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Summer has a way of inviting reflection.
This is especially true for us at the Dais, having just celebrated our third anniversary as a new think tank formed by the union of the Brookfield Institute for Entrepreneurship + Innovation and the Leadership Lab, building on a decade of policy research, applied learning, and convening leadership at TMU.
Over the next few months, we’re thinking about plans for the next three years.
So today’s newsletter leads with an ask of you: complete our reader survey to tell us how we’re doing!
We want to hear from you. This newsletter has been evolving since its start, and we would like to ensure that our readers help shape where it goes next. Our annual reader survey takes about five minutes, and if you complete it before July 31, you’ll be entered into a draw to win a Dais prize pack and two passes to DemocracyXChange 2027, Canada’s annual democracy summit. Tell us what’s working, what’s not, and how we can improve!
On the team front, we’re thrilled to welcome back Camara Chambers and Mark Hazelden after a year away. Camara resumes her role as Director of Leadership Development, and Mark steps into a new role as Managing Director. We are also pleased to introduce our summer interns, Shreya Jain and Sam Dano.
Plus, in this newsletter: Save the date! On Thursday, November 5, 2026, Canada’s URL to IRL Summit returns to Toronto in its second year, featuring youth-led, intergenerational conversations on building healthier relationships with technology. Sign up for updates and be the first to know when registration opens.
Thank you for your feedback and being a part of our community. We could not do this work without you.
André Côté
Executive Director
The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University
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Annual Reader Poll
We want to hear from you |
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If you’re reading this, you're one of the people who makes this newsletter worth sending.
We want our content, format, and timing to better reflect what you actually need from us. Please share your thoughts in our inaugural newsletter reader survey (it should take only about five minutes), and let us know how we can make it better for you!
As a thank you, anyone who completes the survey can opt in to a draw to win a Dais prize pack (tote bag, stickers and more) plus two passes to DemocracyXChange 2027, Canada’s democracy summit (a value of $150+), with virtual passes available if you can't make it to Toronto to attend in person.
Submit your response by July 31, 2026.
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| TAKE THE SURVEY |
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Welcome back, Mark and Camara |
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We’re happy to welcome back two directors, Camara Chambers and Mark Hazelden, who return after year-long leaves.
Camara assumes the role of Director of Learning and Events, shaping the Dais' professional development initiatives and guiding the execution of our major events.
Mark assumes the role of Managing Director, leading Dais operations, stewarding strategic partnerships, supporting our team, and helping advance our mission across TMU and beyond.
We’re excited to have them back, and look forward to their continued impact at the intersection of technology, education and democracy!
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| MEET OUR TEAM |
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Say hello to our Summer Interns
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Shreya Jain
Policy Intern
Shreya is an incoming third-year statistics and actuarial science student at the University of Waterloo and a 2024 Loran Scholar.
While studying mathematics at Waterloo, Shreya is engaged in her campus community through her school’s debate society and actuarial science club. Outside of class, you’ll find her exploring trails, learning American Sign Language, or enjoying quiet moments with a novel beside a cozy fire.
At the Dais, Shreya supports research and analysis on the impact of technology in the labour market in Canada.
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Sam Dano
Learning and Communications Intern
Sam Dano (he/him) is a third-year Juris Doctor candidate at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law and a Criminology alumnus of Toronto Metropolitan University. His legal foundation began at a Toronto criminal law firm, where he appeared daily in the Ontario Court of Justice. He now serves as a Legal Research Assistant with the Indian Residential School Records Project, reviewing legal records, supporting Access to Information and Freedom of Information requests, and assisting with litigation mapping to preserve Survivor testimonies and litigation records under the Project's consent-based and trauma-informed protocols.
Sam also brings extensive experience in strategic communications, having served as a Communications Specialist for TMU’s Faculty of Arts and interned at the Dais in 2024, where he gained experience in digital media and public policy communications.
Looking ahead, he aims to bring together his legal training and his strong interest in technology, applying both in the public interest to navigate legal issues arising in the digital age through a multidisciplinary approach.
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Save the Date: URL to IRL (Nov 5, 2026) |
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Canada’s youth are reclaiming their attention. This is where it happens.
URL to IRL, Canada’s leading youth-powered event reimagining healthy relationships with technology, returns to Toronto on Thursday, November 5, 2026!
Calling all students, educators, parents, policymakers, and community leaders: join us for a day of youth-led, intergenerational conversations, interactive activities, and bold ideas shaping the future of phone-free schools in Canada.
From classrooms to policy rooms, we will explore healthier relationships with technology and reclaiming attention, learning, and belonging.
See some highlights from URL to IRL 2025.
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| SIGN UP FOR UPDATES |
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The Anti-Racist Youth Lab |
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This summer, in collaboration with the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, we will deliver this year’s Anti-Racist Youth Lab. The program strengthens the policy skills of young anti-racism leaders from across Canada, helping them translate their community work into systemic change.
Following a strong response to applications from across the country, youth leaders have been selected to join us for three days of programming, focused on strengthening public policy knowledge and building sustainable change in their communities.
Stay tuned for highlights later this summer!
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| LEARN MORE |
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Push grows for all-day 'bell-to-bell' ban on cellphones in Ontario schools (Toronto Sun)
Rajender Singh, Senior Policy Analyst, discusses Dais survey data showing Canadians remain split on a bell-to-bell ban, and why getting the policy right is only half the challenge without real support for schools to enforce it.
Learning software hack bolsters the case for digital sovereignty (University Affairs)
Jake Hirsch-Allen, Director of Partnerships, speaks on the Canvas ransomware breach and why open-source learning systems offer Canadian universities greater control over their data and the values behind their algorithms.
Ottawa wants ‘AI for all.’ But do all Canadians want AI in their lives? (Globe and Mail)
Viet Vu, Manager of Economic Research, and André Côté, Executive Director, in the Globe and Mail on Canada's refreshed AI strategy, arguing that the federal government must confront public anxiety about job loss and demonstrate it is tracking AI's impact, not just promoting its benefits.
Kids are dying': Libs ready to act against social media (CityNews)
Angus Lockhart, Senior Policy Analyst, discusses the federal government's renewed online harms legislation, noting that while Australia's youth social media ban led to a real drop in use, it remains unclear how Canada would actually verify a user's age.
As the AI economy booms in the U.S., Canada sees a blip (Globe and Mail)
Viet Vu, Manager of Economic Research at the Dais, speaks on why Canada needs to be realistic about its AI data centre ambitions, cautioning against using the U.S. as a benchmark and pointing to low public trust as a bigger obstacle to adoption than construction delays.
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