Media releases

• Hockey great turned motivational speaker to receive honorary degree at Brock’s Spring Convocation

  Thursday, May 30, 2019 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 30 May 2019 – R00093

  Reggie Leach played 13 years in the National Hockey League, won a Stanley Cup and is one of the most prolific goal scorers in Philadelphia Flyers history. But if you ask him what his greatest accomplishment in life is, he’ll tell you it’s the work he’s done encouraging Indigenous youth to make smarter choices than he did.

  On Monday, June 10, the Riverton Rifle, as he’s known in hockey circles, will receive an honorary doctorate and give the Convocation address during the opening ceremony of Brock University’s Spring Convocation.

  This year’s Spring Convocation will include nine ceremonies over five days from June 10 to 14 in the Ian D. Beddis Gymnasium at Brock University’s Walker Sports Complex. Ceremonies will take place at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. each day except for Friday, June 14, when only a morning ceremony is scheduled.

  “It’s quite an honour,” said Leach, who is of Ojibwe descent and a member of Berens River First Nation in Manitoba. “The things I have done over the years since I retired are about giving back and steering people in the right direction.

  “I try to explain to kids about the mistakes I made as a teenager and young adult. It’s our responsibility to guide these young people in the right direction,” he said.

  Leach now lives on Manitoulin Island, but it was during his time as a teammate of Bobby Clarke while playing with the Flin Flon Saskatchewan Bombers that his star first began to shine. After a stellar junior career, he was drafted by the Boston Bruins and played there and with the California Golden Seals before being traded to Philadelphia, the defending Stanley Cup champions, in 1974.

  Leach helped the Flyers successfully defend their Stanley Cup championship in 1975, and nearly again in 1976, but they were beaten by the Montreal Canadiens. Despite the loss, Leach was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP after a season that saw him set Philadelphia’s all-time single-season scoring record of 61 goals, a mark that still remains today.

  Leach was an NHL All-Star in 1976 and 1980, and was inducted into the Philadelphia Flyers, Manitoba Hockey and Manitoba Sports halls of fame. He was a recipient of an Indspire Award in 2008 and was named to the Order of Manitoba in 2016.

  Today, Leach is a motivational speaker and plans to encourage the Brock University graduands to make the most of their lives.

  “Life today is all choices,” he said. “For young graduates going into this big, big world, remember why you went to university. Keep that focus going in the right direction.”

  He said young people today need to remember the power they hold to change lives.

  “My biggest thing is to be kind and gentle to everyone. Treat everyone the way you want to be treated,” he said.

   

  Brock University Spring Convocation 2019

  Monday, June 10: Faculty of Applied Health Sciences

  Tuesday, June 11: Faculty of Social Sciences

  Wednesday, June 12: Faculty of Education

  Thursday, June 13: Goodman School of Business

  Friday, June 14 (10 a.m. only): Faculty of Humanities; Faculty of Math and Science

  Convocation ceremonies are open to the public and tickets are not required. A reception for graduates, family and guests will follow each ceremony. Those unable to attend can watch a broadcast of each ceremony at brocku.ca/livestream

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock research highlights workplace concerns in fitness club industry

  Wednesday, May 29, 2019 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 29 May 2019 – R00092

  Nearly half of the respondents in an Ontario survey of workers in the multi-billion-dollar gym and fitness club industry reported not having any access to paid sick days, new Brock University research has found.

  “There’s some irony in the fact that a gym industry promoting health and wellness seems to fall short when it comes to extending paid sick days to its own workforce,” says Professor of Labour Studies Larry Savage, co-author of the study “Work in Ontario Gyms and Fitness Clubs.”

  In their study, Savage and student Curtis Morrison created a series of survey questions designed to shed more light on the working conditions faced by employees in the Ontario industry.

  The anonymous survey, available online for three weeks in February and March of this year, collected the views of hundreds of group fitness instructors, personal trainers, customer service representatives, supervisors and others employed by a gym or fitness club.

  Topics included job satisfaction levels, job concerns, relationships with supervisors, co-workers and clients, experiences with workplace injury and unpaid labour.

  When asked about sick days being part of their employee contract, 51 per cent of the respondents said they do not have paid sick days, with another seven per cent being “unsure.” Of the 42 per cent who said they did have paid sick days, almost half reported that they have two or fewer paid sick days each year.

  The survey results note that more than 75 per cent of workers who do get paid sick days are unionized, with only 30 per cent of non-unionized workers having access to paid sick time.

  The Ontario government recently cancelled a requirement made by the previous government for employers to provide all workers two paid sick days a year. The current policy allows for a maximum of three unpaid days a year for personal illness, injury or medical emergency.

  “The provincial government’s decision to repeal paid sick days is having a negative impact on the well-being of workers in gyms and fitness clubs,” says Morrison. “It also exposes clients to greater risk of contracting viruses if gym and fitness club workers decide to come into work sick in order to avoid loss of pay.”

  Another concern identified by the survey is the issue of unpaid labour, with 68 per cent of the respondents saying that they put in extra hours without pay.

  Common unpaid tasks include prep time before fitness classes, interacting with clients before and after classes, scheduling clients, recruiting members and planning fitness programs.

  According to the survey results, gym and fitness workers generally feel respected by their colleagues and clients but not by management. Unpaid work, favouritism and the view that employers are more concerned about making profits at the expense of workers’ or clients’ welfare are some of the factors that account for this, says Savage.

  “The survey findings reveal that gym and fitness workers’ overall level of job satisfaction is tied to a sense of accomplishment when they see others benefit from their efforts,” he says. “However, gym and fitness club workers are generally dissatisfied with wages and benefit entitlements and point to these issues as a major source of turnover in the industry.”

  The report is being released in advance of a scholarly journal article authored by Savage analyzing successful efforts to unionize personal trainers at more than three dozen GoodLife Fitness locations in Toronto, Ajax and Peterborough in 2016. The article will appear in Labour/Le Travail later this year.

  Savage and Morrison’s study outlines a number of challenges workers in the industry face. For instance, despite the physical nature of their jobs that increases vulnerability to workplace injuries, the industry is considered exempt from Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) coverage.

  The researchers make several recommendations, including:

  • Making WSIB coverage compulsory for gym and fitness clubs
  • Reinstating the two mandatory paid sick days
  • Ensuring that all work be paid
  • Reversing recent amendments to provincial legislation that make it more difficult for workplaces to unionize

  The study cites a March 2019 IBIS World Industry Report, which states that the Canadian gym, health and fitness club industry is expected to grow to $5.6 billion in the next five years.

  Professor of Labour Studies Larry Savage is available for interviews on the research.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases