Profs In the News

August 02, 2012 - In the News

University of Guelph professor Evan Fraser continues to be called upon by media for comment on the drought conditions in eastern Canada and the potential impact on food prices and Canadian consumers.

Fraser, Department of Geography, was quoted Aug. 2 in a Globe and Mail story about the effects of weather in the United States on commodity prices. He had an op-ed piece published in the Ottawa Citizen July 25 and was eatured on CBC Radio's The Current. He was also quoted, along with his colleague Ben Bradshaw, in a July 24 article in The Globe And Mail.

Fraser joined U of G in fall 2010 as the Canada Research Chair in Global Human Security. He co-wrote the book Empires of Food: Feast, Famine and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations about how and why human culture depends on food, what happens when a culture runs out of it and our likely future.

Fraser and Prof. Alfons Weersink were also featured on CBC Radio July 18. They did live interviews across the country on the drought conditions in the United States, the effect it’s having on the U.S. economy and the potential impact on food prices and Canadian consumers.

Weersink of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Business, and Fraser, each did 10 live interviews as part of CBC syndication.

Weersink appeared on Ontario Morning, CBC Radio's provincial wake-up show for listeners in southern Ontario outside of Toronto. He also was interviewed by stations in Sudbury, Gander, Corner Brook, Yellowknife, Winnipeg, Edmonton, White Horse, Vancouver and Prince George.

Fraser was featured on radio stations in Victoria, Ottawa, Calgary, Quebec City, Thunder Bay, Iqaluit, Fredericton, Regina, Windsor and Kelowna. He also appeared on CBC-TV’s The National and in CBC news reports last week on the same subject.

Weersink’s research focuses on the effects of technology and government policy, particularly environmental policy; on decisions made by firms in the agri-food sector; and on the resulting structure of the sector. He was raised on a cash crop/dairy farm near St. Marys and continues to be involved with the farm.

Ian Mosby, a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of History, was featured in the Globe and Mail July 17 on aboriginal food culture. In the article, Mosby says many Canadians have incorrect assumptions about aboriginal food because of ignorance about native people’s lives.

A graduate of York University, Mosby researches and teaches about politics, culture and science of food in Canada during the 20th century.

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