YorkSpace

YorkSpace is York University's Institutional Repository. It supports York University's Senate Policy on Open Access by providing York community members with a place to preserve their research online in an institutional context.

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Recent Submissions

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    On t-fold Totally-Concave Polyominoes
    (2025-10-12) Barequet, Gill; Madras, Neal; Noga, Keren; Peters, Johann; Rivkin, Adi
    A t-fold totally concave polyomino (t-TCP) is an edge-wise connected collection of cells of the square lattice with t or more gaps in every row and column. We describe an efficient algorithm for counting 1-TCPs (modulo translation) by area, and comment on its extension to t > 1. We prove that the minimum area of a t-TCP is 21 for t = 1, 50 for t = 2, and 6(t+1)2 −1 for t > 2. We show that the counting sequence κt(n) of t-TCPs of area n satisfies λn+o(n) as n → ∞, where λ is the same growth constant as for all polyominoes. From this, we prove that the ratio of successive terms converges to λ. For each t, we obtain an explicit constant θt such that κt(n) ≥ n−θtλn for infinitely-many values of n, complementing the fact that κt(n) ≤ n−1/2λn for every n ∈ N. We also briefly discuss the relation of t-TCPs to similar models from statistical physics.
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    The manipulation of Long and Short Temporalities in Bamewawagezhikaquay’s “The Contrast”
    (2025-03-28) Nisi, Amanda; O’Briain, Katarina
    Typically, time is linear and can be recollected through memory. While this understanding of time privileges forward human progression, Paul Huebener proposes that long/slow and short temporalities occur simultaneously in nature. Long time is a natural process which takes many years to progress and short time is a natural process that is quickly completed. Huebener’s concept of Critical Time Studies enforces a critical understanding of time that operates socially as a form of power in the Western world (327). To support this concept, Huebener explains two incidents under the Harper Government in 2012 where deadlines shifted for political and economic gain. The first concerned the oil industry and the compression of time. The maximum period to review major environmental resource projects was reduced from six to two years (329). Speeding up the timeline of this review did not allow the necessary tests and requirements to be completed, and consequently, oil and gas were transported quicker than before. The second example concerned a delay of a carbon-pricing scheme which could cost the petroleum producers additional money (330). Huebener notes that when it comes to the “imposition of actual environmental regulations, the above emphasis on speed and acceleration disappears, giving way to plead for slowness and precaution” (330). Huebener demonstrates that time is manipulated for political purposes as deadlines shift for capitalistic gain. Huebener highlights the political manipulation of time; however, this concept is not specific to the political domain. This essay applies these concepts within the realm of literature, specifically the poem “The Contrast” by Bamewawagezhikaquay or Jane Johnston Schoolcraft. In this poem, Bamewawagezhikaquay’s speaker compares her happy childhood with her community before the European colonial settlement in America to the pain she and her community feel after the extractive action by the colonial settlers in power. Throughout the poem, the settler and the speaker each use Huebener’s idea of long and short time and the concept of physical and psychological pain measures these temporalities. While the settler’s long and short time represents destructive actions, the speaker’s time represents a kind and forgiving alternative bringing together personal and collective action.
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    Personnel is Policy: Exploring Social Markers of Career Advancement for Current Ontario Public Service Senior Executives
    (2025-04-21) Man, Jeffrey; Spotton Visano, Brenda
    This study explores the unwritten factors that influence career trajectories of senior executives in the Ontario Public Service (OPS). Applying social capital and portfolio theory, it analyzes educational attainment, tenure, and professional diversity variables as potential social markers of career advancement. Findings show graduate-level education is nearly universal, strategic policy experience is effectively mandatory, and diversity in past cross-ministry assignments is common. Oftentimes, however, these advantages are not explicitly identified as a job requirement. Opportunities exist for both career public servants and externally recruited leaders. These insights highlight how merit may be inferred through proxies that may reinforce systemic barriers. The study contributes new empirical evidence to the literature on representative bureaucracy and raises practical questions about how the OPS can design more inclusive, transparent, and meritocratic leadership pipelines to meet the needs of a diverse and complex province.
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    Education Behind Bars: Understanding Educational Access in Ontario’s Juvenile Detention Centres
    (2025-04-27) Chaput, Chelsea; Klassen, Thomas
    This research paper examines the accessibility of secondary school education for youth incarcerated in Ontario’s juvenile detention centres, focusing on why access remains inconsistent despite education being recognized as a legal right and a vital part of rehabilitation. It highlights how educational disparities are shaped not by legislative gaps, but by fragmented and inconsistent implementation across the province. Drawing on original field research, including a comprehensive literature review and in-depth interviews with eight participants from school boards, the Ontario public service, and detention facilities, the study reveals systemic inequities in areas such as French-language instruction, vocational training, online learning, and timely access to student records. The findings indicate that the quality and scope of education provided to incarcerated youth are largely dependent on regional factors, institutional partnerships, and resource allocation. This thesis contends that these disparities undermine the rehabilitative purpose of detention and threaten youths’ rights and chances for reintegration. To address these service gaps, it offers evidence-based policy recommendations aimed at provincial and school board decision-makers, including the implementation of a centralized student record system, expansion of culturally and linguistically relevant programmes, enhancement of vocational and digital learning opportunities, and equipping educators with trauma-informed training. Ultimately, the research calls for a coordinated, province-wide strategy that moves beyond the current patchwork approach and affirms education in custody as a rehabilitative right owed equally to all youth.