For the first time in recent memory, the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law fielded a full team at the Isaac Moot, of which the Appellant team of Quinn Thomas (3L) and Talia David (3L) emerged as champions and brought the Isaac Moot Cup home to Winnipeg. Team members Thomas and Apara Grace (2L) were also both nominees for the “Spirit of the Moot” award, which goes to an individual who best exemplifies the late Justice Isaac’s passion for diversity and social justice by advancing the most innovative and compelling critical race theory argument.

Coaches Michael Badejo [JD/22] (Fillmore Riley), Deborah Yeboah (TDS), and Chimwemwe Undi [BA/16; JD/20] (TDS), worked with Thomas and David, Kira Wardrop (2L), Grace, (Respondent team), and team researcher Kennedee Hills (3L).

Thomas described the Moot as focusing on “an area of the law in which issues of equity and diversity arise and requires law students to incorporate elements of critical race theory into their arguments.”

Talia David presents her argument for the Appellant team while her teammate Quinn Thomas listens. Fellow Manitoba team members Kennedee Hills and Kira Wardrop listen in the row behind. Photo credit: Blessing Uja, BLSAC.

The unique aspect of this Moot, Thomas explained, is that “allows students to explore both theoretical and doctrinal arguments in a way that few Canadian moots do. The thrust of a doctrinal argument must be rooted in reference to traditional legal authorities, whereas the thrust of a theoretical argument is normative – it concerns what Canadian law should be, not what it is.”

This year’s Moot problem required students to look at issues underlying the current test for racial profiling using as the foundation of the problem, the majority and dissent rulings of the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal in R v Ali, 2023 SKCA 127.

The 18^th Annual Isaac Moot made history with the largest number of participants since the Moot first started in 2008. The Moot is entirely organized by the Black Law Students’ Association of Canada, and this year, 26 teams from 15 Canadian law schools and a first-ever team from the United States of America took part.

Judges for the final round, before whom Thomas and David had the opportunity to present oral submissions, were The Honourable Justice Mahmud Jamal, Supreme Court of Canada; Chief Justice Michael H. Tulloch, Ontario Court of Appeal; and Associate Chief Justice Aston J. Hall, Ontario Court of Justice.

Moot Champions with Final Round Judges, left to right: Talia David, Justice Mahmud Jamal (SCC); Chief Justice Michael H. Tulloch (OCA); Associate Chief Justice Aston J. Hall (OCJ); Quinn Thomas. Photo credit: Blessing Uja, BLSAC.

For students wishing to compete in the Isaac Moot, no prerequisite courses are needed, and this year’s team described the experience as a ‘learn as you go’ endeavour. In a LinkedIn post, David thanked the team’s three coaches, saying, “Our growth over the past few months is largely due to their encouragement, feedback, and unwavering support. I am also very grateful for the guest judges who took the time out of their extremely busy schedules to attend our practices, our judges in the preliminary rounds of the Moot, and the rest of the Manitoba team. I also want to thank Professor Amar Khoday for taking the time to sit down with our team and have an open discussion about Critical Race Theory.”

Being paired with a team member who is a good partner was also an important factor to mooting success. David added in her post, “Lastly, I owe the biggest thank you to my co-counsel, Quinn Thomas. I am extremely fortunate to have been paired with someone who constantly pushed me, checked in on me, and with whom I was always completely in sync. I could not have asked for a better partner.”

Quinn Thomas and Talia David with the Isaac Moot Cup.

For more about this Moot, please read the Black Law Students’ Association of Canada Julius Alexander Isaac Moot Magazine.

Pedagogies of Care: Bringing it All Together – Sharing Our Stories

Date and time: Tuesday, April 1, 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.

Join us for a series of four monthly 50-minute sessions designed for graduate students, instructors, and professors committed to exploring pedagogies of care. These sessions offer strategies that foster care, inclusion, and broaden perspectives in higher education, including insights into how brain science can enhance teaching effectiveness. Each session will provide practical tools for creating inclusive, engaging, and empowering learning environments, drawing on research into neural connections, brain plasticity, and how these processes affect learning, memory retention, and student engagement. Whether you’re teaching in-person or in an online format, this series will equip you with neuroscience-based strategies and pedagogical approaches that cultivate caring and inclusive educational spaces.

