Dear CIRHR Community,
What an eventful fall term it’s been, with moments of celebration, commiseration, and deep reflection. With the holiday season upon us, I find myself looking back on all of the activities (and changes) that have taken place, and I'm grateful for all of the people who have made this very fruitful academic term possible. First, I’d very much like to bring attention to some important milestones which have arisen over the last few months for some of our CIRHR colleagues.
CAREER MILESTONES
It is with feelings of deep gratitude for all the loyal years of service that we recently announced the retirement of Michelle Petersen-Lee, our Financial Services Assistant, who has worked at the University of Toronto for 30+ years, and for more than 15 years has overseen the day-to-day operations of the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources. When a team is as small as ours, every departure is felt deeply. Although we greatly miss Michelle at the Centre, we are exceedingly grateful for her support these many years.
We also acknowledged the retirement of Barbara Track who, for 22 years, has been a dedicated advocate for Woodsworth College and the CIRHR, building lasting relationships with alumni, donors, volunteers, staff, and students. She has been a generous and supportive colleague, and some of our most successful collaborations have been thanks to Barbara, her expertise, and her willingness to work 'in the trenches' with us on our advancement initiatives, special events, and communications strategies.
I’m also thrilled to recognize an important career milestone for Silvia Cocolo, our undergraduate program coordinator, who is celebrating 35 years in Academic Support Services at the University, and whom has brought so much forethought, care, and institutional knowledge to her role at the Centre and to the support of our undergraduate students. I would encourage you to read this profile we recently published regarding Silvia’s impact at the University, specifically her ability to nurture and advocate for a level playing field so that all students have the tools to succeed.
STUDENT & ALUMNI HONOURS
We offered bittersweet goodbyes (and hopefully see-you-soons) to our 40 newest MIRHR graduates who convocated this past October, including Meghan Scott, the fall recipient of the Frank Reid Prize, awarded each convocation to our top graduating MIRHR student or students. You can find a full list of Fall graduates, and learn more about Meghan’s CIRHR experience and her plans for the future, by clicking here.
We also offer our congratulations to Anna Ponzo and Udanya Singhabahu Achchige, recent recipients of the Dr. Sergiy and Tetyana Kryvoruchko Undergraduate Award in Human Resources, and Centre graduates who are now enrolled in the MIRHR program. Visit our website for Anna's and Udanya's reactions to receiving this prestigious award. Dr. Sergiy and Tetyana Kryvoruchko began supporting Arts & Science students with scholarships in 2022, and recently strengthened their commitment with a generous bequest endowing eleven A&S scholarships in perpetuity, and we couldn’t be more grateful for their generosity toward our students.
We also celebrated Centre alums, Scott Parish and Jeanette May, who were selected to receive the Matt Dowdle Leadership in IRHR Award, established by the CIRHR in memory of Matt Dowdle (MIR 2004), an alumnus of the MIRHR program who remained actively engaged in service to the CIRHR and was also actively engaged in his professional community. Jeanette was able to join us at our fall convocation to accept the award in-person and to deliver some inspirational remarks to our most recent graduates. You can learn more about her time at the Centre and what motivates and inspires her to mentor others in this recent interview.
LECTURES & RESEARCH INITIATIVES
In October, we held our annual Sefton-Williams Memorial Lecture in which Université de Montréal Professor & co-founder of the Interuniversity Research Centre on Globalization and Work (CRIMT), Gregor Murray, delivered an engaging talk, Trade Unions and Citizenship at Work: Why Union Experimentation Matters. We also presented the Sefton-Williams Award for Contributions to Labour Relations to Labour Economist and co-founder & co-chair of the BC Employment Standards Coalition, David Fairey. It was a wonderful session, and it’s now available to be streamed on YouTube.
We have also joined forces with Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA/VRAIE) on the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy Program (YESS). Funded by the Government of Canada, this multi-year project helps workplaces in Canada’s construction and manufacturing sectors retool their systems and build capacity to employ youth with disabilities, especially neurodiverse youth, youth with intellectual disabilities and youth with mental health challenges.
For the last two months, we have also been holding regional forums across the country to discuss our National Assembly on Workplace Democracy (NAWD), and to engage in dialogue with local communities in St. John’s, Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto about the future of democracy in the workplace. As you may know, the CIRHR, with funding support from Employment and Social Development Canada, held a citizens' assembly in October 2024 comprised of 33 everyday Canadians from across the country, selected via civic lottery. After learning about and discussing worker voice – workers' ability to influence decision-making in the workplace) – they collectively established a set of policy recommendations for researchers, employers, and policymakers to consider in order to help improve protections and enable stronger worker voice in Canada.
The NAWD final report which includes these recommendations is viewable on the NAWD official website, and I strongly encourage you to give it a read.
IN MEMORIAM
Last but certainly not least, I’d like to acknowledge the passing of one of our most important labour leaders this past fall. In September, we lost Leo Gerard, a tireless champion of higher wages, safer jobs, retirement security, and dignity in the workplace for more than fifty years, and a Companion of the Order of Canada, this country's highest civilian honour, for his contributions to the labour movement, in Canada and across the globe.
His legacy is that of an extraordinary leader, advocate, and a dear friend and ally who made room at the table and in the labour movement for all. The CIRHR recently established the United Steelworkers/Leo Gerard Chair in Collective Bargaining and Worker Representation, recognizing the role of the United Steelworkers in its representation of a broad and diverse membership across North America and Leo Gerard’s exemplary work as its international president from 2001 to 2019. Applications are currently open for the USW/Leo Gerard Chair, and our hope is that whomever steps into the role will not only further the Centre’s research and teaching priorities in collective bargaining and worker representation, but also embody the grounded and inclusive approach of the Chair’s namesake.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As December comes to a close, it’s impossible not to reflect on 2025, or to commiserate so many endings: the conclusion of another calendar year, the completion of a degree and the graduation of another cohort, the retirement of colleagues we’ve grown to love, and the passing of giants who have, for decades, lit the way forward. And yet, there is so much to celebrate and look forward to: the promise and possibility of a new and exciting year; the chance to put one’s education to use and to watch our former students ascend; the opportunity to start a new adventure and forge new friendships and collaborations; and the inheritance of an important mandate -- dignity in the workplace for all -- empowering us to walk the path forward in our departed friends’ and mentors' stead.
I offer my heartfelt gratitude to our students and alumni, staff and faculty, librarians, Centre friends, and the extended CIRHR community. I wish each of you a wonderful holiday season with your loved ones, and a very happy new year. See you in 2026.
Best,
Rafael
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Dr. Rafael Gomez, Professor
Director, Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources
University of Toronto