Manoj MateLaw professor Manoj Mate has been named a Canada Research Chair in International Trade Law.

Professor first at Windsor Law to hold Canada Research Chair

When it comes to the laws that govern the flow of goods and services across borders, UWindsor professor Manoj Mate is a renowned expert.

It’s no wonder, then, that the Government of Canada has included Dr. Mate in its corps of academics working to make this nation a world leader in research and innovation.

Mate has been awarded a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in International Trade Law, giving him the financial freedom to pursue research that will help Canada on the world stage. The position comes with $120,000 in annual funding for five years, renewable for an additional five years.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Mate said. “I plan to publish policy papers and white papers for government and the private sector, specifically for the auto industry.”

Mate is interested in the role non-government actors play in how international trade law is implemented. He is leading a study that looks at how industry stakeholders and lawyers impact the application of automotive rules of origin under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

The USMCA is a trade agreement that came into effect in July. It replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement, commonly called NAFTA.

“This area of law is evolving rapidly. This USMCA is a new entity but there are already several major disputes,” Mate said. “We already have a number of disputes related to the auto sector, as well as the solar sector and the dairy industry.”

Born and raised in California, Mate is an expert in the areas of international and comparative law, U.S. and comparative constitutional law, and law in India, and previously practised in the areas of business litigation and election law. He earned an undergraduate degree in political science at the University of California, Berkeley before getting his law degree from Harvard. He returned to the University of California, Berkeley for his PhD.

In addition to studying the USMCA, Mate is leading research into how private, non-state actors in India and China are shaping trade and development norms at the domestic level. He is studying specifically the agriculture, textile, and solar and renewable energy sectors.

Mate’s work is ground-breaking. “There hasn’t been enough attention focused on non-state actors.”

The child of Indian immigrants, Mate said he has always been fascinated with comparative constitutional law in India and South Asia. His earlier research was on law in India. His recent research has been on trade and industrial policy in India, focussing on export-related sectors.

His current work looking at international trade law in India and China “seemed like the logical next stage” of his research, he said.

Mate joined UWindsor a year ago, teaching courses in international economic law and international human rights law. Reem Bahdi, dean of the Faculty of Law, said having him here is a coup.

“We are proud of Prof. Mate’s accomplishments and delighted that he has taken up the Faculty of Law’s first Canada Research Chair,” she said.

Mate said he hopes to collaborate with experts at UWindsor’s Cross-Border Institute who conduct research, education, and public outreach related to the movement of people, goods, services, and funds across borders.

Mate’s CRC is one of two at UWindsor announced by the Government of Canada last week. In all, the government announced $151 million in funding for 188 new and renewed Canada Research Chairs at 43 post-secondary institutions across the country.

The CRC program is a national strategy to attract and retain a diverse cadre of world-class researchers in engineering, the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities, and the social sciences.

UWindsor’s other new CRC announced last week is held by engineering professor Ning Zhang. He holds a Canada Research Chair in edge computing and the Internet of Vehicles.

—Sarah Sacheli

very small houseGrowing in popularity since 2018, Additional Dwelling Units are small residential units built by homeowners on existing properties.

Centre for Cities, Cross Border Institute supporting community partners on federally funded housing data research

Additional Dwelling Units (ADUs) — also called secondary suites, granny flats, or mother-in-law suites — are small residential units built by homeowners on their existing property, usually in backyards or laneways. They have grown in popularity in Ontario since 2018 when the provincial government amended legislation to allow municipalities to permit the units to help increase housing supply.

A number of municipalities, including the City of Windsor, have created zoning bylaw provisions to allow ADUs over the years, but data tools to support their design, approval, and construction have been limited. After receiving proof of concept funding from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) in 2021, a Windsor-based team led by Family Services Windsor-Essex developed an ADU data tool: ADUSearch.ca. The online interactive mapping tool allows users to see if it is possible to build a detached ADU in compliance with the local zoning bylaws on an individual property.

