In the years to come, the rapidly changing climate is positioned to intensify existing threats and introduce novel threats to human health. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous concerns have surfaced regarding the capacity of governmental institutions to protect public health. The pandemic should serve as an example of the nature of infectious diseases that have the potential to reach a...
Walk-in legal clinics provide vital legal services to low-income, self-represented family law litigants in Ontario. However, the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to in-person clinics. Osgoode is working with Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) to develop and implement the Family Justice Centre, a virtual legal clinic set to open in early 2021. Family lawyers from firms like Epstein Cole LLP will work...
A Federal Court judge ruled last Tuesday that the Canadian government will not be forced to go to trial for its contributions to climate change. In doing so, Justice Michael Manson dismissed a lawsuit brought by 15 young Canadians, aged 10 to 19 years old. These young Canadians had argued that the Canadian government was violating their Charter rights by not taking effective action on climate...
As a law student, you may have heard that certain statistics are skewed by the reality that many cases are settled instead of being resolved in court. While the benefits to settlement are numerous, it has the primary disadvantage of keeping in the dark a great deal of important data. Thankfully, the Institutional Shareholder Services group of companies (ISS), specifically ISS Securities Class...
End Sars (End Special Anti-Robbery Squad) is a social movement erupting across Nigeria, calling on the government to ban the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) division of the Nigerian Police Force, a division that has become synonymous with police brutality and oppression. The movement gained traction on Twitter in response to weeks of demands for reform over claims of harassment, murder...
The Covid-19 pandemic has raised a unique issue for separated or divorced parents. Now that public schools are open, should children go back to in person learning, or should they continue remote education? In a recent motion heard at the Superior Court of Justice, a mother sought an order that she be granted sole authority to make decisions regarding the education of her 9 year old son [W.C.]...
If you have heard about recent major stock splits in the news, such as both Apple and Tesla only months ago, you may be wondering what the effects of these are and their implications. While the term “stock split” may sound daunting, the fundamentals are rather simple. All companies have a total number of shares outstanding, and when a company decides to pursue a stock split, they increase the...
A company that wishes to offer its shares to the wider public and finally achieve what is often viewed as a company’s biggest milestone traditionally pursues an initial public offering (IPO)—but those times are changing. Both the state of a company when it goes public and the means used to achieve going public have been radically re-thought with the use of the special purpose acquisition company...
It can be no surprise that such an instant and dramatic change to the business landscape, via COVID-19, has caused certain firms to thrive while others sink. In addition to companies struggling to survive, people have struggled to make do: lost jobs, cut wages and unexpected expenses. This is not a reality for the companies that have best positioned themselves to thrive, whether by business...
On Sunday, Sept. 27, violence once more erupted between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the long-disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a reserved territory located in the south Caucasus Mountains. As the ethnic and territorial hostility continues to heighten, the region has been thrust into uncertainty and on the edge once more in response to long-held claims over the land. The conflict dates back to...
In a Time of Remote Learning, Students on Campus Face Additional Challenges Remote learning and social distancing have had a significant impact on law students at Osgoode, some of whom are facing these strange circumstances while living on campus at Osgoode Chambers. One major change is that students who live in residence are forced to attend the bulk of their classes via Zoom in their rooms...
“I would like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability.” Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to serve as a justice on the U.S Supreme Court, an unyielding trailblazer for gender equality, and a lifelong advocate for women’s legal rights, passed away at the age of 87 due to complications from...
Around 15 years after a suicide car bomb in Beirut killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 21 others on February 14, 2005, the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) in Ayyash et al. convicted Salim Ayyash, an operative in the Iran-backed Lebanese Shi’ite militant group Hezbollah. Ayyash was convicted of five charges including conspiracy aimed at committing a terrorist act...
On Friday, September 18, 2020, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away as a result of complications from metastatic cancer of the pancreas. Reportedly, she died at home in the company of her family. Her death meant the end of a 27-year stint sitting as an associate justice on the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), and for many, the end of a legal and feminist icon. Ginsburg is...
In June 2020, violence erupted at the Indian-Chinese border. Soldiers from both sides fought with their bare hands, pelting stones and wielding iron bars and nail-studded clubs – all in pitch darkness. Many fell to their deaths, off a steep cliff and into the freezing Galwan river. India and China share a nearly 3500 km. long boundary, split into three sectors: the Western LAC (Line of...
In case you have not been keeping up with the drama around video-sharing app TikTok, the app has found a lifeline for its time in the U.S. by partnering with U.S. firms Oracle and Walmart. While TikTok has had major success over the summer and has grown into a massive global craze, the company has come under fire for fear that the data collected on its massive user-base may be handed over to...
Investing has always seemed to be somewhat of a mystery to the average person. However, this is quickly changing. In one way or another, nearly all Canadians have had some exposure to the capital markets, whether it be through the Canadian Pension Plan, their retirement account, or their deposits at the bank. Eventually, all this money is used as capital to support businesses who need it, and...
In June 2020, violence erupted at the Indian-Chinese border. Soldiers from both sides fought with their bare hands, pelting stones and wielding iron bars and nail-studded clubs – all in pitch darkness. Many fell to their deaths, off a steep cliff and into the freezing Galwan river. India and China share a nearly 3500 km. long boundary, split into three sectors: the Western LAC (Line of...
The stock market is not the economy, and the economy is not the stock market. The two have always been distinct, but the disconnect has perhaps never been more pronounced. Yet, confusion abounds (thanks, in part, to the efforts of self-styled investing gurus on TikTok and other social media “finfluencers”). I hope to alleviate some of that confusion with this article. If I can save at least one...
Whether it’s because of its domination of online retail, its tax-evading strategies, or its founder’s wealth, Amazon has been under constant fire in the past few years from political commentators, consumers, and the media. In August, the Canadian Competition Bureau launched an investigation into Amazon for activity potentially impacting competition to the detriment of consumers and businesses in...
The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) organizes law students and lawyers to develop and enforce a set of legal and human rights for refugees and displaced persons. We’re gearing up for a 2020-2021 year filled with events, the latest migration news, and effective advocacy on behalf of our clients. This year, the IRAP Osgoode chapter will: Work on the case files of 3 applicants...
Hello Osgoode! To the 1Ls, welcome to Osgoode Hall! We’re excited that you chose Osgoode Hall to begin your legal career. The Asian Law Students Association (ALSA) is a student club at Osgoode Hall Law School committed to fostering a friendly student environment and working towards dismantling systemic barriers in the legal profession and beyond. We provide mentorship and networking...
As the world zooms into an online universe, it’s more important than ever that we understand new technologies and their implications. As such, we have rebranded from Osgoode Fintech & Blockchain Association (OBFA) to Osgoode Emerging Technology Association (OETA) to keep in line with that mission. Our purpose is to focus holistically on legal innovation and educate our student body on...
On behalf of the Disability Collective of Osgoode, we want to welcome you all to Osgoode—and we want to extend a particular welcome to incoming Osgoode students who have disabilities. You belong here, and we’re glad you’re here! We know that sometimes, navigating law school as a disabled student can be a challenging, confusing, and isolating experience. We’ve been there—and we’re here to provide...
The Competition Law Society is dedicated to providing Osgoode students opportunities to learn about and network in the area of competition and antitrust law. As the only competition law school club in Canada, TCLS has provided students opportunities to learn from competition lawyers in private practice, prosecutors, members of the Competition Bureau and the judiciary. After an incredible debut in...