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Myer Siemiatycki

Myer Siemiatycki

Professor Emeritus
EducationPhD (History): York (Can.)

Spoken Languages

English, French

Biography

Myer Siemiatycki is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Ryerson University, which he served as Chair from 1991 to 1996.  He received his B.A. from McGill University, his M.A. from University of Sussex (UK), and his Ph.D. from York University (Canada).

A member of the Yeates School of Graduate Studies, Myer was the founding Director (2004-2008) of the Interdisciplinary MA program in Immigration and Settlement Studies.

In 2012, Dr. Siemiatycki was appointed as the first Jack Layton Chair (opens in new window) , a position he held until 2015.

Myer is a frequent media commentator on political matters. His career achievements include: Distinguished Educator Award, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (1992); Ryerson Popular Professor Citation, Maclean's Guide to Canadian Universities (2003 thru 2006 inclusive): Research Domain Leader, the Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration & Settlement (2001-06), Ryerson University Faculty Service Award. Active in the Ryerson community, Myer has contributed to organizing such campus events as the Ryerson Union Fair, and Ryerson Holocaust Education Programming.

Three decades of teaching at Ryerson have passed quickly, but not fond recollection of fine students I have known.

  • Review of Unions and the City: Negotiating Urban Change, ed. Ian Thomas MacDonald (Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 2017) 26 pp. Labour/Le Travail 82 (Fall 2018): 258-260.
  • "The Great War, the State, and Working-Class Canada" (with Craig Heron).  In Working Lives: Essays in Canadian Working-Class History, ed. Craig Heron, 317-351.  Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2018.  [Reprinted from The Workers' Revolt in Canada, 1917-1925, Craig Heron (ed.), Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998.]
  • “New ‘People’s Party’ about personal power.”  Toronto Star op. ed., 19 September 2018, A15.
  • Review of Making A Global City: How One Toronto School Embraced Diversity, by Robert C. Vipond (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2017, 249pp.) Historical Studies in Education (Spring 2018): 195-97.
  • “Cleaners Against Precarity: Lessons from a Vulnerable Workforce” (with Sean Patterson and Jenny Carson).  In Precarious Employment: Causes, Consequences and Remedies, ed. Wayne Lewchuk, Stephanie Procyk and John Shields, 109-122.  Halifax: Fernwood Publishing, 2017.
  • “The Eruv as Contested Jewish Space in North America.”  In The Oxford Encyclopedia of Religion in America, ed. John Corrigan.  Series: Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion, ed. John Barton.  London and New York: Oxford University Press, October 2017.  Will also appear online in the Religion in America (external link)  section of the online Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion
  • “Canada 150: The Jewish Imprint.” Our Immigration Saga: Canada@150  ACS Canadian Issues/AEC Themes Canadiens: (Spring 2017): 31-34.
  • “Ontario’s Multiple Identities: Politics & Policy in a Diverse Province.”  In The Politics of Ontario, ed. Cheryl Collier and Jonathan Malloy, 274-292.  Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2017.
  • "Who Should be Tested for Canadian Values: Immigrants or Kellie Leitch? (external link) "  (op. ed.)  The Caribbean Camera, 30 September 2016.
  • "Toronto's Problem? Our Public Sector is Poor While Our Private sector is Booming (external link) ." (op. ed.)  Torontoist, 15 September 2016.
  • "Time for fairer property taxes (external link) .” Toronto Star (op. ed.), 12 January 2016, A11.
  • "King of the Ward." In The Ward: The Life and Loss of Toronto's First Immigrant Neighbourhood, eds. John Lorinc, Michael McClelland, Ellen Scheinberg and Tatum Taylor, 56-59. Toronto: Coach House Books, 2015.
  • “Continuity and Change in Canadian Immigration Policy.” In Immigration Experiences in North America: Understanding Settlement and Integration, eds. Harald Bauder and John Shields, 93-117.  Toronto: Canadian Scholars Press, 2015.
