I had been exempt from his research methods course in the program, it felt at the time that I was in a research methods course with Dr. Reitz as my personal tutor. As I look back, I feel very fortunate to have been taught by the very very best! You will be deeply missed!" - Michelle Maenck-Vida, Centre alum (MIR 2001)
"One of the best memories I have while studying at the University of Toronto was being fortunate to have Professor Reitz as my professor for Industrial Sociology. Not only did he provide insight into this field from a qualitative perspective but from a quantitative one as well. He was truly a remarkable and gifted researcher and instructor. He was always approachable, willing to share, and always drew on his own research to not only educate us, but inspire us as well. Professor Reitz was not only an asset to the Centre and the University of Toronto as a whole, but also for his contributions to our country. For those of us who were his students, how lucky we were to have known him and been taught by him." - Bruno Muzzi, Centre alum (MIR 1994)
"Jeff Reitz had an amazing career at the University of Toronto – he was a star researcher and a superb teacher! But the recollections that I’d like to share are of the close friendship that he and I developed during the years when he was at the CIRHR teaching in the MIRHR program and serving as the Grad Coordinator.
Jeff and I co-owned a small (16-foot) two-person sailboat and for many years we participated in club sailboat races in Toronto Outer Harbour. I have some glorious memories, such as a race when we had our feet tucked under the hiking straps and were hanging out over the side of the boat as far as possible to keep from capsizing, while heading for a first-place finish with a view of the stunning Toronto skyline and a glorious sunset! And other races when the light winds died during the race, and we had to paddle dejectedly back to the clubhouse. The one constant that made it all worthwhile was the great conversations with Jeff!
I also remember my wife and I sharing a great evening with Jeff and his long-time partner Donna (an MIRHR alum) celebrating the most significant New Year’s Eve of my lifetime – the one at the turn of the century (“Y2K” as it was called)! I also recall the horrific memory the next year, on Sept 11, 2001, when Jeff and I rushed to find a TV screen and watched in shock and disbelief on live TV as the second tower of the World Trade Center collapsed! I felt this horrendous event was especially poignant for Jeff since he lived in New York for several years while studying at Columbia.
One year Jeff graciously invited me to stay in his guest room for a couple of months when (almost 30 years ago) I found myself in Toronto without a home during the fall semester (since I had rented my house out for a year before heading off to Australia). Jeff and I spent many late evenings playing pool on his billiard table in the basement contemplating the problems in the world. Jeff, you will always be missed and forever be fondly remembered." - Frank Reid, Professor, former CIRHR Director (1997-2009) and former Associate Director/Graduate Coordinator (2014-2024)