CBC Manitoba spoke to Frank Cormier, Sociology and Criminology about how there is a gap in specialized resources like housing for people with mental health and addictions issues.

Read the story.

To read the entire article, please visit Winnipeg Free Press.

“They (machetes) were very popular starting two or three years ago,” says Criminologist Frank Cormier from the University of Manitoba.

He says there are still a lot of these weapons around.

To read the entire article, please follow the link to CTV News.

In February 2025, the New Republic, reported there were a growing number of Americans who wanted to leave the country following the election of Donald Trump.

Canadian reports backed up the assertion, particularly the news that three high-profile Yale professors would be joining the faculty of the University of Toronto in the fall of 2025.

For some Canadian observers, it may feel like a case of déjà vu. After Trump’s first election in 2016, some media predicted a sharp increase in Americans seeking to escape their country’s harsh social and political climate for Canada’s “sunny ways.”

According to Google Analytics, web searches originating in the United States involving “how to move to Canada” increased by 350 per cent on election night in 2016. A few months earlier, they’d increased by 1,500 per cent over normal search rates for the same phrase in March 2016, when Trump clinched the Republican nomination for president.

Read the complete article here. 

He said the use of alcohol or drugs, such as methamphetamine, could be one of the contributing factors.

“If we have more people intoxicated by various things, we will see more assaults on police simply because police are the people who get called when somebody is highly intoxicated and acting in some sort of way,” Cormier said.

To read the entire story, please follow the link to The Free Press. 

In partnership with the Free Press, UM offers free digital access to all students, faculty and staff.

This initiative helps support an informed and engaged campus community. Learn more.

The U.S. President has in recent weeks slapped steep tariffs on Canadian goods, sparking an ongoing trade war, and repeatedly suggested Canada would be better off as the 51st state.

Musk is also the world’s richest person and runs his businesses as he advises Trump on ways to overhaul the federal government through the newly created Department of Government Efficiency.

In Winnipeg, “Tesla Takedowns” are also being felt and it has some car owners and dealers feeling caught in the middle.

Professor of global political economy, Mark Hudson spoke with CTV about the anger towards Tesla and Canadian pride.

To watch the entire story, please follow the link to CTV Winnipeg.

In the last nine months, she’s noticed a sharp increase in acts of xenophobia, something that, although alarming, doesn’t surprise her.

She believes the increase can be attributed to multiple factors, with major contributors being politics and the economy. 

“When unemployment goes up, people tend to become a bit more fearful. But some of our politicians have been contributing to this too,” she said. 

To read the entire article, please follow the link to CBC Manitoba.

UM is committed to fostering research by, for and with Indigenous Peoples, as demonstrated in the institution’s Strategic Research Plan, 2024-29. Each of the four new Canada Research Chairs are either Indigenous scholars or are engaging in research involving Indigenous researchers and/or communities. Their work incorporates Indigenous perspectives, knowledges, paradigms and tools that represent First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples and honours their distinctions.

“UM is excited to welcome the newest group of incredible CRCs,” said Mario Pinto, Vice-President, Research and International. “These researchers represent a cross section of exciting research in various disciplines – from physics to social justice – advancing critical work from an Indigenous perspective. UM has invested wisely!”

The CRC program recognizes world-class researchers to reinforce academic research and training excellence in Canada and attract top talent. Chair holders are focused on humanities, social sciences, engineering and the natural sciences, and health sciences. UM has a total allocation of 50 CRCs.

New Tier 2 Canada Research Chairs

Lucy Delgado – Faculty of Education

Lucy Delgado

Michif and Two-Spirit/Indigiqueer Education as Wellness 

Delgado is focusing on Michif (Métis) youth identity, Indigenous education, queer theory and will be building on her research program by partnering with educators in Manitoba. Through a Métis conceptual framework, emphasizing “Being a Good Relative,” grounded in wahkotowin (kinship relations) and kiyokewin (visiting) and informed by antiracist and anti-oppressive theories, this research will be grounded in joy and community building amongst 2S/IQ Michif peoples to amplify community voices.

Delgado’s research will:            

• Determine the ways Michif and 2S/IQ perspectives, histories and stories are addressed in Manitoba K–12 education.
• Develop tools and techniques for different educational safe spaces in both formal and informal learning settings to improve the experiences of Michif and 2S/IQ learners.
• Design research and gathering spaces that prioritize joy and celebration of self and culture to re-claim knowledge and co-create research that meets Michif ethical commitments.

Delgado was recently awarded a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Project Grant to fund her work on the impact of Métis-specific spaces on the health and wellness of Métis women and Two-Spirit/Indigiqueer people.

Learn more about Lucy Delgado.

Jeremy Patzer – Department of Sociology and Criminology

Jeremy Patzer

Comparative Indigenous Rights 

Patzer is engaging in new collaborative work with Indigenous communities from Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Finland to study the complexities and barriers faced by Indigenous rights activities.

Patzer’s CRC program aims to use sociolegal data and interviews with Indigenous rights advocates to deepen understanding through comparative study. This work will emphasize a transdisciplinary approach based on Indigenous experiences and will compare Indigenous rights, not only by jurisdiction or group, but also by activity and the type of struggle. This approach recognizes diverse avenues for rights assertion within law and politics.

