ORILLIA — The Ontario government is providing $2.56 million to support the continuing Lakehead University-Georgian College partnership in Simcoe County. The partnership provides more postsecondary options in the region, including increased access to degree-level education, helping students gain the knowledge and hands-on training they need to get good jobs. Details were announced today by Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities at Lakehead University’s Orillia campus.

“Collaborations like Lakehead-Georgian provide students with local opportunities to build the knowledge and skills they need to find meaningful jobs,” said Minister Dunlop. “Investing in innovative learning opportunities for students is part of the government’s plan to build a skilled workforce that supports economic growth in the province.”

Nearly 3,000 postsecondary students currently benefit from this program, where students can earn both a university degree and a college diploma in four years. Programming is focused on meeting the changing needs of the local economy to prepare graduates with a mix of degree-level education and technical skills.

“Since 2017, Lakehead University and Georgian College’s formal partnership has provided students from Simcoe County and beyond with the opportunity to graduate from STEM fields of study with the best degree-diploma learning experiences available,” said Dr. Moira McPherson, President and Vice-Chancellor, Lakehead University. “Thanks to today’s Ministry of Colleges and Universities’ announced investment, this unique joint-offering from our institutions will be able to continue — improving access to degree-level postsecondary programming that nurtures tomorrow’s job-ready workforce — for years to come.”

“Georgian and Lakehead share many values – including student access to quality education,” said Dr. MaryLynn West-Moynes, President and CEO, Georgian College. “As the two recognized postsecondary institutions serving Central Ontario, we chose to partner to improve postsecondary attainment rates, which remain below the provincial average. We’re grateful for this important funding, which will provide enhanced experiential learning opportunities to benefit our students and further support regional economic growth and development.”

The partnership between Lakehead University and Georgian College increases access to degree level education in Simcoe County, helps support collaboration and research between the two institutions and promotes economic development in the region.

QUICK FACTS

• Both Lakehead University and Georgian College will each receive $1.28 million in funding to support the partnership in 2022-23.
• The Lakehead-Georgian partnership in Simcoe County was formalized in 2017.
• Students study at campuses in both Barrie and Orillia.
• Four programs are currently offered through Lakehead-Georgian:
  • Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) with Electrical Engineering Technology advanced diploma;
  • Honours Bachelor of Arts and Science (Environmental Sustainability) Specialization in Ecosystem Management degree with Environmental Technician diploma;
  • Honours Bachelor of Science in Applied Life Sciences degree with Biotechnology – Health diploma; and
  • Honours Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree with Computer Programming diploma.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Learn more about Lakehead-Georgian
• Ontario colleges
• Ontario universities

A Lakehead University Civil Engineering professor and graduate student have published the results of a new study on the fire performance of an innovative mass timber beam-to-column connection that they designed to achieve one hour of resistance from fire without any additional protection.

Dr. Sam Salem, Associate Professor and Chair of the Dept. of Civil Engineering, and graduate student Cory Hubbard developed and tested the timber beam-column connection, which they described in a research article in fire safety journal, Elsevier, a leading journal in fire safety engineering.

"Currently, an exciting trend in building design is the growing use of mass timber in high-rise buildings,” Dr. Salem said.

“With advanced research on the structural fire performance of innovative building systems, mass timber tall buildings can reach heights comparable to those made of other materials such as concrete and steel.”

The new connection configuration utilizes two fully concealed, mechanically fastened steel rods in glulam beam sections. The fire experiments presented in the published article were conducted in the Fire Testing and Research Laboratory at Lakehead University.

“Fire is a serious hazard for all buildings regardless of the construction material in use,” Dr. Salem said.

“Advantageously, and unlike light-frame wood construction, mass timber like the glulam sections utilized in the innovative beam-to-column connection in this research char on the outside when exposed to fire while retaining strength and slowing combustion.”

The new timber beam-to-column connection configuration has received a patent certificate from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada – Canadian Intellectual Property Office (Patent No. 3045195) and patent-pending status in the USA.

“I followed the model ‘keep it simple’ when designing this connection,” Hubbard said.

“It is strong and simple to create, has repeatable results, and looks good too. It will please both the architect and the engineer for its concealed design and performance in fire with no addition of extra ugly fire protection.”

Dr. Salem mainly funded this research through a Discovery grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

“The world-class Fire Testing and Research Laboratory allows for top-notch research on innovative mass timber building systems with enhanced fire resistance,” said Dr. Andrew P. Dean, Lakehead’s Vice-President, Research and Innovation.

“Thank you to NSERC for funding this exciting research.”

