Commerce

Former prime minister Brian Mulroney credits the late Michael Wilson – his former finance minister and the University of Toronto’s Chancellor Emeritus – for nothing less than laying the foundations of “a new Canada that we enjoy today.”

Mulroney says Wilson’s efforts as finance minister in the 1980s had a “transformative” impact and set the country up for decades of future success.

That includes everything from helping to negotiate the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and, later, the North American Free Trade Agreement, to deregulating Crown Corporations like Air Canada and Petro-Canada.

Often the policies Wilson pursued weren’t politically popular – including the creation of the GST, which replaced a costly hidden manufacturers’ sales tax that made Canadian exports uncompetitive.

“He and I agreed on pretty well everything,” Mulroney told U of T News in the wake of Wilson’s death on Sunday at age 81.

“But we agreed fundamentally on the following statement: We’re not going to act for easy headlines in 10 days. We’re going to act for a better Canada in 10 years.”

It was a principled, long-term outlook that seemed to guide Wilson in everything he did – both in and out of politics. An alumnus of Trinity College, Wilson was first elected as U of T’s 33^rd chancellor in 2012 and served a full two terms. In the role, he not only helped chart a course for the university’s international ambition, but acted as U of T’s ambassador to more than half a million alumni around the world and presided over scores of convocation ceremonies.

It was the part of the job he loved most,” U of T President Meric Gertler said during an interview on CBC today.

“We would see him just light up at convocation. He would relish that opportunity to have that private conversation with each graduate who came up to the stage.”

Read Michael Wilson's closing remarks to students at convocation ceremonies

Wilson also made an indelible impact in the realm of mental health, particularly after his son, Cameron, took his own life in 1995 at the age of 29.

At the time, it was rare for people of Wilson’s generation to speak openly about mental health and grief. But Wilson felt the need to do everything in his power to help.

“One of the things that was said to me is that, if I’m willing to tell my story, I will get a lot more exposure than someone who hasn’t spent 14 years in federal politics,” he told the Globe and Mail in 1999.

“If it will help make a difference, then I am willing to do this.”

Wilson first arrived at U of T in 1955 to study at Trinity College, earning a degree in commerce. Soon after, Wilson landed a job in Ottawa working in the finance department and then worked his way up the ladder on Bay Street.

University of Toronto mourns death of Michael Wilson

Heartfelt tributes to Michael Wilson recount his compassion, leadership and advocacy

Mulroney says he first crossed paths with Wilson in the 1970s.

“We were just about the same age,” Mulroney recalls. “I was starting the practice of law in Montreal and he was starting at Dominion Securities in Toronto.”

While the two may have started off as acquaintances, it wouldn’t be long before their lives would become intertwined on the national stage. After being elected to Parliament in 1979, Wilson ran for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party in 1983, challenging Mulroney and a half dozen other contenders.

Wilson ultimately stepped aside and threw his support behind Mulroney and was rewarded with his senior cabinet post as finance minister. He would also serve as a minister for international trade and a minister of industry, science and technology.

“I was extremely grateful to him, obviously, but he then went on to play an extremely indispensable role in the government of Canada,” Mulroney says.

Michael Wilson addresses reporters at Toronto's Gerstein Crisis Centre in 2004. Wilson supported short-term safe houses for people with mental health issues and was behind the Edmond Yu Project, named after Yu, a mentally ill person who was shot by police in 1997 for wielding a hammer at police in a TTC streetcar (photo by Rene Johnston/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Joe Martin, an adjunct professor at U of T’s Rotman School of Management, cites the creation of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, or OSFI – Canada’s banking regulator – under Wilson’s watch as a yet another signature achievement.

During the 2008 financial crisis, when the world’s financial institutions were imploding, “the thing that saved the Canadian markets was the fact that we had OSFI in place,” Martin says.

Wilson had a front row seat during this period, too, having been tapped by Stephen Harper’s government to serve as Canada’s ambassador to the United States, a position he held for more than three years.

