Shashi Kant

UTM professor named to Order of Ontario

Sarah Jane Silva

A University of Toronto professor and world-renowned forest economist is among an elite group of 23 Ontarians set to receive the province’s highest honour next month.

A specialist in the economics of sustainable forest management, Dr. Sashi Kant is one of this year’s Order of Ontario recipients – an honour given to Ontarians who have left a lasting legacy in the province.

Through his academic work, volunteer contributions, activism, and leadership, Dr. Kant has worked tirelessly to establish the foundations of sustainability research based on integration and the balancing of social, environmental, and economic pillars.

Dr. Kant is also the founding director of the Master of Science in Sustainability Management (MScSM) at the Institute for Management & Innovation (IMI), a unique educational program that provides the training for students to integrate knowledge from management, social, and natural sciences to address sustainability issues.

“Through his collaborative, yet visionary style of leadership, Professor Kant has brought to our university a new program that has begun to have a tremendous impact on the campus, the faculty, and the students that it nurtures through a multi-disciplinary array of courses and experiences, and a culture of respect for others, society, and the natural environment,” said Dr. Soo Min Toh, director of the Institute for Management & Innovation.

The MScSM program is one of many innovative programs currently offered at the University of Toronto Mississauga.

“It is my sincere belief that the world needs more leaders like Dr. Kant, and that he is a role model for future leaders to come,” said Claire Westgate, the placement and employer relations officer for MScSM.

“I can only hope that my own children have the opportunity to study under, and work with, such a genuine and selfless role model, and contributor to our global society.”

Dr. Kant joins other U of T inductees, including pediatric infectious disease specialist Upton Allen, and biomedical engineer Tom Chau.

Ontario Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell will honour this year’s inductees at a Queen’s Park ceremony February 27.