Last week, $2.2 million in funding was announced by Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk to support the ADUSearch.ca tool being scaled nationally over the next year and a half. The tool will provide data on the 100 largest municipalities across Canada. The funding comes through CMHC's Housing Supply Challenge, which funds projects aimed at supporting innovative solutions to Canada’s housing crisis.

The ADU project is led by Sarah Cipkar, a consultant, doctoral student in planning at the University of Toronto, and local developer, and Frazier Fathers, a local consultant and researcher through Family Services Windsor-Essex. Both are also UWindsor Masters of Arts grads in political science. Windsor law professor and Centre for Cities director Anneke Smit and engineering professor Hanna Maoh, associate director of the Cross-Border Institute, round out the working group and have co-supervised several students whose work contributed to the project.

Law JD students Shereen Arcis, Jackson Brown, and Daanish Shah provided research on the policy, financial, and physical aspects of ADUs. A blog post on their policy aspects, written by Arcis, was published earlier this week on the Centre for Cities website.

Law professor Laverne Jacobs was a member of the 12-person advisory committee of community members and stakeholder organizations providing input and oversight for the project in its first phase.

Civil engineering PhD candidate Terence Dimatulac worked with Dr. Maoh to develop a GIS model to calculate the total buildable ADU area of residential properties. Dimatulac also conducted the spatial analysis needed to create the GIS layers used in the development of the online tool.

“We are excited to move on to the next round and scale our proof concept across Canada,” says Fathers. “The partnership with the University of Windsor was invaluable and we are exploring how we will continue this partnership in the next phase of the project.”

Dr. Smit cites the project as an example of the potential of collaborations between UWindsor researchers and community partners.

“By working together we’re able to leverage our respective strengths, and ensure that the output is both relevant to the community and informed by existing research and best practices,” she says.

Fathers and Arcis joined Dan McDonald on the AM800/Centre for Cities citybuilding segment earlier this week to discuss the project.

On Thursday, the Centre for Cities hosted a demonstration and discussion of the project led by Cipkar and Fathers, followed by a question-and-answer session on the tool and the potential for ADUs. The recording is available on the Centre for Cities website.

heart-shaped rock with word "hope" carved into itLancers Care Week will focus on the pandemic mental health needs of the campus community, Jan. 24 to 28.

Week dedicated to promoting connection and coping

Lancers Care Week, Jan. 24 to 28, will focus on the pandemic mental health needs of the campus community and starting the conversation around coping and adjusting to the return to in-person learning.

“After nearly two years of pandemic life and in the midst of another wave, many people are exhausted, overwhelmed, and run down,” says Katie Chauvin, mental health and wellness co-ordinator in the Student Counselling Centre. “It makes sense if you’re not feeling like yourself right now. It’s understandable if you’re struggling. If so, you are not alone.”

A week’s worth of activities bear the theme “Onward Together: Connecting and Coping through Uncertainty and Change,” inviting students, faculty, and staff to explore how to support ourselves and each other while navigating the ongoing impact of the pandemic.

“Everyone has their own unique story of how they have experienced the pandemic,” Chauvin says. “A shared chapter in these stories will highlight how we have come together as a campus community to support each other, foster hope, and find a way through.”

Find a full list of activities on the Lancers Care Week website.

Zachery DereniowskiMental health advocate Zachery Dereniowski will address students of the Odette School of Business in an online session Monday, Jan. 24.

Business students to hear from mental health motivator

Mental health advocate Zachery Dereniowski will address students of the Odette School of Business in an online session Monday, Jan. 24, at 10:30 a.m.

He will share his personal story and discuss mental health awareness, wellness tools of action, and tips on how to be a better, happier, and healthier student. Attendees will also participate in a question-and-answer session.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dereniowski, a Sydney-based mental health activist, found himself at a personal breaking point. With the hope of giving people a voice and the confidence that they are not alone in their struggles, he started sharing mental health content on TikTok as @mdmotivator.

