Tuesday, January 30, 2018


Presentation outlines changing landscape of employment legislation

A message from Human Resources.

Please join Human Resources and representatives from Hicks Morley law firm for an overview of recent changes to employment legislation in Ontario. This presentation is for managers, supervisors and anyone who has employees that report to them directly. We will review changes to employment legislation and the resulting impacts that managers of employees need to be aware of.

The presentation includes an overview of the following topics:

Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act 2017

With this new bill comes substantial changes to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 and the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (LRA), as well as changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). An overview of the changes to equal pay, scheduling, personal emergency leave, new leaves and extension of parental leave, minimum wage, vacation and holiday pay and temporary help agencies. 

Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) – Mental Stress

Amendments to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (WSIA) allowing benefits for chronic mental stress arising out of and in the course of employment have come into effect January 1, 2018. There will be a discussion and review around what the “Traumatic Mental Stress policy” and “Chronic Mental Stress policies” mean for employers.

Accommodation, workplace harassment and workplace investigations

We will review accommodation for employees with respect to family status, disability, mental health issues, religion, and gender identity/gender expression. We will review the obligations an employer faces with respect to Bill 168 workplace harassment and violence complaints, including the duty to investigate, what that means and what are your responsibilities as a manager. We will reinforce knowledge of human rights and health and safety laws in Ontario and we will learn to recognize what constitutes workplace discrimination, bullying and harassment.

Register for one of the following presentations:

If you have any questions about the presentation, please contact Raghda Sabry, HR Project Coordinator.

President visits King's College London

Professor Edward Byrne, Principal and President King’s College London, Her Excellency Janice Charette, High Commissioner for Canada to the United Kingdom, Feridun Hamdullahpur, and Dr Joanna Newman, Chief Executive and Secretary General of The Association of Commonwealth Universities.

Professor Edward Byrne, Principal and President King’s College London, Her Excellency Janice Charette, High Commissioner for Canada to the United Kingdom, Feridun Hamdullahpur, and Dr. Joanna Newman, Chief Executive and Secretary General of The Association of Commonwealth Universities.

President Feridun Hamdullahpur visited King's College London on Wednesday, January 24. Joined by Her Excellency Janice Charette, High Commissioner for Canada to the United Kingdom, Professor Edward Byrne, Principal and President King’s College London and Dr. Joanna Newman, Chief Executive and Secretary General of The Association of Commonwealth Universities, he participated in a panel discussion entitled "The Future of Universities: UK-Canada Collaboration."

The panel discussion is available to listen to as a podcast on Soundcloud.

The president's visit built on a number of previous interactions involving delegations from both universities going back to 2015, and a series of collaborative workshops and agreements. Researchers from Waterloo and King's College London have co-authored 35 publications in the areas of medicine, social sciences, computer science and environmental science.

King’s College London covered the day of activity on its news site.

Royal Bank opens cyber security lab on campus

The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is opening a cyber security lab and investing $1.78 million into research at the University of Waterloo to develop advanced cybersecurity and privacy tools.

Online malicious attacks and botnets have become increasingly sophisticated and targeted as people share more and more personal data online. Security teams are often working within legacy hardware systems, across international borders with varying restrictions, and need to prepare for the post-quantum threat. Researchers are poised to create new solutions beyond the current infrastructure, the current encryption systems and the current computing capabilities.

The funding will support researchers in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science and the Department of Combinatorics and Optimization.

In addition to the new RBC cybersecurity lab for the financial sector within Waterloo’s William G Davis Computer Research Centre, the funding will support research in the following areas;

  • Data-driven software defined security, led by Raouf Boutaba, will focus on detecting and mitigating security threats using machine learning and AI.
  • Privacy enhancing technologies, led by Ian Goldberg, will focus on the safety and security of consumer metadata, including identity and location.
  • Post-quantum cryptography, led by David Jao, will focus on a unique blend of pure mathematics and computer science that produces a data encryption so strong that quantum computers cannot crack it.

CryptoWorks21, an enhanced education program focused on post-quantum cryptosystems is also included in the support. Led by Waterloo’s Michele Mosca, RBC will also sponsor the CryptoWorks Industry Day, a graduate student scholarship, a thesis prize, and support for professional teaching.

“Collaborating with the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Mathematics and their pool of talented researchers will give us more brain power to continually develop Canadian talent to support the demands of the cyber security industry,” said David Fairman, Chief Information Security Officer, RBC. “This partnership is important to RBC as we’ll be able to leverage Waterloo’s unique capabilities in mathematical science as it applies to tackling increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks.”

“This project provides our researchers with what they need to excel and provides RBC with access to Canada’s premiere talent in cybersecurity,” said Dean of Mathematics Stephen Watt. “The area of cybersecurity is highly technical and complex, but is essential for all aspects of modern society. These technologies, from network protection to mathematical cryptography, are central to personal privacy online, safe national infrastructure and trustworthy commerce.”