During the Bringing it All Together – Sharing Our Stories Spaces session:

• Participants will collaboratively share their experiences and insights, synthesizing the pedagogical strategies learned throughout the series to create an integrated teaching approach.
• Participants will discuss their practices through storytelling, identifying ways to further develop their teaching practices.

Register for the Pedagogies of Care workshop

Decolonizing Classrooms: Start here

Date and time: Wednesday, April 2, 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

As part of the Decolonizing Classrooms Series, “Decolonizing Classrooms: Start Here” is designed for those beginning their journey in decolonizing and reconciliatory learning. This workshop offers foundational knowledge about Indigenous Peoples, their Knowledges, and the important relationships we all maintain with the Land in what is now commonly known as Canada. Participants will learn about colonization and processes of decolonization, and identify initial steps to engage in important decolonizing and reconciliatory processes. This workshop will equip you with the necessary information to meaningfully engage with Indigenous pedagogies and foster ongoing learning and action. Additionally, it provides the background necessary for full participation in other workshops in the Decolonizing Classrooms Series.

Register for the Decolonizing Classrooms workshop

From Theory to Practice: Using the UM Competencies Framework to Level Up Experiential Learning

Date and time: Friday, April 4, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Have you thought about the kind of people you want your students to become upon graduating? You might envision them as empathetic listeners, critical thinkers, effective collaborators, or team players. How can education use Experiential Learning (EL) to move beyond traditional content delivery, actively nurturing these skills? Join us as we dive into the dynamic combination of EL and the UM Competencies Framework, equipping educators to foster real-world skills, growth, and empowerment in students.

Register for From Theory to Practice: Using the UM Competencies Framework to Level Up Experiential Learning

Experiential Learning Community of Practice Brown Bag Lunch Conversations: Experiential or Active Learning What’s the Difference?

Date and time: Tuesday, April 15, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Bring your lunch and connect with other members of our community of practice! There is no formal agenda for these casual meetings just good people and conversation! Everyone is welcome to share their thoughts and experiences as we explore different topics in experiential learning.

Topic: Experiential or Active Learning what’s the difference? Are they different approaches, or different names for the same approach? Come tell us what you think!

Register for Experiential or Active Learning What’s the Difference?

Universal Design for Learning in Practice: Represent a Diversity of Perspectives and Identities in Authentic Ways

Date and time: Thursday, April 24, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Join us for the last Thursday of each month in an ongoing series, where participants will review discreet elements of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Participants will work together to develop pedagogical practices that align with the UDL principle being discussed that month.

Topic: The session will focus on CAST’s UDL principle of representing a diversity of perspectives and identities in authentic ways and how it can be directly applied to pedagogical practice. There will be a brief presentation of the core elements of this principle followed by a question-and-answer session where participants can collaborate with the facilitator to develop their practice. 

Register for Universal Design for Learning in Practice: Represent a Diversity of Perspectives and Identities in Authentic Ways

The University of Manitoba professors also believe it will have profound impacts on the American working class, the wealthy, and even Canada’s upcoming federal election.

“None of Trump’s policies are going to actually get at the root of inequality,” said UM sociology and criminology professor Mark Hudson.

“In fact most of it is going to exacerbate inequality.”

To read the entire article, please follow the link to CityTV Winnipeg.

These identities can affect teaching behaviour and expectations in the classroom in explicit and implicit ways.  

In the new UM Learn module “Understanding social identities among faculty and students,” instructors can learn to recognize their own identities and those of their students, to help them develop strategies that promote engagement and success in the classroom.  

The 35-minute self-study module is the second of six modules for Incorporating EDI into Your Course and Teaching, a course to help instructors apply equity, diversity and inclusion concepts in their teaching. Each module provides strategies and teaching techniques and additional resources for those who wish to take their learnings further. It is available to all UM instructors and staff. 

Brandon University’s Kristen Hardy, authored the module. “I hope that those who engage with it come away with a stronger sense of how they can make connections with their students as whole, unique people, and feel more confident about their ability to use inclusive practices in their classrooms,” she says. 