The article can be accessed by typing the following link into your address bar: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0379711222000248

The Canadian Patent record for this innovative mass timber beam-to-column connection can be seen here.

Mass timber beam-to-column connection in fire. 

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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8110 ext. 8372 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has nine faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked, once again, among Canada’s Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s 2021 University Rankings; as well as included in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2022 World Universities Rankings for the third consecutive year, and in the top 100 of 1,115 universities from around the world in THE's 2021 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

Lakehead University geology researchers are receiving $315,000 in total from NSERC, Mitacs, and Goldshore Resources Inc. to investigate a portion of the Shebandowan greenstone belt.

Dr. Pete Hollings, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation Industrial Research Chair in Mineral Exploration, and Dr. Noah Phillips, Assistant Professor in Geology, are receiving $160,000 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, $75,000 from Mitacs, and $80,000 from Goldshore Resources Inc.

Dr. Hollings and his team will study the volcanic and structural architecture, petrography, and chemical alteration of a section of the Shebandowan greenstone belt in order to better understand the mineralization in the area.

The principal methods employed in this research will be fundamental geological mapping and logging, combined with traditional and state-of-the-art analytical techniques, which will characterize the structures, mineralization, and alteration system associated with minerals on Goldshore Resources’ Moss Lake property.

“We are really looking forward to working closely with the team from Goldshore over the next two years to develop a better understanding of this part of Shebandowan’s greenstone belt,” Dr. Hollings said.

“The ability to embed our students within the Goldshore operations thanks to the support from Mitacs and NSERC will be a great opportunity for the students and postdoc researchers to contribute to the ongoing exploration in the region.”

Although Canada is a world leader in mineral exploration and mining technology, the discovery of new mineral resources is declining despite increasing exploration expenditures.

The development of geochemical, mineralogical, and structural vectors that guide exploration towards new targets and are accessible, economic, and scalable are becoming increasingly important.

Dr. Hollings will lead the research team with help from Dr. Phillips. They will work with three highly qualified personnel including two master's students and one postdoctoral fellow, who will learn to use modern digital field methods and high-quality microanalytical instruments, making them highly skilled assets for industry, academia, or government surveys.

“Congratulations to Dr. Hollings and his team on obtaining these research grants,” said Dr. Andrew P. Dean, Lakehead’s Vice-President, Research and Innovation.

“Exploration is of course at the beginning of successful mining operations. This research will bring new exciting tools and techniques to this part of the process.” 

Overall, this project will help improve exploration confidence and success in the search for new discoveries of metal resources in Canada. This research has the potential to lead to new discoveries by developing enhanced deposit models that can be applied elsewhere within Canada and by Canadian companies working overseas.

At a broader scale, the tools generated within this project will help Canadian mining companies enhance exploration efficiency and reduce both the time and capital cost for the discovery of mineral resources.

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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8010 ext. 8372 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has nine faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked, once again, among Canada’s Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s 2021 University Rankings; as well as included in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2022 World Universities Rankings for the third consecutive year, and the number one university in the world with fewer than 10,000 students in THE’s 2022 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

May 19, 2022 – Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ont.

For the third year in a row, Lakehead University was included in the top 100 of the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings. Lakehead is the highest ranked university in the world with under 10,000 students.

The Impact Rankings measure the societal impact of universities by evaluating an institutions’ success in delivering the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. In 2022, Lakehead has been ranked as one of the top universities in the world contributing to poverty reduction, elimination of hunger, reduced inequalities, good health and wellbeing, and to peace, justice and strong institutions.

Lakehead is ranked 64^th out of 1,406 universities from around the world, based on its performance in meeting the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Dr. Moira McPherson, Lakehead’s President and Vice-Chancellor, said she was ecstatic with Lakehead ‘s recognition this year.

“Over the last three years, we have strengthened our commitment to social justice and to Indigenous, social and environmental sustainability. This ranking is so very exciting and reflects Lakehead’s role in fostering a greater understanding of local and global societal issues and inspiring positive change.

“It reflects the world-class research being led by Lakehead faculty, staff, and students to address some of the world’s greatest societal challenges,” she added.

Lakehead is the only primarily undergraduate university in Canada that participated in the 2022 Impact Rankings and one of only 16 Canadian universities to be included in the top 100.

Lakehead is ranked in all 17 SDGs, which demonstrates the University’s commitments to be a leader in sustainability and to embed and embrace sustainability throughout the university community.

