January 6, 2026 | Pearl Eliadis spoke to CityNews about a recent study published by the Quebec Homelessness Prevention Collaborative (QHPC) which found that second-stage shelters, a form of transitional housing for women fleeing violence, are crucial in protecting wome

Overdose prevention sites and supervised consumption sites in Toronto are not associated with long-term increases in local crime, McGill University researchers have found.

Over 10 years, crime reports remained stable or declined in neighbourhoods where sites opened, the researchers said. Their findings land amid debates across Canada about how harm reduction services intersect with public health and safety.

The Faculty of Law is pleased to announce that Professor Peer Zumbansen has been appointed the inaugural holder of the Elizabeth Carmichael Monk Chair in Business Law for a five-year term, beginning January 1, 2026.

January 5, 2026 | Vincent Rigby spoke to CTV News on the potential fallout after the United States’ incursion in Venezuela on January 3. Rigby mentioned that the removal of Maduro was not necessarily a bad thing, given the rampant corruption and authoritarianism throughout his leadership. He emphasized a critical question: how much influence will Venezuelan citizens have in choosing the country’s next leader?

Congratulations to David Medcalfe, a Master of Information Studies (MISt) student at the School of Information Studies, who has been selected as a 2026 Building 21 BLUE Fellow through a program run in partnership with Mila – Québec Artificial Intelligence Institute, a leading artificial intelligence research institute in Canada.

In Policy Magazine, Max Bell School advisory board member and MPP '21 Anil Wasif discusses Zohran Mamdani, the new mayor of New York City, and his $60 million pilot project that aims to establish municipal supermarkets across each borough. The project aims to address the growing public concern of high grocery prices.

McGill University has mandated Entreprises NR Brosseau Inc. to carry out Project 21-078, which involves upgrades within the McConnell Engineering Building as part of the CFI IF 2023 – Liboiron initiative. The project focuses on the installation of new specialized research equipment in two existing dry laboratories: Room MC010 and Room 816.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured by U.S. special forces last week and are to appear in a U.S. court today on charges related to drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has coined the term “Donroe Doctrine,” after the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine setting out U.S. dominance of the Western Hemisphere and has threatened the government of Colombia.

These McGill experts are available to comment on this topic:

January 5, 2026 | Jennifer Welsh published her reflections on the efforts to promote responsible sovereignty and individual accountability in the early decades after the Cold War, in a chapter titled titled “Responsible Sovereignty and Individual Accountability: Liberal Internationalist Aspirations from the 1990s," included in an edited volume recently published by Oxford University press.

"Myriam Denov, a leading advocate for children’s rights and a Professor in McGill’s School of Social Work, has won a Gold Medal from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC),  its highest honour.

The award is for sustained leadership, dedication and originality of thought that have inspired students and colleagues; it comes with a $100,000 prize for future research.

Denov’s research interests include children born of war and families affected by war and genocide. Over the past 25 years, she has worked with war-affected children on three continents and advised NGOs and such governmental organizations as Global Affairs Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Department of National Defence." (McGill Reporter)

Published: 5 January 2026

January 5, 2026 | Vincent Rigby co-authored Paper No. 347 for the Centre for International Governance Innovation, titled “Getting Serious About National Security.” In this paper, he delves into the history and significance of the national security and intelligence advisor (NSIA) role, and how it may be improved in the future.

January 5, 2026 | Chris Ragan recently spoke to CBC about comments made by Parliamentary Budget Officer Jason Jacques. Following Jacques’ controversial remarks on the "shocking" state of Canada’s finances, several leading economists voiced disagreement, with some emphasizing that the PBO should maintain neutrality. Ragan stressed that any assessment of Canada’s fiscal position should be grounded in data, noting, “I think we want them to be: ‘Just the facts, ma’am.’”