The EDI course was created by the Manitoba Flexible Learning Hub (MB Hub) at the request of six partner institutions through the Flexible Learning Advisory Group. Over 10K instructional and support staff across the province have access to the course via the learning platform at their respective institutions. 

The MB Hub is part of The Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning and provides instructional design and digital media support to partner institutions across Manitoba. Partner institutions participating in the EDI series include Assiniboine Community College, Brandon University, University College of the North, Red River College Polytechnic, University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba. 

Access the course today 

1. Login to UM Learn with your staff email
2. In the main navigation menu, select “Self Registration” 
3. Under Course offering code, select CENTRE_IEDIYCT_022024 or under Course offering name select Incorporating EDI into Your Course and Teaching: Module 2 

Other EDI courses and resources 

The course Equity Diversity Inclusion Accessibility – EDIA: Foundations (EDIA 0100) is an 18-hour hybrid or online course for UM students, staff and faculty. It introduces participants to the skills of critical self-assessment, social location, and diverse perspective-taking that are foundational practices in EDIA work and describes the content necessary for such skill development. It is offered in partnership with the UM Office of Equity Transformation and with the support of the UM President’s Office. 

If you want more help applying EDI to your teaching practice, connect with The Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning for one-on-one consultations. 

Learn more about the Manitoba Flexible Learning Hub. 

It all starts with a special keynote address at noon on May 16 by Dr. Tina Chen, UM’s inaugural Executive Lead (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion). She will be speaking on the topic, “Why does equity, diversity and inclusion matter?”

All faculty and staff are encouraged to join in online at this important virtual event and learn more about how we can all share in making our community more welcoming, accessible and inclusive. Attend as a group and organize a follow-up team forum to discuss actions you can take to help.

This presentation will also be available after May 16 on the THRIVE page on UM Intranet for individuals or teams that could not attend.

Join the Zoom:

Read on for more EDI sessions available at this year’s event.

Learn how to harness the power of inclusion—and other EDI sessions during THRIVE

The Power of Inclusion, presented by Val Williams:

Let’s talk about the power of an inclusive culture where everyone is welcome, respected and valued for their unique contributions! Presenter Val Williams says, “I love this workshop, because I see others become enthusiastic about equity, diversity and inclusion which I see as core values of our university.”

What Does Reconciliation Have To Do With Me? presented by Cary Miller:

This workshop will explore the responsibilities of individual Canadians in the work of reconciliation with Indigenous people.  Topics will include the ongoing impacts of colonialism, upholding treaties as a collective civic responsibility, and what non-teaching units can do to engage in reconciliation in the work place.

Learning, Growing, Affirming: Fostering 2SLGBTQIA+ Inclusive Spaces, presented by Jay Cormack

This workshop will explore how to assess and address the environmental, language, and emotional dimensions of 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion in all settings. Resources for further learning will be shared, as well as practical considerations and takeaways to better foster inclusivity for everyone.  A resource list document is included as part of the workshop to further education on 2SLGBTQIA+ terminology, identities, and experiences.

See times and descriptions for these EDI  THRIVE sessions on UM Intranet.

Want more?

To learn more about, help advocate and help advance access, equity, diversity and inclusion at our university, join the EDI community of practice for monthly meetings that explore EDI best practices, invite guest speakers for specific topics of interest, and facilitate group discussion around difficult issues and adding skills. 

Take time to THRIVE  May 16 to 19: More info

THRIVE has been specially designed to give employees the chance to connect with colleagues across our campuses and discover new resources, tools and supports to enhance our work and to help us stay healthy.

With over 35 sessions to choose from, THRIVE sessions are offered in three streams scheduled from Monday, May 16 to Thursday, May 19: Living, Working and Leading. Sessions offered concurrently starting at 10:00 a.m. and ending at 3:00 p.m. Most will be held online, with select sessions taking place in-person.

Everyone is invited to attend as many sessions as possible during this fun week of events!

For those who can’t attend, check back at the THRIVE site on UM Intranet, or take a look at the session recordings channel, since many sessions will be recorded and can be watched later—even with your whole team.

Read more about this year’s THRIVE week.

See the complete list of THRIVE sessions on UM Intranet.  