Ranking ahead of several top comprehensive and research-intensive Canadian universities, Lakehead scored highly across many SDGs, including ninth globally in SDG 1: No Poverty, which measures institutions on their respective efforts to help reduce poverty, including research, stewardship, outreach, and teaching. This represents Lakehead’s role as one of the largest employers, post-secondary institutions and economic hubs in Northwestern Ontario and Simcoe County, and the direct impact the University has on economic and social resiliency in the regions it serves.

This ranking also reflects the many initiatives Lakehead offers to support students who face barriers to accessing university education, including financial barriers, as well as the innovative research being done by faculty related to poverty in rural and remote communities in Northwestern Ontario.

Lakehead ranked 13^th globally in SDG 15: Life on Land, which explores a university’s research on life on land and education on and support for land ecosystems.

Lakehead ranked 24^th globally in SDG 14: Life Below Water, examining a university’s research on life below water and their education on and support for aquatic ecosystems.

In addition, Lakehead scored in the top 100 universities globally in SDG 2: Zero Hunger (ranked 29^th), SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being (ranked 95^th), SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation (ranked 71^st), SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy (ranked 88^th), SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities (ranked 76^th), and SDG 13: Climate Action (ranked 94^th).

For the third year in a row, Lakehead has also been ranked as one of the top universities in the world contributing to poverty reduction, elimination of hunger, reduced inequalities, good health and wellbeing, and to peace, justice and strong institutions.

Dr. David Barnett, Lakehead’s Provost and Vice-President (Academic), said this year’s ranking is an exceptional achievement that should make students, faculty, staff and alumni feel proud.

“More and more people outside of the communities we serve are learning that Lakehead is a world-class university thanks to rankings such as this one,” Dr. Barnett said.

“This latest international acknowledgement celebrates our work to tackle global challenges that impact our future and how we remain committed to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” he added. “Specifically, Lakehead University is recognized for our development of creative solutions to issues such as sustainability, social justice, and Indigenous education.”

The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings measure the impact universities make to the world in the areas of poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice.

Visit Lakehead University's Times Higher Education profile at timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/lakehead-university.

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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at 807-343-8010 ext. 8372 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has nine faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked, once again, among Canada’s Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s 2021 University Rankings; as well as included in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2022 World Universities Rankings for the third consecutive year, and the number one university in the world with fewer than 10,000 students in THE’s 2022 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

May 2, 2022 – Thunder Bay and Barrie, Ont.

Two Lakehead Engineering students will participate in the Canada-Africa Innovation Fellowship established by Engineers Without Borders. 

Out of over 100 applications, Lakehead Engineering students Annang Ibrahim and Wade Treslove were awarded this prestigious fellowship after a rigorous selection process.

Ibrahim is a third-year Mechanical Engineering student at Lakehead Thunder Bay and Treslove is about to complete an Electrical Engineering degree at Lakehead-Georgian in Barrie.

The Canada-Africa Innovation Fellowship program provides a unique opportunity for young leaders based in Canada and Africa to work together and develop innovative solutions to complex global challenges.

“Finding out I was selected for this fellowship was very exciting,” Ibrahim said.

“Being chosen to participate in this fellowship only reassures the faith I have that I am taking the right steps in my career, and for the good of my community.”

Treslove feels honoured to be selected for this fellowship.

“Applying engineering to impact the globe has always been the primary goal in my pursuit of education,” Treslove said.

“I am looking forward to representing Lakehead and helping make a difference where it counts.”

This year, the Canada-Africa Innovation Fellowship will focus on building the entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership skills of undergraduate and recently-graduated Canadians, Ugandans and Ghanaians. It will provide them with a platform to ask tough questions and develop green and renewable solutions to mitigate the impact of climate change on underserved communities in sub-Saharan Africa, Canada, and beyond.

“We are very proud to see our students recognised for their talent and commitment to making positive change in our world,” said Dr. Janusz Kozinski, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering.

“Annang and Wade will be terrific ambassadors for Lakehead Engineering and we all look forward to hearing about their achievements.”

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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8110 ext. 8372 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has nine faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked, once again, among Canada’s Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s 2021 University Rankings; as well as included in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2022 World Universities Rankings for the third consecutive year, and in the top 100 of 1,115 universities from around the world in THE's 2021 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

May 12, 2022 – Thunder Bay, Ont.

Two Lakehead University psychology professors said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath’s proposal to expand OHIP to include therapy sessions is in-line with recommendations they made in their 2020 article published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health.

In the article released on August 7, 2020, Lakehead psychology professors Drs. Deborah Scharf and Kirsten Oinonen, who are both registered clinical psychologists, argued Ontario’s COVID-19 response highlights shortcomings of its physician-only public health-care system.

