Earlier this month, the Windsor Law Centre for Cities collaborated with the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) to publish a report on cities and COVID-19 after 100 days of shutdown. The report, which examines how life and governance — how we live, move, work, care, and prosper — in Canadian cities have changed over the first 100 days of the pandemic, was released Friday on COVID100.ca.

“Cities across Canada are faced with enormous challenges at this time, but there also unprecedented opportunities for change and innovation,” says Windsor Law professor Anneke Smit, director of the Centre for Cities. The team contributing to the CUI report included Dr. Smit and student research assistants Aucha Stewart and Hana Syed.

In an effort to support public dialogue about what is needed to ensure a just, inclusive, and sustainable recovery in Windsor post-pandemic, the centre is hosting a community conversation over Zoom this Friday, June 26, from 12 to 1:30 p.m.

Moderated by Mita Williams of the Leddy Library, panellists will include:

• Elayne Isaacs, integrated care manager for the Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Action Coalition;
• Jeremiah Bowers, national chair of the Black Students’ Caucus;
• Hugo Vega, regional manager of settlement services at the YMCA of Southwestern Ontario;
• Yousef Wahb, imam of youth, education, and outreach for the Windsor Islamic Association;
• Janice Kaffer, president of Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH); and
• members of Windsor’s small business community.

Several UWindsor faculty members will also participate: associate dean of law Laverne Jacobs, director of the School of Creative Arts Vincent Georgie, and professors Edwin Tam of engineering and Sarah Woodruff Atkinson of human kinetics. Participants will make brief comments followed by a question-and-answer session.

“We are proud to have contributed to the important report on Canadian cities and COVID released by CUI, and even more so to support dialogue on these issues in our own community,” says Smit.

The event, hosted by Windsor Law Centre for Cities and supported by CUI, WE-Spark Health Institute, and several other local organizations, will be open to the public but advance registration is required. Further details and registration are available on the Centre for Cities website.