Please join us on December 4 from 10 am to 11:30 am as we mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in commemoration of the 1989 École Polytechnique Massacre.

December 6 marks the anniversary of the murder of 14 women engineering students at l’École Polytechnique de Montreal in 1989. Since then, the day has been declared The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada. Every year the U of T community commemorates the national tragedy and also reflects on the many ways all women continue to experience gender-based violence—from missing and murdered Indigenous women, transgender women, and the broad spectrum of women from vulnerable populations.

This year’s virtual event will take place on December 4 and is titled “Actions within the Intersections: Past, Present and Future”. It will feature a fireside chat with U of T students, staff, and faculty discussing the most relevant issues in gender-based violence and their intersections. This is an opportunity to share the concrete actions we can take in our communities to question, call out, and combat acts of gender-based violence.

The Anti-Racism & Cultural Diversity Office joins the University of Toronto in condemning anti-Asian racism, misogyny, and all forms of racial violence. There is no denying the pain, sadness, and anger that many are feeling given recent events of racial and gender-based violence in Atlanta, Georgia. As we navigate and action-plan during these difficult times, the Anti-Racism & Cultural Diversity Office invites the community to collectively gather to confront, resist and denounce racism, anti-Asian racism, and White supremacy. Join us as we ignite love, compassion, support and restoration while building community during these challenging times.

This space will center a presentation and Q &A with May Lui, Educator and Consultant, on the topic, “Confronting Anti-Asian Racism: What you Need to Know”. This conversation will explore the complexities of anti-Asian racism, its impact and the principles that must be centered as we move forward to meaningful change.

• Format: Presentation and Q & A, followed by a closure activity.
• Platform: Virtual- Zoom.
• Audience: Racialized voices will be prioritized. Allies are welcome to attend. Open to students, staff, faculty, librarians, chaplains, and external community.

Please note that Jia Yao and Bristy Chakrabarty from the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre, will be available for support during this event.

Event Program:

• Opening Remarks: Karima Hashmani, Executive Director, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion | Office of Vice-President Human Resources & Equity
• Remarks and Moment of Silence: Dr. Joseph Wong, Vice President, International | University of Toronto
• Keynote Presentation: May Lui, Educator and Consultant
• Closure Activity: Co-Facilitated by Anti-Racism & Cultural Diversity Office and the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre

This year marks the 32nd anniversary of the École Polytechnique massacre, the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history. The 14 victims, 12 of whom were engineering students, were targeted because they were women in an engineering school. The anniversary of the tragedy has since become a day of remembrance and action against the many ways women continue to experience harm, violence and discrimination — particularly among girls, Indigenous women, two-spirit people, Black women, trans women, racialized women, and women in STEM.

On Monday, December 6 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET, we invite students, staff, faculty, librarians, alumni and partners to attend a virtual, tri-campus commemoration of this important day. The event includes a memorial and panel discussion about the rise of gender-based violence during COVID-19, and how we can integrate prevention strategies into our pandemic recovery. Together, we will re-commit ourselves to reflection, awareness and putting an end to gender-based violence.

Take action and register today at uoft.me/NDRAVW.

This event is co-hosted by the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, Community Safety Office, Sexual and Gender Diversity Office, Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre and Hart House.

Program

• Opening Remarks
• Award Presentation for Scholarly Achievement in the Area of Gender-Based Violence
• Memorial and Reflection
• Musical Performance by Skule™ Orchestra
• Panel Discussion with Q&A:  Reflections on ending gender-based violence in a post-pandemic world

Over the 14 days leading up to December 6, U of T Engineering will share one action a day towards ending gender-based discrimination and violence. Join the conversation using #MyActionsMatter.

See the posts on Twitter »

U of T Engineering alumni, join us for this monthly series.

Join fellow graduates to learn about exciting research in diverse subjects from U of T Engineering professors.

This month’s speaker will be Professor Eric Diller (MIE) speaking on:

Micro-Scale Surgery: Using Magnetic Fields to Control Tiny Robots in the Gut and Brain

There are two ways to attend:

• Virtual: Zoom link will be sent to all guests who registered, free
• In-person:  5th floor Myhal Centre, includes hors d’oeuvres & drink ticket, $20

5:30 PM — In-person reception
6:00 PM — Hybrid Lunch & Learn presentation
7:00 PM — In-person research demonstrations and post-reception

Find the presentation description and all registration details here.