Drs. Scharf and Oinonen said it limits access to appropriate and sustainable mental health care. They encouraged the province to integrate registered mental health providers into the public health insurance system, which is why they’re excited about the NDP’s proposal.

On April 3, 2022, Horwath announced that, if elected, she would expand OHIP coverage to pay for six therapy sessions initially and up to 12 sessions for patients for those who need it from existing community mental health providers.  

Horwath's proposal goes far beyond what was initially put in place by the Ontario government, whose initial COVID-19 mental health response was focused on increasing payments to physicians to provide mental health care and promoting online self-serve modules.

Drs. Scharf and Oinonen argued that a physician-focused OHIP approach was inadequate because physicians were already overburdened with pandemic-related medical issues and they may not have the training or desire to assume increased responsibility for mental health care.

At the same time, registered and specially trained mental health professionals such as psychologists were available to help offset the increased need for services.

While six to 12 sessions may not be sufficient for all Ontarians, several evidence-based treatment modalities can be implemented within 12 weeks, and this proposal is in-line with what is available through other publicly- and privately-funded outpatient mental health services.

“The fear, grief, social isolation, and financial and occupational losses from COVID-19 have created a mental-health crisis,” Dr. Scharf said.

The researchers said Ontario’s attempt to rapidly expand mental health-care access due to COVID-19 includes new Ontario Health Insurance Program billing codes that enable physicians to provide trauma counselling over the phone and patient self-serve online tools – while psychologists and other registered mental health provider services have been largely left out of the provincial response.

“Non-physician mental health providers operate outside of the provincial health-care infrastructure, including the OHIP provincial payer system that facilitated the provincial physician response,” Dr. Oinonen said.

“A physician-centric mental health-care system limits public access to quality, sustainable, evidence-based mental health services, because most physicians do not have the capacity, training, or desire to provide mental health services,” she added.

The researchers described several problems with Ontario’s physician-centric response to COVID-19, including that physicians do not typically provide psychotherapy; payment incentives in medicine have not typically increased public access to mental health-care; shortages of psychiatrist and other public mental health-care services mean that physicians have nowhere within the public system to refer their patients with severe or emergency mental health issues, among other concerns.

“A physician-centric approach to providing emergency mental health services puts patients at risk from inadequate or inappropriate care while increasing stress on primary care providers whose services are desperately needed elsewhere during COVID-19,” Dr. Scharf said.

The researchers believe the government should create trial-billing mechanisms through provincial public health insurance for registered mental health providers and introduce standardized provincial-required reporting of registered mental health providers including their capacities.

In May 2020, the federal government introduced $240 million to support online mental health-care and medical services.

“We hope the federal and provincial governments leverage psychologists and other registered mental health practitioners in their response,” Dr. Oinonen said.

To read the article visit this page.

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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8110 ext. 8372 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has nine faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked, once again, among Canada’s Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s 2021 University Rankings; as well as included in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2022 World Universities Rankings for the third consecutive year, and in the top 100 of 1,115 universities from around the world in THE's 2021 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

 

Lakeishia Meekis, right, is an Achievement Program alum who encouraged the students to continue to push themselves.

 

May 13, 2022 – Thunder Bay, Ont.

Lakehead University’s ActiveU staff hosted more than 80 young people on Friday, May 13 as part of the annual Achievement Program Day on Campus.

Lakehead started the Achievement Program in 2011 to help students obtain a post-secondary education.

“The Achievement Program is Lakehead University’s commitment to supporting access to postsecondary education by providing opportunities to students who experience socioeconomic barriers,” said Dr. Moira McPherson, Lakehead’s President and Vice-Chancellor. 

“This program is about hope and opportunity. It’s about encouraging students to see themselves as Lakehead University graduates at an early age,” Dr. McPherson said. 

The Achievement Program offers children who might otherwise not have been able to attend University the opportunity to experience it. School boards choose eligible schools based on socioeconomic status and families self enrol.

Children in grades 4-12 participate in programming yearly in their school, community and at Lakehead University, and in return earn financial support for Lakehead University once they graduate high school.

“When this program began, our charter class students were in the fourth grade at St. Ann’s,” said Omer Belisle, Superintendent of Education at the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board. 

“Today they are in their final year of senior elementary school and will be entering high school next year. The Achievement Program has and will continue to benefit our students for their upcoming post-secondary education. 

“We are proud to partner with Lakehead University, as this incredible program hones the confidence and skills our students need to achieve academic success and flourish into their adulthood,” Belisle said. 

Lakehead University's Achievement Program Day welcomed the next generation of Lakehead students to the CJ Sanders Fieldhouse gym. 