On a personal level, those who knew Wilson well describe him as a person of principles and integrity, and someone who placed a high value on education.

“Michael fundamentally believed in the value of education and learning,” President Gertler told CBC. “He used to say at our convocation ceremonies that students should use their learning throughout the rest of their lives to make the world a better place – and to leave every situation they came into contact with in better shape than it was when they found it.

“For him, learning was at the core of his very being.”

Similarly, Tiff Macklem, the dean of the Rotman School of Management, called Wilson “a role model for us all to aspire to in business, in politics, and in building better communities for everyone.”

For those working in the field of mental health, meanwhile, Wilson’s legacy is described as nothing short of game-changing.

Until he came along, it was difficult to get people in the corridors of power to pay attention, says Dr. Paul Garfinkel, a professor and former chair of U of T’s psychiatry department.

In his role as CEO of the Clarke Institute, one of the facilities that merged into the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Garfinkel says he struggled to find donors and people to join the hospital’s board.

“You can’t imagine how lonely it was. We could have board meetings in a phone booth,” Garfinkel says.

Wilson opened the door to glass tower boardrooms in Toronto and Montreal as well as government offices in Ottawa. When he spoke, people around the table listened, Garfinkel says – in part because most already knew him.

Wilson would speak movingly of his son’s death and go on to describe current research. “He had an amazing mind,” Garfinkel recalls. “You could brief him on the way into the meeting and he could go bang, bang, bang with every fact accurately.”

Wilson led multimillion-dollar fundraising campaigns, served on provincial task forces on mental health and, in 2015, became board chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

“He was a real mentor and I learned so much from him,” says Louise Bradley, the president and CEO of the commission.

Read Michael Wilson's poignant last op-ed for the Toronto Star

Under his tenure, the board was restructured to include more people with backgrounds in finance, law and a lived experience of mental illness. He also helped increase the representation of Indigenous people, Bradley says.

“He wasn’t a figurehead by any stretch of the imagination.”

At U of T, Wilson was instrumental in finding support for a chair in depression studies named in memory of his son. Dr. Robert Levitan, a professor of psychiatry and physiology in the Faculty of Medicine and senior scientist at CAMH, currently holds the chair. He’s an expert on atypical subtypes of mood disorders characterized by depressed mood and eating behaviour.

U of T psychiatry Professor David Goldboom preceded Wilson as chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada. “The thing about Michael is he had such an aura of gravitas,” Goldbloom said. “Here was a guy who was accomplished in so many spheres of public life… The fact that he made this his cause of choice carried weight.”

Wilson could be blunt and didn’t sugar coat the need for change, Goldbloom says. “I think Michael definitely thought we were making progress.

“But he was enough of a realist to know there was a long journey ahead.”

University of Toronto mourns death of Chancellor Emeritus Michael Wilson

noreen.rasbach — Sun, 10 Feb 2019 23:46:11 +0000

University of Toronto mourns death of Chancellor Emeritus Michael Wilson

noreen.rasbach Sun, 02/10/2019 - 18:46

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Michael Wilson, in June at his final convocation as Chancellor. His message to graduates that day: "Give back" (photo by Steve Frost)

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Faculty of Arts & Science

Meric Gertler

Trinity College

Michael Wilson, the University of Toronto’s 33^rd chancellor who had an accomplished career in the private and public sector – serving as Canada’s minister of finance and ambassador to the United States – has died. He was 81 years old.

“The University of Toronto community deeply mourns the loss of our Chancellor Emeritus, the Honourable Michael Wilson,” said U of T President Meric Gertler. “A proud and accomplished Commerce alumnus and a Trinity grad, he was our tireless advocate and our global ambassador.

“A ‘triathlete’ par excellence – in public office, business, and volunteer work – he was a great Canadian who improved the lives of so many. From spearheading public policy of the highest significance to publicly confronting the challenge of mental illness, Michael Wilson was a true champion.”

Wilson was first elected chancellor for a three-year-term in 2012 and renewed for a second term of three years in 2015 – the maximum allowed by the University of Toronto Act.

