Sheldon Chumir Foundation

Foundation News

Op-eds:

Freedom of religion tests society's limits

Keep government out of promoting gender equality in religion

The irrationality of Islamophobia

More op-eds

Recent Events:

VIDEO: The child's right to an education: Bill 44 re-visited

2003 - 2004 Media Fellow: Gordon Laird

Released Date: June 26, 2007

Shelter: Homelessness in a Growth Economy (pdf)

Summary: Shelter summary (pdf)

Presentation: Shelter slides (pdf)

Shelter media release

The Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership takes pleasure in announcing the appointment of Gordon Laird, as its 2003 - 2004 Media Fellow.

Mr. Laird's topic, "Shelter: The New Challenge for Canada" is an open and solution-oriented study of homelessness in Canada. He will investigate the need for an evolution in governance - and the participation of civil society - that would advance public life beyond the institutional shortcomings of the 20th century. He identifies homelessness as a composite problem constructed largely from the escalation of other problems, one that has reached chronic proportions and is rapidly becoming one of Canada's defining social issues.

Mr. Laird is a writer and editor of wide repute, whose work has twice won gold at Canada's National Magazine Awards, including top honours for investigative reporting in 2001. His writing has been featured in the Far East Economic Review, Mother Jones, Canadian Geographic Magazine, Maclean's, THIS Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, the Toronto Star, Saturday Night, the Globe and Mail, CBC Radio One and Newsworld, among other outlets. He has worked as a research associate with the Parkland Institute at the University of Alberta, and held public speaking and collaborative engagements with the David Suzuki Foundation, the Coalition for a Green Economy, and other non-profit groups. Gordon lives in Calgary, Alberta with his wife and son.

News coverage (external links):

CBC Radio (audio file -- requires Quicktime)
CBC.ca
Calgary Herald
Regina Leader-Post
FFWDWeekly
The Tyee
Edmonton Journal

Op-eds and Articles:

Canada losing the housing dream

By Gordon Laird, published in the Toronto Star, February 14, 2008

Canadians have watched with fear and amazement as the subprime housing crisis has razed assets and crushed dreams across the United States.

The True Cost of Homelessness

By Gordon Laird, published in The Toronto Star, June 26, 2007

For many homeless people, the winter of 2007 was a dark time ...

Mean Streets (pdf)

By Gordon Laird, published in Alberta Views, June 2007

Alberta has Canada’s largest per capita population of working homeless. Why do we expect people to live like this?

The Politics of Homelessness (pdf)

By Gordon Laird, published in Straight.com, February 4, 2004

As the GVRD's Underclass Grows, So Does The Need To Address It.

Homeless in Alberta (pdf)

By Gordon Laird, published in FFWD, November 2002

One of the fascinating things about Ralph Klein is that he could have been a textbook homeless guy. Raised in a broken working-class family, he dropped out of school early in favour of menial jobs...

Past Talks:

The Economics of Homelessness

Yukon Poverty and Homelessness Action Week

Whitehorse, YT; October 14-15, 2008

Keynote - Homelessness in York Region
Unionville, ON; October 6, 2008

Affordable Housing and Homelessness Panel

Edmonton, AB; February 26, 2008

Partner: John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights

Community Forum on Homelessness

with Michael Shapcott, Director, Community Engagement, Wellesley Institute

Toronto, ON; February 8, 2008

Partner: The Wellesley Institute

Focus on Homelessness