Life and career
Gertler was born to a Jewish family in Edmonton,Alberta,Canada,and grew up in several cities in Southern Ontario. [3] His mother,born in what was then Czechoslovakia,survived the Holocaust. [4] Gertler completed his undergraduate education at McMaster University,where he graduated summa cum laude in 1977. He received a Master of City Planning from the University of California,Berkeley,in 1979 and a Doctorate of Philosophy from Harvard University in 1983. His dissertation was entitled "Capital Dynamics and Regional Development". [5] [6]
Gertler joined the University of Toronto Department of Geography and Planning as a lecturer in 1983. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1988 and full Professor in 1993,at which point he also received tenure. [7]
Gertler's work focuses on the geography of innovative activity and the economies of city-regions. His work also examines the local nature of a globalized economy,focusing on manufacturing as embedded within local cultural norms,practice,and assumptions. Gertler's work examines the role of tacit knowledge and interactive learning in explaining local agglomeration economies and innovation. [8] Gertler is the author,co-author or co-editor of more than 80 scholarly publications and seven books. [9] These have had significant impact in his field and have led him to be one of Canada's most highly cited geographers. [5]
Gertler has served as an advisor to local,regional and national governments in Canada,the United States and Europe,as well as to international agencies such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the European Union. He was the founding co-director of the Program on Globalization and Regional Innovation Systems (PROGRIS) at the Munk School of Global Affairs,served as director of the Department of Geography's Program in Planning and holds the Goldring Chair in Canadian Studies. [9]
Gertler has held visiting appointments at institutions including the University of Oxford,University College London,the University of Oslo and the University of California,Los Angeles. [5]
Controversies
Dismissal from Board of Waterfront Toronto
On 6 December 2018,Gertler was among three board members fired by the Ontario Provincial government from Waterfront Toronto,a public agency working on a "revitalization" project for the city’s waterfront through a partnership with Alphabet,Google’s parent company. [13] [14]
Pro-Palestine protest encampment
In May 2024,Gerter stated "that a trespass notice will be issued if an agreement is not reached with encampment organizers";Gertler stated that graduation ceremonies in June would proceed "no matter what". [15] On 24 May a trespass notice was issued,informing students they had until 27 May to leave,"before the school pursues consequences under University policies and the law," including expulsion or suspension of up to five years. [16] When the encampment remained in place,Gertler's administration applied for an expedited court injunction allowing police to arrest and remove students. [17] The encampment nonetheless continued throughout June,with graduation ceremonies occurring against the backdrop of the pro-Palestinian protests. [18]
In June 2025,Gertler stepped down as President of the University of Toronto. [19] [20]
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