Patzer is Métis, Saulteaux and German with roots in the West Interlake region of Manitoba. (Indigenous family names are Spence, Monkman, Pottinger, and Dumas.) A citizen of the MMF, Patzer co-owns the family farm in the Vogar Métis Local, just outside Lake Manitoba First Nation, and has family ties to members of Peguis and Sagkeeng First Nations.

Dr. Patzer’s work will:

• Compare different types of struggles.
• Identify opportunities for and obstacles to success.
• Examine their effects on strategies and aspirations of advocates.
• Collaborate with Indigenous peoples to co-produce knowledge and equip and empower for more effective rights advocacy.

Learn more about Dr. Patzer.

Warren Bernauer – Department of Environment and Geography

Warren Bernauer

Energy Transitions and Social Justice in the North

Barnauer’s CRC program will examine inequities, conflicts and the social justice effects of moving away from fossil fuels, focusing on Northern Indigenous communities and conflict over critical mineral extraction and electricity generation.

Using participatory action research methods, Barnauer will work with Indigenous partners to explore the possibilities and challenges of a just transition away from fossil fuels. He will focus on conflicts and injustices in current energy transition approaches and identify alternatives that emphasize improved resource management and economic development. Specific projects will support Indigenous involvement in decision-making about mineral extraction, waste management, electricity production and alternative economic approaches. The North is changing, and this research ensures Indigenous peoples will influence this transformation.

Dr. Bernauer’s research will:

• Examine conflicts and injustices in the current approach to energy transition.
• Identify alternative approaches to energy transition policy in Northern Canada.
• Work in partnership with Indigenous communities and advisors with expertise to highlight the complexity at the heart of pressing social, economic and ecological issues.

Learn more about Dr. Bernauer.

Kyle Shiells – Department of Physics and Astronomy

Kyle Shiells

Nuclear Femtography

The study of nuclear femtometers, which are a million times smaller than an atom and are used to describe tiny dimensions, has become a frontier involving researchers in multiple disciplines. Shiells’ research focuses on better understanding protons. He will use advanced statistical and mathematical methods to address complex challenges and help solve the mysteries of the proton.

Shiells’ CRC program aims to merge cutting-edge theory with new and existing data to answer important lingering questions about protons, including:

• How does the proton acquire its spin?
• How are the quarks and gluons distributed within the proton?
• How does the proton acquire its mass?

Learn more about Dr. Shiells.

Canada Research Chair Renewals

Britt Drögemöller – CRC in Pharmacogenomics and Precision Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Drögemöller.

Andrew Halayko – CRC in Lung Pathobiology and Treatment. Learn more about Dr. Halayko.

Lisa Lix – CRC in Methods for Electronic Health Data Quality. Learn more about Dr. Lix

Othman’s journey to the summit began with an invitation from the Head of the Sociology and Criminology Department. His passion for peacebuilding and social justice guided him to apply. In his application, Othman was asked to define peace and share how he could contribute to peacebuilding efforts. 

Peace is not merely the absence of war or violence, but the presence of cooperation, justice, well-being and respect for all. Peace can only be sustained in a community of justice. If you don’t have justice, you don’t have peace.

For Othman, peace has a deeply personal significance. Having lived through the devastation of war as a child in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, his perspective on peace is shaped by his early experiences of hardship and displacement. He emphasizes that an individual’s measurement and standards of peace are influenced by their lived experiences.

When I started working in Canada at one of the local agencies supporting people who have mental health and addiction issues, many people would tell me it was a dangerous job to do here. It didn’t feel that dangerous because I’ve encountered more precarious situations back home.

At the summit, Othman was surrounded by like-minded individuals, all eager to share their experiences and contribute to global peacebuilding efforts. Delegates from around the world shared personal stories of survival in the face of unimaginable atrocities, highlighting the resilience and hope that can emerge from even the darkest circumstances.  

The stories were emotional, but they showed how resilient we are as human beings — how healing and recovery can take place, and how justice can be achieved.

One of the highlights of the summit for Othman was a study from an Australian scholar on the concept of a “peace index,” which aims to measure global peace and understand its complexities. He was also inspired by a Palestinian-American humanitarian activist who has been helping those displaced by conflict in Iraq, underscoring the importance of addressing gendered discrimination in peacebuilding.

Fleeing to a new country is never an easy journey, and for many participants at the summit, the challenges of adapting to a new life were only part of the struggle. Several shared how, even after escaping conflict and violence, they still grappled with feeling invisible in their new environments. Despite seeking safety, many found themselves marginalized and overlooked. Moreover, speaking out about issues like racism, discrimination, and hate often came at a personal cost.

Reflecting on the impact of the summit, Othman believes the lessons learned will influence both his research and his future work. “I’ve already started discussions with fellow delegates on how to implement the lessons from the summit into local peace initiatives,” he shared. Othman also integrates what he learned into his Sociology and Criminology classes. 

Othman’s experience at the summit reinforced his belief that peacebuilding is both a personal and collective responsibility. Whether addressing systemic injustices or healing from trauma, the journey toward peace is ongoing and requires the efforts of all individuals and communities. 

A significant spike in rural homicides this year is raising alarm bells in rural Manitoba, but a local criminology professor says the numbers we are seeing might not be cause for panic just yet.