The Bank of Canada (“BoC”) has been aggressively increasing interest rates, with another anticipated rate hike on the way. When the pandemic first hit, the BoC responded by lowering the interest rates to stimulate economic activity. By lowering the interest rates, businesses and consumers benefited by having lower payments on their loans. The BoC prioritized making credit more readily available...
Every year, the biggest prizes in research are announced prior to the December 10 award ceremony commemorating the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. Alfred Nobel was an inventor, entrepreneur, scientist and businessman—most notably the inventor of dynamite—who also wrote poetry and drama. In his will, he established prizes in fields corresponding to his interests: physics, chemistry...
Can Europeans stay warm this winter without Nord Stream 1? Over the past few weeks, the staggering rate of inflation (which has been exacerbated by the energy crisis in Europe) has fuelled social unrest that has led to protests across the continent. Citizens are coming out in droves to protest the cost of living and to hopefully prompt their governments to act to ameliorate the situation before...
North Korea, the world’s most isolated, secretive, and ruthless communist regime, has passed a new law that not only declares itself as a nuclear state but effectively allows pre-emptive nuclear strikes. The brutal dictator of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, resolutely announced that the nuclear status of his country was now “irreversible.” For decades since the end of the Korean War, North Korea...
If you live in Ontario, then undoubtedly you are aware of the issues that plague our health care system. When asked by a journalist about whether Doug Ford was looking into privatizing health care, he responded, “Everything is on the table.” He followed that up with a guarantee: “You will always be covered by OHIP, not the credit card.” Is he following through with that promise? One can argue...
Something appears to be in the rarified air that billionaires breathe. Last week, it was announced that Patagonia’s founder and former owner, Yvon Chouninard, and his family are giving away ownership of the outdoor apparel company, to donate any profit not reinvested in the business to fight climate change. This week, at an event held in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, we have our very own Canadian...
And may have saved billions of dollars in Alzheimer’s research funding Over the summer, a criminal investigation was opened against Cassava Sciences Inc., a Biotech company accused of fabricating pre-clinical data and clinical trial results. Their problems began in 2021 when two scientists, David Bredt and Geoffrey Pitt, noticed inconsistencies in the published data surrounding the billion-dollar...
A collective of concerned students lets their voices be heard on the matter of our return to campus Editor’s Note: This letter was drafted collectively by members of the Osgoode Hall Law Union, Disability Collective of Osgoode, and the Osgoode Mature Students Association. We are a collective of Osgoode Hall Law School students with significant concerns about York University and Osgoode’s...
In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently raised concern over Space Exploration Holdings, LLC’s (SpaceX) Starlink satellites, which hold the promise of providing low-latency, high-speed broadband internet across the globe. The American space agency highlighted their concerns over SpaceX’s mega-constellation...
There are a lot of things about the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics which are quite unique. The strict quarantine regime, the cozying up of Putin and Xi, the absence of foreign diplomats, and oh, the fact that none of the snow on the hills fell from the sky. All the snow that covers the ski and snowboarding venues at the Winter Olympics was made from water from reservoirs that supply about 400...
Launched on 19 January 2022, Altos Labs™ (Altos) has been hailed as a breakthrough biotechnology company seeking to transform the future of medicine through cellular rejuvenation programming. In the company’s press release, the biotech start-up described its mission as seeking to “restore cell health and resilience to reverse disease, injury, and the disabilities that can occur throughout...
On January 18, the oil giant Exxon released their net zero strategy that boasts impressive and highly ambitious commitments to reach a net zero carbon emissions target by 2050. The strategy identifies 150 modifications of its exploration and production practices to help the company reach its goal including electrification of operations with energy from renewable sources. Essentially, Exxon...
For Christmas Eve dinner in my household, by some minor miracle, I managed to hoodwink my family into letting me cook. I say hoodwink because my intentions behind the act were not necessarily pure. I do find cooking for my loved ones to be a way to show my affection and care for them when words fail me. However, the reason I did so was to make an all plant-based (smeared labneh on some sprouts to...