Upcoming office closure

The Arts Undergraduate Office will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 31 for a staff meeting.

Link of the day

70 years ago: Gandhi assassinated

When and where

Book Store Concourse Sale, Monday, January 29 to Wednesday, January 31, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., South Campus Hall concourse.

Effective Cover Letters (for employees only), Tuesday, January 30, 12:00 p.m., TC 1208.

Centre for Career Action presents Ace Your Interview, Tuesday, January 30, 5:30 p.m., TC 1214.

2018 Housing Fair, Wednesday, January 31, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., SLC Great Hall.

Waterloo Women's Wednesdays brainstorming event, Wednesday, January 31, 4:30 p.m., HH 373.

Résumé, Careers and Personal Branding - Part 1, Wednesday, January 31, 5:00 p.m., TC 1208.

GreenHouse Discovery Lab with KidsAbilityWednesday, January 31, 5:30 p.m., GreenHouse innovation space, St. Paul's University College.

Campus Wellness presents Coping Skills Facebook Live event, Wednesday, January 31, 6:00 p.m.

Polar Projections: Conceptualizing and Rendering Arctic Spaces, Wednesday, January 31, 7:30 p.m., St. Jerome's University Vanstone Lecture Hall.

Velocity Start: Building a Kick A** Team, “Brainstorm business ideas that rock,” Wednesday, January 31, 7:30 p.m., Velocity Start, SCH 2nd Floor.

Exploring Your Personality Type, Thursday, February 1, 1:30 p.m., TC 1112.

Résumé, Careers and Personal Branding – Part 2, Thursday, February 1, 5:00 p.m., TC 1208.

World Wetlands Day, Friday, February 2. 

Distinguished Teacher Award nomination deadline, Friday, February 2.

Knowledge Integration seminar: “Embracing ambiguity to manage wicked problems in the 21st century”, speaker: KI Assistant Professor Vanessa Schweizer”, Friday, February 2, 2:30 p.m., EV3-1408.

Fantastic Alumni, Faculty, Staff and Retiree Day, Saturday, February 3, 11:30 a.m., PAC Upper Blue Activity Area.

World’s Challenge Challenge applications close, Saturday, February 3, 11:59 p.m.

Brunch & Ballots, Monday, February 5, 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., Student Life Centre Great Hall.

NEW - Master Your Job Search – undergraduate students & graduate students only, Monday, February 5, 1:30 p.m., TC 1208.

NEW - Board of Governors meeting, Tuesday, February 6, 1:30 p.m., NH 3407.

CrySP Speaker Series on Privacy, “CSIS bulk data collection and national security surveillance,” Micheal Vonn, BC Civil Liberties Association, Tuesday, February 6, 2:00 p.m., DC 1304.

Noon Hour Concert: Still and Again, Wednesday, February 7, 12:30 p.m., Conrad Grebel University College Chapel.

Hagey Lecture: Weapons of Math Destruction, featuring Cathy O’Neil, February 7, 7:00 p.m., Humanities Theatre.

Battle of Waterloo at the Aud Warrior Men’s Hockey vs. Laurier, Wednesday, February 7, 7:15 p.m., Kitchener Auditorium

Velocity Start: Ain’t No Model Like a Business Model, “Learn how to create a lean business model canvas”,Wednesday, February 7, 7:30 p.m., Velocity Start, SCH 2nd Floor.

NEW - Exploring Your Personality Type (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) Part 2, Thursday, February 8, 1:30 p.m., TC 1112.

WaterTalk: “Our Tempestuous Love Affair with Water,” presented by professor Anthony Turton, Thursday, February 8, 2:30 p.m., DC 1302.

NEW - Professional School Interviews (MMI), Thursday, February 8, 5:30 p.m., TC 1208.

Amit and Meena Chakma Awards for Exceptional Teaching by a Student nomination deadline, Friday, February 9.

NEW - Warriors Basketball Game vs. Guelph Final Regular Season Home Game, Friday, February 9, (W) 6:00 p.m., (M) 8:00 p.m., PAC.

NEW - Warrior Women’s Hockey vs. Western Final Regular Season Home Game, Saturday, February 10, 7:00 p.m., CIF.

NEW - Warriors Volleyball vs. Trent Final Regular Season Home Games, Sunday, February 11, (W) 12:00 p.m., (M) 2:00 p.m., PAC.

Seminar, “From SAT to stochastic SAT,” Ricardo Salmon, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, Tuesday, February 13, 4:00 p.m., DC 2306C.

Treat-a-Gram, Wednesday, February 14. Orders are due Friday, February 9.