LFS Today Apr 22, 2021

Joint Occupational Health & Safety Committee (JOHSC) updates

Reminder: Risk Assessments and Safe Work Procedures – In regards to a recent WorksSafeBC Inspection at UBC, we are reminding supervisors that it is important to complete Hazard Assessments, Risk Assessments and written Safe Work Procedures where applicable. In addition, all workers should be aware of how to contact first aid (For Point Grey Campus: 604-822-4444 or 2-4444 from a university landline).

Respirator Fit Testing Course – A new respirator fit testing course is now available. If you are using respirators for your work, a successful fit test must be completed as per WorkSafeBC regulations. Use the online registration system for enrolling into a fit test session through WPL.

New Substance use or Addictions Programs- HR is piloting two programs that promote employee health and wellbeing, providing funded treatment for problematic substance use or addictions.  You can learn about the two programs, ALAViDa TRAiL and Boreal on the HR website.

Teaching Theory Thursday

Add complexity after you build confidence with simple techniques. 

To avoid burning out in your online teaching, play the long game.
Make one small change, master it, try something more adventurous next semester.

– Darby & Lang, 2019, Small Teaching Online, p. 219

Brought to you from the Learning Centre

LFS Students win UBC Map the System Competition

We had a big win for LFS last Friday. A group from Gail Hammond’s FNH 473 class, Applied Public Health Nutrition, used their community-based experiential learning project to enter and WIN the UBC campus-wide Map The System competition. The students involved in the MTS win are Emily Chau, Anika Cheng, and Cathy Zhu. The team gave an amazing presentation on the topic of urban food insecurity for Indigenous communities and showcased root causes of the problem. They worked with Debra Abraham, who is a CEO and founder of @Unique Get Together Society. The team will now advance to the Canadian Nationals on May 5-7 to compete for a spot at the International Competition hosted by the Said School of Business at Oxford University.

LFS in the News

Research Associate Matthew Mitchell wrote an opinion piece about Canada’s new conservation goal called 30 by 30, which aims to conserve at least 30 per cent of the nation’s lands and waters by 2030. Meeting this ambitious goal would mean roughly doubling Canada’s protected area. Doing this right means that new protected areas must conserve biodiversity and safeguard areas that store carbon, provide freshwater or are key areas for nature-based recreation. His article appears in The Conversation (April 20) and the National Post (April 21).

Sean Smukler was quoted about the use of nitrogen fertilizer in a National Observer story titled How climate-friendly farming fits into Canada’s budget (subscription). This story appeared on April 21.

Get Active – UBC Virtual Sports Week – May 3-7!

UBC Human Resources and UBC Athletics & Recreation invite you to participate in the virtual Staff & Faculty Sports Week from May 3-7 2021. This free event is open to all UBC faculty and staff.

You are encouraged to take a break during the virtual Sports Week and be a part of this fun event designed to boost physical and mental health, and build social connections. Most Sports Week activities require less than 30 minutes, with some activities taking place during regular work hours, and others being offered outside of these hours. All activities are designed to accommodate diverse working and living situations, and adhere to public health guidelines.

You can sign-up as a team or as an individual: https://recreation.ubc.ca/sportsday/register/.  

Register for Sports Week by April 26, 2021, as space is limited!

Post-Budget Panel Discussion: Impact on Canada’s Agri-Food System

Join the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) for a post-budget panel discussion on the impacts it will have on Canada’s agri-food system.

Panelists include:
Dr. Al Mussell, Agri-Food Economic Systems
Hon. Anne McLellan, Bennett Jones
Karen Ross, Farmers for Climate Solutions
Sean Speer, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy

The last 12 months have been challenging for Canada. The pandemic, climate change, and trade disruptions all have had significant impacts on the food system. However, despite the considerable pressures, the system has proven to be incredibly resilient. It bent a lot, but it did not break.

Budget 2021 will influence what the next 12 months will look like for the food system. As the pressures the system faces evolve, the time has never been better for the government to leverage the agri-food system to lead the post-pandemic recovery.

As Canada’s agriculture and agri-food policy think tank, the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute  will convene a panel of experts to review the highlights from Budget 2021 and discuss the impacts it will have on Canada’s agri-food system.

The post-Budget panel will take place on Tuesday April 27^th from 12:00pm-1:00pm ET.
To register, click here.

2021 Canadian Nutrition Society (CNS) Virtual Annual Conference!

Join one of Canada’s largest nutrition conferences featuring renowned academic speakers! The virtual conference offers an exceptional learning environment and brings together a range of expertise, including food and nutrition researchers, healthcare professionals, opinion leaders, industry representatives, government officials, and future leaders.

The conference will take place virtually and will feature interactive discussions, plenary symposiums, 24 sessions on a range of nutrition topics, networking sessions, a Virtual Poster Expo, and more…

Conference Dates: April 29-30 & May 6-7
To register and view details, visit:
https://conference2021.cns-scn.ca/