Atkinson Field Notes
Learning in Action
Reflections, presentations and speeches by Atkinson’s Chief Executive Officer Colette Murphy and the rest of the Atkinson team.
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6 Feb 22
Ever since the news of John Honderich’s sudden death broke, like many of you, I’ve been taking in the story of his life. Friends, co-conspirators and rivals alike have attested to John’s brilliance, tenacity, and principled pursuit of stories with the power to re-shape the world. At the Atkinson Foundation, we witnessed all of these leadership qualities... Read more >
23 Dec 21
This latest variant of COVID arrived like a sudden blizzard: disorienting, frightening and all-too-familiar. Since then, we’ve been madly pumping our brakes, keeping a cautious distance, and rapidly recalculating routes. Some of us are, once again, getting organized to wait this one out from the safety of home – fully vaccinated, boosted, and compensated. Read more >
6 Sep 21
I’m standing on the shore of the great lake once known as Niigaani-gichigami at Point Petre, looking toward Soup Harbour where friends live. Their barn’s blue roof is barely visible against the summer sky. A flat limestone shelf stretches across the bay and suggests a footpath from one point to another. But things are not as they seem. Read more >
12 May 21
Together with our collaborators, we brought forward a bold proposal on Indigenous reconciliation and economic advancement to the TMX Group. It’s a move that is expected to “ripple” through capital markets in North America. Read more >
6 May 21
Documentaries take us into each other’s lives and workplaces, to learn and inspire action. Here is what Nora Cole, Atkinson’s Manager of Policy and Communications, is taking away about work today from her Hot Docs queue so far. Read more >
1 May 21
This pandemic continues to distort our sense of time. Scientists call it “temporal disintegration”. A feeling of living in the moment, day to day, unmoored from the past and unable to imagine the future. But also a feeling of living large, emboldened to act with moral purpose in the here and now. Read more >
22 Jan 21
Stay home is a simple message but not a simple choice. Without paid sick days, the decision to go to work sick or not be able to pay bills is one forced on far too many workers in Canada every day. Read more >
18 Dec 20
“The reckoning might be now.” In Colette's year-end letter, she thanks the people who are leading the way in this movement moment. Read more >
29 Oct 20
I’m pleased to be here with you on the traditional territories of many nations – Anishnabek, Mississaugas of the Credit and Haudenosaunee Confederacy – and home to many First Nations, Métis and Inuit people today. It’s an honour to be in conversation with Ruth, Paulette, Peter, Paul and André — all of whom inspire me to risk more for racial justice.
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13 Jul 20
Essential workers and their families continue to bear the brunt of COVID-19 for little more than our gratitude. It should be no surprise that these workers are mostly Black, Indigenous and people of colour. Read more >