“During his six years of incredibly dedicated and energetic service as our ceremonial head, he helped launch tens of thousands of U of T graduates into the next stage of their lives – leaving each one with a warm personal word of congratulations and encouragement,” President Gertler said.

Wilson was a Trinity College alumnus, graduating in 1959 with a degree in commerce and beginning a career in finance. He was elected to Parliament in the late 1970s, and served seven years as finance minister, beginning in 1984. He was named Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. in 2006.

Heartfelt tributes to Michael Wilson recount his compassion, leadership and advocacy

Beyond politics and Bay Street, Wilson was a profoundly dedicated advocate for mental health, becoming chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada in 2015. His advocacy was intensified in response to tragedy when his son, Cameron, took his own life after suffering from depression.

Wilson was a champion of U of T, working tirelessly to promote the university in Canada and the rest of the world.

“It is one of the great privileges of my life to have worked closely with Michael Wilson in the advancement of the University and the causes he cared about so deeply,” President Gertler said. “In his comprehensive excellence, his unassuming generosity and his quiet compassion, he will remain a model for us all. He bore the title, “the Honourable,” by virtue of the public offices he held. But the description came spontaneously to all who had the good fortune to know him.”

The University of Toronto flag will fly at half-mast on all three campuses until the day of Wilson's funeral. Members of the U of T community can sign a Book of Condolences in the Simcoe Hall lobby this week, starting at 1 p.m. Monday.

Read President Gertler's full statement about Michael Wilson

While earning a commerce degree at U of T, the Caleon twins built up a massive social media following

noreen.rasbach — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 05:00:00 +0000

While earning a commerce degree at U of T, the Caleon twins built up a massive social media following

noreen.rasbach Fri, 12/21/2018 - 00:00

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“In a way, YouTube is our business,” says Madeleine Caleon, who with her sister Samantha are working on their social media brand full time (photo courtesy of the Caleon sisters via Instagram)

Topic

They have nearly 265,000 subscribers on YouTube, 124,000 followers on Instagram, and a whopping 3.3 million fans on TikTok, a site for short-form mobile videos that was formerly known as musical.ly. Meet the Caleon Twins, Samantha and Madeleine.

The twins graduated from the University of Toronto last month with matching bachelor’s degrees in commerce, after years of taking the same courses together. They are now focusing on building their social media brand full time, hiring a manager to help.

The sisters say they have always wanted to be entrepreneurs. “In a way, YouTube is our business,” says Madeleine Caleon, about their eponymous YouTube channel, Caleon Twins. Their content ranges from clips of the twins performing covers of pop songs and videos of them participating in trending challenges (such as the No Mirror Makeup Challenge) to vlogs about their lives.

They started their YouTube channel during their first year at U of T Mississauga, and hopped on the social music app musical.ly when it was taking off, dancing to popular songs with their carefully choreographed moves. Their YouTube audience grew with their TikTok/musical.ly fan base, and soon the hobby grew into a business, says Samantha Caleon.

“It wasn’t always easy,” says Madeleine about growing their brand while meeting the high demands of their academic work.

Madeleine and Samantha Caleon at their convocation in November: The sisters earned Bachelor of Commerce degrees at U of T Mississauga (photo courtesy of the twins)

Even with a manager, the twins say they are still very much in charge of content. They film for two or three days a week, shooting videos for themselves as well as for the YouTube channels to which they contribute. The rest of the week is spent on publishing that content and attending to the less glamorous, behind-the-scenes work that comes with running a business.

To help manage their time during university, the Caleon sisters took some online classes during their final year and crammed the rest of their required courses into just two days of the week so that they could travel to far-away events and YouTube conventions.

They say they were able to apply some of the marketing concepts they learned in the classroom to strategically increase their influence online. The most important? Authenticity.

“Being genuine, as cliché as it is, is the best way to market yourself to different people online,” says Madeleine.