Please note, registration is required for some sessions.

If you require an accessibility accommodation to participate in THRIVE, please contact UM [dot] Accommodation [at] umanitoba [dot] ca or 204-474-7195.

The Asper School of Business recently adopted a new strategic plan that cements inclusiveness as a principal value of the School. The plan calls on us to provide “a welcoming and respectful environment that honours Indigenous perspectives and embraces diversity in all its forms.” It represents our collective will to work together and generate a positive societal change.

At the Asper School we take great pride in our diverse community of students, faculty and staff. We are committed to welcoming, involving, and mutually learning from and with ALL members of our community.

We stand in solidarity with all Black, Indigenous and other racialized and marginalized groups in their struggle for equality and against discrimination.

As educators, we encourage all Asper students to reach out to us and to one another so that together we can support, understand and address this important issue.

We are here to listen, learn and act.

Gady Jacoby

Dean and CPA Manitoba Chair in Business Leadership

Welcome students, staff, faculty and visitors to another new beginning at the University of Manitoba.

Our fall session provides a fresh start for everyone who is a part of our wonderful community, an opportunity to set off on new learning and adventures, to make new friends and build new relationships, to commit to new habits and passions.

I encourage everyone to make the most of the academic year ahead.  Embrace challenges, explore interests, grow.

Through our studies, we can transform ourselves and the world we live in.

As we return to our classrooms and laboratories, doing the hard work required to create and share knowledge and ideas, I remind us all of this university’s deep and abiding commitment to the principle of inclusion.

Inclusion remains a core value of this institution. It informs our behavioural policies and it underpins all our activities.

This past spring, we developed the terms of reference for a task force on equity, diversity and inclusion, to ensure everyone can find a welcome place to be productive here at the University of Manitoba.

Today, as you return to or come onto our campuses for the first time as a new student or employee, I ask you to think very personally about inclusion.

What does inclusion mean to you?

Do you feel included?

What can you do to make others feel included?

I have had conversations in the past year with members of our community who shared with me personal stories of times when they have not felt included here, when they have experienced racism or sexism or other serious threats to their dignity and safety. 

As a community, we need to stand together to make sure we do not accept any behaviours that compromise the rights of our fellow students or colleagues. Our spaces and facilities, our curricula, too, need to include everyone.

This university’s commitment to you is that we will do what we can, developing and remaining accountable to effective policies, to ensure you feel included here, so that you achieve your academic purpose. 

Inclusion means respecting one another, and welcoming with curiosity the wonderful diversity of perspectives that we all bring.

Our learning, discovery and outreach – the reasons we’re all here — will be all the richer as a result.

Beyond our adherence to policies, on an everyday level inclusion can mean reaching out to include someone in a group project, for a lunch, on a committee. It means working together to build a culture that encourages a sense of belonging for everyone, no matter who they are. We can all make a contribution, in ways big and small.

Ultimately, inclusion is our collective responsibility. This university will be as inclusive as we make it.

It’s the first week of classes. There’s excitement and promise in the air. The prospect of fulfillment and reward too. 

And we should all be included. 

Today, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the U of M community remembers its obligation to combat racial discrimination. Let’s take this opportunity to reflect on how we should live our commitment to affirm the dignity and rights of all human beings on our campuses, in our province, across this country and around the world.

Racism comes in different forms – some are more overt acts by individuals, while others may be systemic. I encourage all of us to face racism together, to help each other recognize it, and to do what is right.

Working together, we can build a community that is safe and welcoming for all of its members.

Related event today:
3rd Annual Miskofest
March 21 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
University Centre, Fireside Lounge
Fort Garry campus

Part of Indigenous Awareness Month, the Indigenous Students’ Association’s 3rd Annual Miskofest is a celebration of Indigenous cultures on campus and will include Inuit throat singing, Pow Wow dancers, drummers, and Métis jigging.

Monster discovered in Canadian Arctic

A University of Manitoba graduate student discovered Canada’s first genuine monster lurking under our Arctic sea ice. This discovery came thanks to two noteworthy coincidences. Read more.

