It’s spring and in many parts of Canada, that also means it’s tick season. And climate change is leading to a northward expansion of certain species of ticks, including the deer tick that transmits Lyme disease. How can you tell what kind of tick you might encounter and whether it’s dangerous? Today in The Conversation Canada, Jade Savage of Bishop’s University tells us about an innovative citizen-science project that uses online technology to help the public identify the kinds of ticks they encounter and whether they should seek medical attention.

And we have more on tap for you this Thursday.

• Many Canadians don’t understand why Québec would bring in Bill 21, the controversial legislation that will prevent some civil servants from displaying religious symbols or clothing while on the job. Sociologist Jean-Philippe Warren of Concordia University looks at the province’s troubled history with religion as a reason why many Québecers say they are so fervent about secularism.
• Kathleen Gallagher of the University of Toronto writes about a documentary play called Towards Youth, which is based on a decade of ethnographic research on hope, care and young people.
• If you type the word “girl” into your Google search bar, chances are most of the images will be of white people. Jonathan Cohn of the University of Alberta looks at how racism and discrimination are built into search algorithms.

And finally…when you look in your closet, are there clothes you will wear at least 30 times? If not, says Anika Kozlowski of Ryerson University, why did you buy it? She makes a convincing case about the perils of “fashion consumption” in an industry that has many environmental and human rights problems.

Regards,