They are thankful for the guidance of fellow YouTubers who have been down the same road, but they make sure not to conform to what their peers do on social media. And they have learned to be patient.

“It’s not a straight line, or an easy path to reach your goal,” says Samantha.

As for the future of their YouTube channel, Samantha and Madeleine are not worrying about losing relevance. They see vlogging as a way to remain relatable to their audience as they get older together.

They are also connecting in other ways. The twins already have a clothing line on StarSpender, the online shop that allows fans to purchase merchandise from TikTok stars. They plan to develop a separate business outside of their Caleon Twins brand in the future, maybe in fashion.

As their business continues to grow, says Madeleine, “we’re really just living in the moment and taking each day as it comes.”

Management, Rotman School of

sgupta — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 20:47:17 +0000

Management, Rotman School of sgupta Thu, 01/07/2016 - 15:47

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https://www.rotman.utoronto.ca

Management, Department of

sgupta — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 20:47:17 +0000

Management, Department of sgupta Thu, 01/07/2016 - 15:47

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https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/mgmt/

International Busines, Institute for (IIB)

sgupta — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 20:47:15 +0000

International Busines, Institute for (IIB) sgupta Thu, 01/07/2016 - 15:47

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https://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/faculty-and-research/research-centres/institute-for-international-business/

U of T alumna rides for gold at Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games

sgupta — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 15:23:45 +0000

U of T alumna rides for gold at Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games sgupta Wed, 07/08/2015 - 11:23

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(photos courtesy Belinda Trussell)

Nicolle Wahl

Author legacy

Nicolle Wahl

Belinda Trussell’s partner is tall (16.2 hands), dark (bay) and handsome. On July 11, they’ll be performing in the Grand Prix equestrian dressage competition at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games.

Trussell, a University of Toronto alumna, is on the equestrian team representing Canada at the Games, along with her horse, Anton, a 15-year-old, German-bred gelding.

Dressage, from the French word for "training", is often described as the art of dancing on horseback. At the Grand Prix level, horses are capable of performing multiple and complex gaits, demonstrating such advanced movements as changes of lead with each stride during canter (often called skipping), piaffe (trot on the spot) and passage (a slow trot with great suspension during each stride). In the Kur portion of the competition, the horse and rider perform these controlled, choreographed movements to music.

A dressage rider normally competes as an individual. Being a part of your country’s team is different, says Trussell, who was determined to make it onto the Pan Am team representing Canada.

“It was on my bucket list!” she says. “I wanted to compete in front of a home crowd.”

In an international competition such as the Pan Am Games, says Trussell, “you get to see all these different cultures. It’s a really special experience.” She will not be living in the downtown Athletes’ Village – bringing the horses into Toronto was not an option – but she will still be interacting with other riders at the OLG Pan Am Equestrian Park in Caledon.

Born in Sydney, Australia, Trussell first became interested in horses at the age of six. She moved to Canada in 1987, continuing to ride for Australia. Trussell attended the University of Toronto Mississauga and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1994, the same year that she became a Canadian citizen.

“I’m proud to be a U of T grad,” she says, “and I’m proud to represent Canada.”

Trussell, who met her future husband while attending UTM, now lives in Stouffville and has two children. Having just completed a final training camp, she will be monitoring Anton closely for any health or fitness issues, and helping him to acclimatize to the competition site.

“Horses are prey animals,” she says, explaining that their instinct is to run if startled. Anton is frightened by applause, and walking him around the site and taking him for easy rides will help keep him calm during the competition. Trussell’s respect and affection for the horse is palpable.

“I know him intimately,” she says. “He’s in the best shape of his life. When I go around the outside of the ring, I always feel a real sense of pride.”