  • The Impact of Ombudsman Investigations on Public Administration: A Case Study and Evaluation Guide (with Andrea Noack, Jocelyn Kane, Marc Valade, Fiona Crean, April Lim, and Graeme Cook). Research report for the Office of the Toronto Ombudsman/ International Ombudsman Institute, 2015. (93 pp.)
  • Toronto’s ombudsman office is crucial for the city (external link) ” (with Andrea Noack). Toronto Star, 23 March 2015.
  • “Non-Citizen Voting Rights and Urban Citizenship in Toronto.” Journal of International Migration and Integration 16:1 (2015): 81-97.
  • Who Votes in Toronto Municipal Elections? (external link) ” (with Sean Marshall).  Maytree Foundation Report, October 2014, 44pp.
  •  (PDF file) Resisting Precarity in the Toronto Municipal Sector: The Justice and Dignity For Cleaners Campaign (external link) ” [with Jenny Carson (History, Ryerson)]. Just Labour 22 (Autumn 2014): 168-185. 
  • Privatization won't solve Toronto's transit problems (external link) ” (OpEd with Matti Siemiatycki). Toronto Star 21 February 2014.
  • “Toronto: Integration in a City of Immigrants.”  In Immigration, Integration, and Inclusion in Ontario Cities, ed. Caroline Andrew (University of Ottawa), John Biles (Metropolis Project), Meyer Burstein (Consultant), Vicki Esses (University of Western Ontario), Erin Tolley (Queen's University), 23-48.  Montréal and Kingston:  McGill-Queen's University Press, 2012.
  • “Think Piece.”  In Governance Gridlock: Solving the Problem for 21st Century City-Regions, ed. Anne Golden and Sophie Knowles, 75-77.  Toronto:  Ryerson School of Urban and Regional Planning, 2013.
  • “Taking it to the Streets: A Municipal Role in Immigrant Integration.”  Maytree/Cities of Migration, Practice to Policy: Lessons From Local Leadership on Immigrant Integration (2012): 15-18.
  • Diverse Pathways to Immigrant Political Incorporation: Comparative Canadian and U.S. Perspectives (ed. with Sarah J. Mahler). Special Issue, American Behavioral Scientist 55:9 (September 2011).
    •  “Introduction” (with Sarah J. Mahler).  American Behavioral Scientist 55:9 (September 2011): 1123-1130.
    •  “Governing Immigrant City: Immigrant Political Representation in Toronto.”  American Behavioral Scientist 55:9 (September 2011): 1214-1234.
  • Review of Municipalities and Multiculturalism: The Politics of Immigration in Toronto and Vancouver by Kristin Good. Canadian Public Administration 54:2 (June 2011): 312-314.
  • “Is it party time for municipal elections?”  Toronto Star (op-ed), 25 October 2010, A23.
  • Municipal Voting Rights for Non-Canadian Citizens (external link) .” Toronto: Mowat Centre Policy Innovation,  July 2010.
  • "International Perspectives On Immigrant Service Provision (external link) " (with Triadafilos Triadafilopoulos).  Toronto: Mowat Centre for Policy Innovation, 28 May 2010 (25 pp).
  • “Marginalizing Migrants: Canada’s Rising Reliance on Temporary Foreign Workers.” Canadian Issues (Spring 2010): 60-63.
  • “Toronto Election 2010:  Toronto’s Lost Voters.”  The Mark, 12 March 2010.
  • "The View From Ontario: Immigration, Diversity & Multi-Level Government Response." Diversite Canadienne 8:1 (Hiver/Winter 2010):  37-41.
  • Electing a Diverse Canada : The Representation of Immigrants, Minorities, and Women, ed. (with Caroline Andrew, John Biles, and Erin Tolley).  Vancouver: UBC Press, 2008.
    • “Reputation and Representation: Reaching for Political Inclusion in Toronto.”  In Electing a Diverse Canada : The Representation of Immigrants, Minorities, and Women, ed. Caroline Andrew, John Biles, Myer Siemiatycki and Erin Tolley, 23-45.  Vancouver: UBC Press, 2008.
  • “Invisible City: Immigrants Without Voting Rights in Urban Ontario,” Our Diverse Cities 4 (Fall 2007): 166-168.
  • “State and Media Construction of Transnational Communities: A Case Study of Recent Migration from Hong Kong to Canada” (with Valerie Preston). In Organizing the Transnational: Labour Politics, and Social Change, eds. Luin Goldring and Sailaja Krishnamurti, 25 – 39. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2007.
  • “Dual Citizenship among Hong Kong-Canadians: Convenience or Commitment?” (with Valerie Preston and Audrey Kobayashi). In Dual Citizenship in Global Perspective: From Unitary to Multiple Citizenship, eds. Thomas Faist and Peter Kivisto, 203-226. London, Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
