Duke Heights and Osgoode have partnered to create a Virtual Employment Hub and online legal information service, which will be available through the Duke Heights website available in the fall. This platform is designed to improve access to legal information for business owners, job seekers, employers, and future entrepreneurs here in the BIA. Through this initiative, Osgoode and Duke Heights hope to foster improvements for members of the business community and help them overcome the hurdles of access to legal information that many business owners face. This strategy is the first of its kind and is one many that will be implemented to encourage growth, investment, and improvements for Duke Heights BIA members.
In addition, Osgoode has committed to increasing its support for local businesses of the BIA through a Social Procurement Strategy, as part of the AnchorTO and AnchorYorkU initiatives. Dean Sossin of the law school commented, “What has become clear over years of working in a variety of community-oriented, law school partnerships and outreach is that employment is a key to community building – and to overcoming the kind of legal barriers which many face.”
When speaking on the significance of the partnership, Matias de Dovitiis, Executive Director of DUKE Heights BIA stated “Duke Heights BIA has over 2,500 businesses and is right at the doorstep of York University. We have a mandate from our Board of Directors to develop a relationship that will make our area a hub for innovation and growth and this Osgoode partnership is a step in that direction.”