Beyond the Pan Am Games, Trussell and her three dressage teammates have their eyes on an even greater prize – if the Canadian team wins gold at the Pan Am Games, they are headed for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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U of T commerce students help homeless youth file taxes

sgupta — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 05:27:29 +0000

U of T commerce students help homeless youth file taxes sgupta Wed, 04/29/2015 - 01:27

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Student volunteer Cindy Qin (at right) helps Eva's Initiatives' client with online tax filing (photo by Jelena Damjanovic)

Jelena Damjanovic

Author legacy

Jelena Damjanovic

Topic

Our Community

Features

Undergraduate Students

There's no escaping tax season – even if you're unemployed, says Meaghan Smith, financial literacy coordinator at Eva’s Initiatives, a three-site shelter for homeless and at-risk youth in Toronto.

“Everyone should file their tax returns, even if they didn’t work at all because they may still qualify for a HST tax credit or the Ontario Trillium Benefit,” says Smith, an alumna of the University of Toronto’s OISE Adult Education and Community Development program.

But dreading – even ignoring – tax time is not uncommon. Enter U of T's commerce students. When Smith heard 30 undergrads had volunteered to help members of the community do their income taxes through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) she suggested they hold a free tax clinic for the 50 residents at Eva’s Phoenix, a transition home for homeless youth aged 16 to 24. Lisa Lewkowicz, assistant director of student life at Rotman Commerce, was happy to oblige.

“The Student Life portfolio of Rotman Commerce looks to provide opportunities for students to take the concepts that they learn in their classrooms and apply them in practical and useful settings, like giving back to the Toronto community,” says Lewkowicz. “We have been offering students a volunteer opportunity to do income taxes for participants who access various community programs and services through our partners at the West Neighbourhood House and the Agincourt and Jane and Finch neighbourhoods.”

This is the second year Rotman Commerce has participated in the CVITP. Cindy Qin, in her third year of public accounting at Rotman Commerce, said this was her first time volunteering but she plans to return next year.

“I think this is a good opportunity for us to give back to the community, while putting the knowledge we learned in class into practice and increasing our professional skills,” she says. “At university you spend all your time with your professors and peers.They are very nice, but in the community you will meet different kinds of people.”

The students had support from University of Toronto Mississauga lecturer Abraham Iqbal. Iqbal teaches income taxation to undergraduate and graduate students in the department of management at UTM, but on this day his role was that of a volunteer, overseeing the students helping Eva’s residents file their own tax returns online.

“In a classroom, obviously, we’re teaching theory,” says Iqbal. “I hope the students can get some real-life experience out of this. Now they’re dealing with individuals who are sitting across from them who need help to prepare their income taxes, so I hope the students can take the theory that they learn in the class and apply it to a real-life situation.”

Stefanie Chapman is just finishing her third year of accounting at U of T. Last semester she took an income tax course with Iqbal and really enjoyed it. He recommended volunteering for CVITP to anyone interested in learning more about Canadian taxation and she’s happy she did.

“I've really enjoyed my time volunteering both at Eva's Phoenix and with my community organization. It's nice to be able to apply something that I learned in school to help people in my community,” says Chapman. “It's also a great way to see another side of Toronto that I wouldn't normally see and meet lots of different people.”

Craig* was among the youth residents at Eva’s who turned out bright and early to file his taxes. Looking for employment, he also wanted to learn how to do his taxes and pay off his debts. He said he's also brushing up on his math skills, hoping to get into college.

“I like science and history,” he says, “so I’d like to be a history teacher or work in a museum one day.”

*Real name withheld for privacy reasons.

Jelena Damjanovic writes about community building for U of T News.

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Commerce

'A role model to us all': Remembering Michael Wilson

Read Michael Wilson's closing remarks to students at convocation ceremonies

University of Toronto mourns death of Michael Wilson

Heartfelt tributes to Michael Wilson recount his compassion, leadership and advocacy

Read Michael Wilson's poignant last op-ed for the Toronto Star

University of Toronto mourns death of Chancellor Emeritus Michael Wilson

Heartfelt tributes to Michael Wilson recount his compassion, leadership and advocacy

Read President Gertler's full statement about Michael Wilson

While earning a commerce degree at U of T, the Caleon twins built up a massive social media following

Management, Rotman School of

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U of T alumna rides for gold at Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games

U of T commerce students help homeless youth file taxes