Maeve Ellis

Toronto

Managing Online Editor and Social Media Manager at The Varsity

Reporter at Investigative Journalism Foundation

Reporter @IJFMedia | formerly with @UofT_IJB @TheVarsity @strandpaper | @maeveellis.bsky.social | [email protected]

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Articles

Honda lobbied Ottawa 16 times in 2025 before postponing $15 billion project

1 month ago | theijf.org | Maeve Ellis

In the months leading up to the postponement of a $15-billion electric vehicle project in Ontario, Honda representatives extensively lobbied federal officials. So far in 2025, Honda Canada has arranged 16 separate contacts with 27 different government leaders. This includes former prime minister Justin Trudeau, Anita Anand, who was then the minister of industry and François-Philippe Champagne as minister of finance in March and industry minister in February.
What are the bases of hope for the climate crisis?

2 months ago | thevarsity.ca | Maeve Ellis

On March 13, U of T’s Hart House Social Justice Committee hosted a collaborative climate crisis workshop in the Hart House Music Room with student groups Climate Justice U of T and Green Leading U of T, as well as the U of T NGO Science for Peace. The event, titled “The Climate Crisis: What is the basis for hope,” brought together students, academics, and activists with the aim of combating the sense of doom often surrounding the climate crisis.
Crossword - Look to the Western Sky

Mar 25, 2025 | thevarsity.ca | Maeve Ellis

ACROSS1. Hoity-toity types6. Key ______9. ______ throat14. To woo15. Symbol of Athena16. In the loop17. Up and about18. ______ de Janeiro19. Euripides tragedy20. An activity with a favourite book22. Smooth23. Iconic Wicked number25. Superlative suffix26. Ireland, for the Irish27. To rise30. Black and white killer whale31. Opposite of 27-across34. Alternative to queen35. Gorilla-like37. Word repeated after ‘Que’38. Still39. Citation abbr. 40. Shade used on uniform to camouflage with sand41.
The Roll Player: Bringing Dungeons & Dragons on stage

Mar 4, 2025 | thevarsity.ca | Maeve Ellis

Amid the cozy atmosphere of Comedy Bar Danforth, The Roll Player made its debut — a show that fuses the nerdiness of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) with the spontaneous energy of improv. The result is two hours of non-stop laughter. Created by Kris Siddiqi, a U of T graduate and actor, The Roll Player sees him transform the traditional tabletop role-playing game into an immersive theatrical experience, and it’s all improvised.
The struggle is real, but the diagnosis isn’t

Feb 24, 2025 | thevarsity.ca | Maeve Ellis

ADHD has long been misrepresented as a condition that primarily affects hyperactive boys. Traditionally, it is diagnosed based on behavioural symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity. However, emerging research suggests that ADHD symptoms and prevalence differ by sex, yet these differences remain poorly understood by both scientists and the public.
SCSU BOD discusses income statements, efforts to improve mental health on campus

Feb 11, 2025 | thevarsity.ca | Maeve Ellis

On January 31, the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) held its first Board of Directors (BOD) meeting of the year. At the meeting, members approved the income statements for November and December 2024 and discussed efforts to address mental health and loneliness on campus. The executives also approved the 2025 Spring Elections timeline and locations. The union’s incomesVice-President (VP) Operations Jena Bah presented the SCSU’s income statements for November and December.
Student course evaluations rank statistics department lowest, small humanities centres highest

Feb 4, 2025 | thevarsity.ca | Maeve Ellis |Mekhi Quarshie

The Varsity has obtained over 3,000 rows of course evaluation data to determine how tens of thousands of students rate U of T’s academic units. We obtained every available course evaluation from undergraduate Faculty of Arts & Science courses with publicly available results in the 2023–2024 fall and winter semesters. This does not include courses that professors opt out of sharing and those with fewer than five responses.
Opinion: We should be critical of overly one-sided takes on Syrian revolution

Jan 27, 2025 | thevarsity.ca | Maeve Ellis

On December 8, 2024, a coalition of Syrian revolutionary and rebel groups overthrew then-president Bashar al-Assad, ending 24 years of his rule and 53 years of rule by the “Assad dynasty.” Syria’s internal political state remains volatile, with Ahmed al-Sharaa serving as the de-facto leader of Syria.
David Lynch cannot die

Jan 27, 2025 | thevarsity.ca | Maeve Ellis

David Lynch — cinematic legend, sculptor of oddities, and avant-garde painter — passed away two weeks ago at the age of 78. His death has been difficult to swallow. Lynch is a household name in U of T’s Cinema Studies Institute. Lifelong friendships are often founded on the question “What is your favourite Lynch movie?” After school hangouts aren’t complete without a blunt and a Lynch Criterion rerelease. It feels strange adjusting to a world where Lynch is now referenced in the past tense.
Invincibility, vulnerability, and “O Superman”

Jan 27, 2025 | thevarsity.ca | Maeve Ellis

“Here come the planes / They’re American planes, made in America”Eight minutes long, bewilderingly experimental, and incomparable to any music that came before it. Laurie Anderson’s song, “O Superman” was never supposed to find popular success.