U of M community shows support for diversity at 2017 Pride Parade

Hundreds of University of Manitoba faculty, staff, students, alumni, friends and family celebrated diversity at the 30th Annual Pride Winnipeg Parade on June 4, walking from the Manitoba Legislature to The Forks. Read more.

In Focus: Canada 150

A collection of articles and conversations looking at the past, present and future. Read more. 

Partners help U of M enhance The Great Trail

The University of Manitoba opened the UMCycle Bike Kiosk, a new hub along The Great Trail, on Sept. 14. Indigenous artists and alumni Kenneth Lavallee and Dee Barsy painted Indigenous-themed murals on the full-service community bike shop, which will help the university further achieve its sustainability goals and better connect it to the surrounding communities. Read more.

U of M receives the 2017 Canada’s Best Diversity Employers award

The University of Manitoba received the 2017 Canada’s Best Diversity Employers award, which recognizes employers across Canada that have exceptional workplace diversity and inclusiveness programs. Read more.

“I helped put a man on the moon,” the caretaker replied.

Juliano, who serves as the University of Manitoba’s associate vice-president of human resources, believes that same spirit of working towards a common goal exists in spades at the province’s largest post-secondary institution.

“It’s a unique employer in the sense that you really feel like you’re working for a purpose,” Juliano says. “The education and research missions of the University are so important for our young people and for the economic health of the province. What we try to do is create an atmosphere where everyone—from professor to caretaker—truly feels like they are contributing to that mission in some way.”

That is just one of the reasons why the University of Manitoba has landed on Manitoba’s Top Employers list. The institution—celebrating its 140th anniversary this year as the oldest university in western Canada—places great priority on ensuring its faculty and staff are not only challenged and satisfied professionally, but healthy as well. It’s no wonder there are so many long-term employees like Sandra Woloschuk, associate director of learning and organizational development, who recently celebrated her 20th anniversary at the University.

 “One of the advantages of working in such a large and complex organization is that you have the opportunity to advance to different positions,” Woloschuk says. “It’s an opportunity to learn a new job but also learn more about the organization. I have been here 20 years and I’m in my fourth role.”

The University supports employees through programs like Live Well @ Work, which was created to acknowledge the ‘whole selves’ that staff and faculty bring to work each day. It focuses on mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health, and it has its own dedicated week of activities on both the Fort Garry and Bannatyne campuses.

In addition to supporting the health of over 9,000 staff members, the University continually seeks to improve resources for their families. “We have very good employee and family assistance programs that cover everything from nutritional counselling to legal help,” says Juliano, who has worked at the University for 11 years. The U of M has an on-site pharmacy, dental centre and childcare services. This past October, the campus daycare broke new ground for an expansion that will provide an additional 52 spaces when completed. 

Committed to providing education and development opportunities for staff, more than 125 workshops are available for professional development—10 of which are included in the Leaders Learning Program.

“It was developed to provide a collegial space for our leaders to continue to learn and develop their interpersonal skills,” Woloschuk says. “We cover emotional intelligence, social intelligence, building resiliency and leading high performance teams—and even how to coach others through change.”

The concept of celebrating the ‘whole selves’ of employees is reflected in many of these resources, as well as the University’s commitment to diversity, inclusion and community engagement. Recognized with a 2017 Canada’s Best Diversity Employers award, the University is also a leading partner in national Indigenous reconciliation efforts.

This November, the U of M hosted the annual Building Reconciliation forum, which brings together leaders from universities, colleges and Indigenous communities to take action on reconciliation and create lasting change. Working with partners and communities to advance Indigenous achievement, the University also offers many Indigenous-focused programs and opportunities, such as the BMO Financial Group Indigenous Leaders of Tomorrow scholarship.

Peter Pomart, who is the program director of the Indigenous Business Education Partners (IBEP) in the Asper School of Business, is seeing positive results.

“I see the role of the work we do being able to help foster reconciliation,” Pomart says—noting how Indigenous-focused programs such as the IBEP strengthen both the University community and bridge connections with the community-at-large.

For Woloschuk, this only reinforces the U of M’s commitment to creating an outstanding learning and working environment for its entire community of students, faculty and staff.

“I have really enjoyed my time in the organization,” she says. “I hope to spend the rest of my career here.”