A few weeks ago, I attended a special event at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, an annual gathering held this year at Ryerson University (my alma mater) that brought together almost 10,000 academics. I was lucky enough to watch the Storytellers challenge – a contest held by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). The challenge brought together 25 post-secondary students who had just three minutes to tell a rather large audience how their SSHRC-funded research was making a difference to society.

It was quite the nerve-racking competition – held on the main floor of what was once Maple Leaf Gardens and is now part of Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre. Five winners were picked and The Conversation Canada is proud to have already featured two of those students as authors. The first was Mimi Masson of the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, who wrote Monday about the problems facing French as a Second Language teachers.

Today, we feature the work of another Storytellers winner – Allison Gray of the University of Windsor, who is the lead author on a compelling article about how abused women put themselves at further risk when they delay leaving a violent home because of concerns about their pets. The research by Allison and her University of Windsor colleagues suggest better on-site pet services are needed in women’s shelters.

Also from us on Day 2, we look at how the Canadian media’s portrayal of Indigenous and Muslim youth can have a negative impact on how those young people view themselves; how political debates about the minimum wage ignore the looming impact that Artificial Intelligence will have on sectors that currently employ low-income workers and how the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to quit the Paris Accord puts China in the driver’s seat.

Our second essay on what Canada might be like in another 150 years comes from economist and innovation guru Joshua Gans, who looks at the intersection of technology and energy and what that could mean in the future.

Thanks to all of you who sent us such kind words on our launch day. We appreciate the feedback and encourage you to keep it coming.

Regards,