  • " (PDF file) Time to rethink right to vote in civic elections. (external link) " Toronto Star, 27 October 2006, A21.
  • "The Municipal Franchise and Social Inclusion in Toronto: Policy and Practice." Toronto: Community Social Planning Council of Toronto and Inclusive Cities Canada, 2006.
  • “Transnational Urbanism: Toronto at a Crossroads” (with V. Preston and A. Kobayashi). In Transnational Identities and Practices in Canada, ed. Vic Satzewich and Lloyd Wong, 91-110. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2006.
  • “Diversity Our Strength: The Toronto Experience.” Transition (Summer 2006): 11-15.
  • “Réponses urbaines a la diversité: le cas de Toronto.” In La religion dans la sphère publique, ed. S. Lefebvre, 115-136. Montréal: Presses de l’Université de Montréal, 2005.
  • “Contesting Sacred Urban Space: The Case of Eruv.” Journal of International Migration and Integration 6:2(Spring 2005): 255-270.
  • “Suburban Success: Immigrant and Minority Electoral Gains in Suburban Toronto” (with Andrew Matheson). Canadian Issues / Thèmes canadiens: Newcomers, Minorities and Political Participation in Canada (Summer 2005): 69-72.
  • “Introduction” (Guest Editor). Canadian Issues / Thèmes canadiens: Immigration and the Intersections of Diversity (Spring 2005): 3-4.
  • “Newcomer Services in the Greater Toronto Area: An Exploration of the Range and Funding Sources of Settlement Services” (with April Lim, Lucia Lo, and Michael Doucet). CERIS Working Paper 35 (January 2005): 1-59. A report of the Joint Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement (CERIS) – Toronto.
  • “Integrating Community Diversity in Toronto: On Whose Terms?” (with T. Rees, R. Ng and K. Rahi). In World In A City, ed. Paul Anisef and Michael Lanphier, 373-456. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2003.
  • “Ethno-Racial Political Representation in Toronto: Patterns and Problems” (with Anver Saloojee). Journal of International Migration and Integration. Vol. 3:2 (Spring 2003): 241-273.
  • “Transnationalism & Civic Participation: Hong Kong Migration to Canada” (with V. Preston). CARS (Canadian American Research Symposium) 1:1 (Fall 2003): 40-45.
  • “Formal and Non-Formal Political Participation by Immigrants and Newcomers” (with Anver Saloojee). Canadian Issues / Thèmes canadiens: Immigration (April 2003): 42-44.
  • “Making Space for Mosques: Struggles for Urban Citizenship in Diasporic Toronto” (with Engin Isin). In Race, Space and the Law: Unmapping a White Settler Society, ed. Sherene Razack, 185-209. Ottawa: Between the Lines Press, 2002
  • “Multiple Identities and Marginal Ties: Russian Jewish Youth in Toronto” (with Paul Anisef, and Etta Baichman-Anisef). CERIS Working Paper 19 (October 2002): 1-29. A report of the Joint Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement (CERIS)- Toronto.
  • “Ethnoracial political representation in Toronto: Patterns and problems” (with Anver Saloojee).  Journal of International Migration and Integration 3:2 (Spring 2002): 241-273.
  • “The Great War, the State and Working Class Canada” (with Craig Heron). In The Workers' Revolt in Canada, 1917-1925, ed. Craig Heron, 11-42. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998.
  • “Immigration, Diversity and Urban Citizenship In Toronto” (with Engin Isin). Canadian Journal of Regional Science XX:1-2 (Spring-Summer 1998): 73-102.
  • “The Stanley Cup Strike of 1925.” In NHL Stanley Cup Centennial Book, ed. D. Diamond, 60-66. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1992.
  • “Munitions and Labour Militancy: The Hamilton Machinists' Strike of 1916.” In Canadian Labour History: Selected Readings, ed. David J. Bercuson, 119-137. Toronto: Copp Clark, 1987.

 (PDF file) Young Workers and Ontario's Workforce Recovery (opens in new window) " (with 19 Student Peer Leaders of the Ryerson Young Workers Rights Hub).  Submission to the Ontario Workforce Recovery Advisory Committee, 30 July 2021.

Myer's research interests typically explore intersections of immigration, urban and labour studies in Toronto.