TikTok provided a platform to bring together a global community, and Dereniowski formed the Mental Health Movement, seeking to normalize conversations around mental health and well-being. Today, he has more than 5.3 million followers on TikTok and continues to spread his message worldwide.

Odette School of Business students are invited to register in advance for this session through mySuccess.

survivorship mastheadA crafting night Jan. 25 will allow attendees to work on submissions for a zine about surviving sexual violence.

Event offering space for survivors of sexual violence and supporters

Submissions are now open for Volume 3 of Survivorship, a zine about surviving sexual violence. UWindsor students may submit art, poetry, short stories, photography, collages, and more by Jan. 31.

To view previous editions of Survivorship, visit the Prevent Resist Support website. Submit inquiries to Anne Rudzinski at arudzins@uwindsor.ca.

A crafting night will give attendees a chance to work on a submission for the Survivorship Zine, or just hang out and do art. It begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25; register here to attend.

VISA cardThe Visa Payables Automation system promises to reduce the time and cost of paying the University’s suppliers.

Automated payment system to streamline finance operations

A new service promises to reduce the time and cost of paying the University’s suppliers.

In partnership with Scotiabank, the Department of Finance has implemented Visa Payables Automation (VPA), allowing for the secure delivery of automated Visa card payments for supplier invoices. The system will reduce internal processing and transaction costs by:

  • streamlining the payment process;
  • eliminating material costs such as cheque production, paper and postage; and
  • removing the risk of late payment to suppliers.

Scotiabank is in the process of contacting the University’s suppliers to migrate those interested into this program.

The current processes for purchase requisitions and invoices will remain the same — the only change will be to the payment method. Suppliers who choose to opt in will receive a card account and an email notification for each payment informing them of the amount to process using their Point-of-Sale device or software.

As an added incentive, those suppliers who choose to participate in this program could receive accelerated payments as finance updates their payment terms to pay their invoices upon approval.

For more information on this project, visit the “VPA” section of the Accounts Payable website or send inquiries to vpa@uwindsor.ca.

Think TankA Feb. 4 think tank event will feature an overview of three research projects looking for creative input.

February think tank session to spark health research collaboration

Do you like to discuss new ideas? Solve problems? Make new connections? Then WE-Spark Think Tanks may be for you.

The Feb. 4 event will begin with an update on local health research activities and new funding opportunities followed by an overview of three projects that are looking for creative input, and breakout sessions:

A Retrospective Review of Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filter Insertion at Windsor Regional Hospital
Andrea Cervi, Windsor Regional Hospital
Seeking clinicians and researchers of all backgrounds, and people with expertise in thrombosis management would be a great addition. Statisticians always welcome.

Expanding the Health Innovation and Commercialization Pipeline in Windsor-Essex
Christopher Ng-Fletcher, WE-Spark Health Institute
This discussion would benefit from anyone interested in health innovation. We want to hear from industry and health researchers to help better understand how Windsor-Essex can innovate together and how we create a streamlined system to support each other.

Investigating Phenotypic and Molecular Profiles of Successful TKI Cessation in Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
Caroline Hamm, Windsor Regional Hospital
In this session, we’re looking for scientists and those who work in genetic testing and counselling.

All disciplines and expertise, including students, are welcome to participate in WE-Spark Think Tanks.

WE-Spark Health Institute hosts bi-monthly sessions. Click here to register for the February event, which will run 1 to 3:30 p.m.

WE-Spark Health Institute is a partnership of the University of Windsor, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, St. Clair College, and Windsor Regional Hospital designed to take healthcare to the next level through research.

students looking at laptop computerStudents are consulting ask.UWindsor to find out about alternate grading options.

Digest a guide to current concerns of students

Campus partners are working to maintain a robust set of Knowledge Base Articles (KBAs).

The team will continue to compile a weekly digest of the most-referenced KBAs to streamline student-focused questions to ask.UWindsor to support consistent communication with current and future students.

These are this week’s top-five referenced KBAs:

You can submit common questions or make suggestions to the KBA team at askkba@uwindsor.ca.