Amanda Stefanile, Achievement Program Coordinator, said she was happy to have the students back on campus for the day.

“I'm so excited to be able to host our students on campus this year as the last two years have been cancelled due to COVID,” Stefanile said. 

“The smiles on the kids’ faces as they participate in recreational, educational and cultural programming is the highlight for me. I really want to thank the Lakehead faculty and staff for their assistance in providing hands-on programming for our students.”

Achievement Program Day on Campus had students exploring campus through educational activities offered by ActiveU, the School of Nursing, Let’s Talk Science, Ingenuity, the Department of Chemistry, the Faculty of Engineering, the Niijii Indigenous Mentorship Program, and Indigenous Cultural Support Services. 

Lakeishia Meekis is an Achievement Program alum who encouraged the students to continue to push themselves. 

“It makes me happy that I can be a role model for other students and families," she said.

“It makes me feel proud. The Achievement Program always gave me lots of learning opportunities and I’m thankful that I can give back.”

 

 

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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8110 ext. 8372 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

 

 

Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has nine faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked, once again, among Canada’s Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s 2021 University Rankings; as well as included in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2022 World Universities Rankings for the third consecutive year, and in the top 100 of 1,115 universities from around the world in THE's 2021 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

Happy summer everyone! The activity in the LSLLN hubs has continued blooming in May and June - in the June newsletter we share beautiful art about the Gifts of the Northern Sun, photos of gardening days at the People's Garden, LSLLN mini-grant opportunities, recordings of two LSLLN events, and announcements for upcoming events across the watershed.

Explore the Claude E. Garton’s collection of the phenomenal floral found in Northwestern Ontario at https://lkhdcollections.lakeheadu.ca

Since the inception of the Claude E. Garton Herbarium (LKHD) at Lakehead University in 1967, dedicated amateur and professional botanists have entrusted us with over 115,000 preserved plant samples from around the world. The tireless work of these collectors driven by a deep seeded love of botany and the natural world have honoured us with the duty of care of over 200 years of botanical history.

Thanks in large part to Dr. Qing (Jason) Zou, Head of Digital Initiatives, Lakehead University Library, we are elated to announce the first portions of our collections fully digitized and available to the public. The first portions of the C.E.G. Herbarium's collection of over 33,000 flora from Northwestern Ontario are now available to view online, including our complete regional NW Ontario gymnosperm (conifer trees) and pteridophyte (fern) collections along with many astounding regional angiosperm (flowering plants) families.

The digitization of the herbarium collection allows anyone across the globe to discover their love for the fantastic floral unique to Northwestern Ontario. Astounding pockets of arctic-alpine disjunct plant species surviving in unique microclimates outside their frigid natural ranges, native tallgrass prairie and savanna species of the critically imperiled prairies of Ontario and remnant prairie species that have persisted as relicts of the grasslands that once spanned more than 90 million km2 across North America. Extraordinarily unexpected species like the dangerous Devil’s Club, separated by distances so vast from their natural range their existence here is a deeply rooted mystery. And many more phenomenal flora specimens detailing a near complete collection of all florae found in Northwestern Ontario, from the most critically endangered native species to the most troublesome introduced invasive plants.

But there is still so much more to be marveled at in our collections. We are always looking for the next generations of botanists and naturalists to discover their passion for the natural world through the looking glass into biodiversity past that is the C.E.G. Herbariums collections. Interested in becoming involved? Contact our Acting Curator Kristi Valley (née. Dysievick) - kedysiev@lakeheadu.ca – to find out how you can help discover the bounty of biodiversity Northwestern Ontario holds and help showcase it to the world!

Lakehead University undergraduate student volunteers are eligible to have their volunteer position reflected on their cocurricular record and are eligible for some small honorariums.

The new book by Dr. Sonja Grover, a Professor in Education, examines selected high-profile U.S. First Amendment cases occurring during the Trump era as a vehicle for exploring a possible fundamental commonality in understanding the democratic rule of law globally.

In each of these cases, the adjudicating body’s analytical legal strategy is discussed in terms of how it reinforces or detracts from the democratic rule of law. It was and continues to be highly internationally anticipated as to what legal examples are being set by this established democracy when confronted by legal contests between the former Trump administration and those alleging their rights were somehow violated by the executive of that time.

Thus, the book is instructive for an international audience on the essential role of the courts in protecting democracy through providing, where supported by the law and the facts, a remedy for the aggrieved comparatively powerless.

The book will be essential reading for academics and researchers working in the areas of constitutional law, politics and human rights. It was published by Routledge. Visit this page for more information about the book.