—This article is part of a three-part series diving into the world of Cryptocurrency— Blockchain. Cryptocurrency. NFTs. What do the three of these have in common? Yes, that is right! They are things your distant uncle tried to passionately explain over a holiday dinner. They are buzzwords. Honestly, it can also be true that they may even make your eyes glaze over with how plastered around the...
On 3 January 2022, following several days of jury deliberation, the founder of Theranos was found guilty on four counts of fraud. The final decision concluded a high-profile trial involving a now-dissolved blood testing start-up. Theranos Inc., founded by then nineteen-year-old Elizabeth Holmes in 2003, was a health care tech start-up for consumers, once valued at ten billion USD and poised to...
The six thousand and two hundred kilogram, six and a half meter wide successor to the thirty-one year old Hubble space observatory, also known as the James Webb Space Telescope, launched on 25 December 2021. This tennis court-size, honey-comb shaped, sun coloured telescope is an engineering feat where the apparatus had to unfold itself in space. James Webb’s creation from its design to execution...
There has been intense scrutiny of fossil fuel corporations due to their emissions intensive activities, but I propose stepping back and widening the sphere of responsibility to get to the root of the problem and turn our attention to who is enabling these practices. Financial markets play a central role in the climate crisis, and they should not be absolved of liability because they are indirect...
In the late hours of Friday night (12 November 2021), the COP26 negotiations ended and the Glasgow Climate Pact was born, arriving one day late and three draft proposals, many frustrated delegates, and many disappointed climate activists later. It is easy to look at the past two weeks of COP26, with the news cycle largely focusing on either protests or ambitious commitments announcements, to find...
In November 1921, insulin was discovered as a revolutionary treatment for diabetes, transforming diabetes from a death sentence to a manageable chronic condition. Dr. Frederick Banting from London, Ontario, and his medical assistant Charles Best co-discovered insulin on 14 November 1921. The discovery marked a significant breakthrough in medicine and therapy for patients with diabetes...
The Canadian feud mirrors the one seen in HBO’s Succession. Succession is an American television series about the Roy family, the dysfunctional owners of Waystar RoyCo, a global media entertainment conglomerate. Siblings Kendall, Roman, and Shiv all fight for control of the company as the health of the family’s patriarch, Logan Roy, falls into decline. In Season One, Logan’s son...
A seemingly innocent phone call amongst friends launched one of Canada’s largest technology empires into chaos consumed by betrayal, sibling rivalry, deceit, and split family factions attempting to claim power. Over the course of a few weeks, the Rogers Communications board room has spun out of control and has had their dirty laundry aired in the middle of a twenty-six billion dollar merger...
As governments face mounting pressures to accelerate the transition to cleaner energy sources, global energy markets have encountered a post-pandemic supply shortage. As a result, while major economies have started to recover following the pandemic, energy demand has accelerated, resulting in a simultaneous spike in energy prices worldwide. As critical natural gas and oil markets have faced an...
The most important climate convention in recent memory is right on the horizon On October 31, Justin Trudeau will join other world leaders from nearly 200 countries at the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP26) to set new emissions reduction targets and tackle climate change on the world stage. COP26 will be taking place in Glasgow, Scotland and it is expected that over 20,000 activists...
The Business Etiquette Team (“BET”) seeks to address the gap in professional norms for first-generation, BIPOC, and marginalized students, young professionals, and recent migrants. BET is an equity-seeking group committed to teaching professional etiquette to underrepresented young professionals. We focus on the soft skills around business culture and the unwritten rules and policies...
Canada’s black law students gear up for a celebration out west By: Kerry-Ann Cornwall (National President) & Kendra Wilson (National Conference Chair) Founded in 1991, BLSA Canada is a national student-run, non-profit organization that is dedicated to supporting and enhancing the academic and professional opportunities for Black law students. In so doing, we welcome allies from all...