By Erasmus Baxter
When Western’s Dr. Paul Storer passed away in 2015 he left behind a career devoted to studying trade between the U.S. and Canada. That legacy is being continued by the first annual Paul Storer Memorial Lecture on Canada – U.S. Relations.
The lecture will feature Dr. Stephen Poloz, Governor of the Bank of Canada, discussing cross-border trade and monetary policy.
As Governor of the Bank of Canada, Poloz heads an organization that fills a role similar to the United States Federal Reserve; it issues currency and determines national monetary policy.
Poloz holds both a master’s and a doctorate in economics and he worked at the Bank of Canada for 14 years. He also spent 14 years serving at Export Development Canada, a government agency that supports and develops Canadian international trade.
The lecture is sponsored by the Center for International Business and the Border Policy Research Institute.
Carrie Cooper works with the Center for International Business and is helping to organize the event.
“For this first lecture, we are excited to welcome a very distinguished guest speaker,” Cooper said.
Poloz will speak from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on September 26 in Communications Facility 115.
Western’s Center for Canadian-American Studies is one of just two US Department of Education National Resource Centers for the Study of Canada, according to the center’s website.
Professor Steven Globerman, Director of the Center for International Business and co-author of a book with Storer, has initiated an effort to establish a Paul Storer Memorial Fund, according to Cooper. The fund would host subsequent annual lectures and provide a scholarship to allow a student to attend the annual Pacific Northwest Regional Economic Conference.
Storer had personal experience with cross-border interaction. Growing up in Ontario, Storer earned degrees from the University of Western Ontario and the University of Toronto before coming to Bellingham in 1996 to join Western’s economics department.
Storer was a professor at Western for 14 years before passing away from Multiple Sclerosis in 2015. He served as the chair of the economics department from 2007-13.
An info sheet about his memorial states: “Although the lasting impact of his kindness and good humor on students and faculty cannot be measured, he received numerous awards from WWU for his research, excellence in teaching, and service as a student mentor.”
Those who want to contribute to the Paul Storer Memorial Fund can either send a check to the Western Foundation or do so online. Tim Szymanowski at the Western Foundation can be contacted about donations at Tim.Szymanowski@wwu.edu.
