![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Thursday, August 19, 2004
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Guild]](http://www.research.uwaterloo.ca/people/pictures/guild.jpg)
"The potential loss to Ontario is staggering," says a letter from the Council of Ontario Universities to Joseph Cordiano, the Ontario minister of economic development and trade. "While we understand that the government might have reservations regarding the use of the trust mechanism, we believe that the funding's purpose is more important than the mechanism itself. The universities of Ontario could have been very supportive of a new approach to the provision of matching funds for federal programs."
| Guelph Mercury |
In 2003-04, UW received $5.1 million from OIT, according to the annual research financial statement. So far this year, UW had word of $4.6 million in OIT grants to match CFI funding at Waterloo, Guild says, and was hoping for as much as $8.3 million before year's end.
"The province's economic development ministry eliminated the $300 million originally set aside to match federal research grants this year after only $55 million had been handed out," the Star reported on Saturday. "There has been no public explanation but university officials have been told that the funds were sacrificed as part of the general belt tightening in the wake of a $5.6 billion provincial deficit."
Guild says it's been made clear that "OIT will no longer be able to provide any new matching funds for regular CFI applications, CFI research hospital applications, Canada research chairs, new opportunity awards, special Ontario-only initiatives, or any other capital requirements for university-based research in Ontario.
"Principal reason for this change appears to be the Provincial Auditor's criticisms of the use of the Trust mechanism for funding research infrastructure; when in opposition, the McGuinty Liberals consistently supported the Auditor's critique, and is now acting on that basis."
He says he expects that the government "will develop its own initiatives to support research through the new Ontario Research Fund and its plans for commercialization of research in Ontario", and that there will be "consultations" over the next several weeks.
Word has gone out, Guild says, that the economic development and trade ministry "will try to find" $25 million to match the latest round of CFI awards, much as OIT would have done in the past.
How much money is involved in the coming years would depend on how much CFI allocates to research in Ontario, and how much the institutions can find in matching funds from other sources. "Ontario universities and research hospitals stand to lose $700M immediately in research support," Guild writes. "Expected loss would be $1.5B by 2010 if OIT program is not replaced." For Waterloo alone, he describes a "worst case" outcome: "If no further Ontario matching support to CFI programs is forthcoming, UW could lose some $31.6M of Ontario support, an equal amount from CFI and half that amount in 'extraordinary discounts'; thus, under the 40-40-20 matching formula that has been in place until now, the total impact by 2010 at UW could reach $79M. . . . We do not expect the 'worst case' and are working very hard to minimize this $79M impact."
The vice-president warns: "Research areas most affected are the 'strategic knowledge creation' topics under investigation in Ontario's universities. Industry partners will also be adversely affected, as these are the kinds of endeavours in which they invest also. Ontario's universities are currently doing the lion's share of this kind of research -- the gap will not likely be filled by other public or private sector research activity. . . .
"By opting out of the federal matching programs, Ontario could risk losing access to federal funding altogether -- money which might have come to Ontario will be redeployed to other provinces under CFI and other federal programs."
![[Elmitt]](/images/2004/0819elmitt.gif)
Elected this year to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, he also joins UW fine arts department colleagues Jane Buyers, Art Green, Doug Kirton and emeritus professors Ann Roberts and Tony Urquhart -- as well as former architecture professor, the late Jekabs Zvilna -- all authorized to place the letters RCA after their names.
"The membership committee, consisting of 14 members of the RCA, have recognised your outstanding artistic achievements in your chosen discipline within the visual arts," says a letter notifying Elmitt of his honour. Founded in 1880, the academy is the "senior bilingual national visual arts organization in Canada".
The objectives of the academy are "to encourage, further and cultivate the arts of painting, sculpture, architecture, and design in the graphic, decorative and industrial arts."
The challenge for Elmitt's nominators was selecting the "chosen discipline" in which to fit him. RCA categories exist for architect, book designer, graphic designer, gold/silversmith, industrial designer, interior designer, landscape architect, and more -- many of which Elmitt's eclectic career has touched. His oeuvre includes award-winning designs for architectural and landscape concepts, experimental furniture, graphics, small boats, jewelry -- even furniture for the Cunard Line's ship Queen Elizabeth 2. The category of "designer" was finally selected as best reflecting the scope of Elmitt's imagination.
A native of England, where he was educated and began a design career with Pirelli, Elmitt joined the faculty of the UW school of architecture in 1971. Since then, his work in Canada has been featured in numerous exhibitions and garnered top awards.
Elmitt credits his teaching career with its "give and take" of creativity for much of his success as a designer. "It's extraordinarily exciting and rewarding," he adds. He has collaborated with colleagues at UW in publications, exhibitions and design work, including a book co-authored with UW planning professor Anu Banerji, Between Lines: From Doodles to Composition, exploring the creative process of architects.
He is currently exploring the design of small, pre-fabricated building systems, doing furniture as sculpture, and continuing his work on boats and oars. His work on cabinet design has inspired him to consider creating cutlery as well.
For Elmitt, election to the Academy is "a big deal. It's very important to have one's work recognized by such a broad spectrum of people beyond the four walls of the university. It's gratifying that people know you exist."
His contribution to visual arts in Canada will be officially recognized at the RCA President's Dinner -- attended by the Governor General -- in Ottawa in May 2005.
Another announcement from the library notes that "In preparation for moving books and periodicals to the Musagetes Architecture Library in Cambridge, architecture materials in the University Map and Design Library, Dana Porter Library, and the Annex will be unavailable for loan beginning Monday, August 16, 2004. It is anticipated that the collection will be accessible in its new location by Monday, September 13, 2004. Patrons are advised that architecture materials on loan at the time of the move will need to be returned to the Library for relabeling and TRELLIS location change."
Services are reduced other places on campus too -- although things were bustling in the bookstore when I dropped in there earlier this week; the store is braced for its busiest beginning-of-term rush ever. During August, meanwhile, a few food services outlets continue in operation: Brubakers in the Student Life Centre; Pastry Plus in Needles Hall; the Jolly Chef in the Davis Centre (lunch only); Browsers in the Dana Porter Library; Tim Horton's in Davis; and of course the Bookends Cafe inside that busy bookstore.
The Computing Help and Information Place in the Math and Computer building is open from 8:30 to 12 noon and 1:00 to 4:30 Monday to Friday for the rest of this month.
And the arts undergraduate office is closed (meaning: no meetings between advisors and students) for this week and next.
On an off-campus note, I have this invitation from Carrie Stevenson of the Easter Seal Society, an agency that supports children with disabilities: "The Easter Seal Society is recruiting enthusiastic and fun-loving individuals to assist with X-treme Fundraising from September 2 through 4. "X-treme Fundraising for Easter Seals Kids" will see Ben McVie of 107.5 Dave FM encased in an above-ground crypt for 48 hours at Kitchener's Fairview Park Mall, where listeners and shoppers will support Easter Seals through phone-in and drop-off donations. Volunteers are needed to help set-up, tear down and answer phones (phone script will be provided). Volunteers are needed around the clock! If you can volunteer a minimum of 4 hours to help kids with disabilities in the Tri-Cities area, please contact Carrie Stevenson at 880-8877 or cstevenson@easterseals.org."
More than 150 young athletes are staying on campus this week to take part in a training camp sponsored by Skate Ontario. . . . Bridget Barlow, who worked as a housekeeper in Village I from 1967 until her retirement in 1993, died August 2. . . . Local residents have signed up for about 800 "welcome bags" that will be handed out to students in their neighbourhoods next month, with coupons, pamphlets and samples. . . .
CAR