The LSAT has changed forever Every student at Osgoode is well aware of the LSAT (Law School Admission Test). You know, the test that we all were anxious taking? If you can recall, the LSAT was comprised of five sections: two logical reasoning sections, one reading comprehension section, one logic games section, and one writing sample section. The grade assigned would be based on three...
On Tuesday, October 29, hundreds of protestors swarmed the Toronto Public Library in response to a controversial blogger who was hosting a speaking engagement. Megan Murphy, a self proclaimed feminist, had a sold out talk at the library that evening. However, Murphy’s views on transgender women have seriously offended the LGBTQ+ community. She argues that womanhood is...
The slogan “the personal is political” began with the second-wave feminist movement and was popularized by Carol Hanisch. It referred to the idea of ‘consciousness raising’, where women would gather together to discuss the problems within their homes and marriages in order to realize that these problems were universal. Whereas in the 1960s, the phrase was designed to draw attention to...
As a lover of video games, I have always been enamoured by the earliest days of gaming. I grew up with an aging Nintendo Entertainment System in my household – the old grey-and-black box one would use to play the classics of the late 1980’s like Super Mario Bros. or the original Legend of Zelda – and have ever-since had a passion for retro games and gaming. However, until very...
On Wednesday, October 16, 2019, The Osgoode Women’s Network (OWN) held its annual career panel. Every year, OWN invites a diverse panel of lawyers who identify as women to Osgoode Hall Law School to share their journey and experiences practicing law. The panel touches upon various topics, including: entering the profession, what it is like being a woman in law, work-life balance, and overcoming...
On the Occasion of Remembrance Day Originally published in the Fall 1945 issue of Obiter Dicta (Vol. 19.1), this was the cover story, announcing the end of World War 2. Attributed to “R. Wilson,” this article came from a future Queen’s Counsel, who just returned from service with the Navy. Mr. Wilson passed away April 30, 1979. At the time of Publication, Robert M. Sedgewick was the Editor, and R...
How the Criminal Justice System Fails the Mentally Ill On December 4th, 2016, Soleiman Faqiri was taken into temporary custody at the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Ontario. A judge had ordered his transfer to a mental health facility, the Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health. However, on December 15th, he was found dead in his cell. “It was horrible,” his brother, Yusuf Faqiri...
Today Obiter Dicta has filed a request through York University’s Information, Privacy and Copyright Office. We are curious to learn about how administrators handled the Student Choice Initiative, and we are requesting copies of correspondence that will explain how the opt-out process (and related communications) were developed. Stay tuned in January when we are likely to have a decision on...
From the Osgoode Alumni Profile Series This year, Obiter will be sharing alumni profiles, courtesy of the Osgoode Alumni Office. You can access the full collection of these profiles through your MyCareer account MyCareer > Resource Library > Alumni Advice/Virtual Career Panel: Osgoode Alumni Profiles combined… Regularly, the Osgoode Alumni Association reaches out to graduates to...
Since January of this year, student governments have been under attack from the Ontario government, specifically the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities. This is not hyperbole or opinion. It is a submission made to the Ontario Divisional Court on October 11, 2019 by the Canadian Federation of Students (“CFS”) and the York Federation of Students (“YFS”) which the panel of judges...
After participating in a climate strike in Victoria, BC, the leader of the Federal NDP, Jagmeet Singh, took the time to sit down and call me from the other side of the country. Upon introducing myself as a 1L at Osgoode, he immediately wished me good luck and offered advice about the OCI process, recalling his own experience and the pressure he acutely recognized. “I feel...
Going to court is often considered the last resort in family law. Resort to it should only be had after attempts at negotiation, mediation, and arbitration are undertaken. Court is expensive, and in the realm of family law, the issues presented are often extremely sensitive and involve intimate matters such as the end of relationships and best interests of children. We are not the first to...
For many years, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board (CICB) had a clear mission: to provide compensation in a compassionate manner to those who have identified themselves as victims of violent crimes. This adjudicative tribunal system required applicants to provide details of the crime(s), the resulting injuries, and the lasting impacts on the person within two years of the incident(s). In...
At its September 11 convocation, the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) voted to repeal its statement of principles (SOP) requirement, an obligation that would have compelled licensees of the Ontario legal profession to affirm their duty to promote equality, diversity and inclusion by signing a written statement to this effect. The requirement was replaced with an acknowledgement of Ontario human...
From the Career Development Office
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Public gatherings were banned, tourists were asked to leave, telephone and internet services were shut down, schools were closed, and prominent leaders of the opposition were detained or placed under house arrest. This isn’t a piece about Pol Pot’s Cambodia, but about India, the world’s largest “democratic” regime. On August 5, 2019, the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir (“Kashmir”) was plunged...
Obiter Covers the 2019 Election Last month, in Fundy National Park, a 40-something lumber mill worker named Brent told me, “I just want Trudeau gone – I don’t trust him! Might go Green this time around.” A few days later, in Montreal, a group of friends nodded solemnly over cans of beer when I asked if they’d consider voting for the Green Party this October. Regardless of where I was, a...
Happy new school year, Osgoode! My name is Irmak and I’m the News Section Editor this academic year for our great school newspaper (which, our Editor-in-Chief recently found out, is the oldest law school newspaper in North America). This year’s News team of columnists, staff writers, and contributors will be responsible for curating news content, relating it to you as a law student...
Dear Osgoode Community, A committee of Osgoode students, staff and faculty, along with York Facilities Services staff and accessibility consultants, continue to make inroads into improving the accessibility of our building. Following on the heels of enhancements to the pillars in Gowlings Hall to assist the visually impaired community in safe navigation, we will now be moving forward with the...
Welcome to the Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) Osgoode Chapter! PBSC is a national organization which provides pro bono legal services to organizations and individuals in need. It is the only national law student program in the country with chapters in all 22 Canadian law schools. As the largest chapter in Canada, last year, PBSC Osgoode successfully placed over 200 students into more than 50...
On behalf of the Muslim Law Students’ Association (MLSA), welcome Osgoode Class of 2022!! Congratulations on joining the ranks of one of Canada’s finest institutions. Osgoode boasts one of the most diverse student bodies of any Canadian law school, and the MLSA, as well as other student organizations like it, are shining examples of it. The MLSA provides a range of programming, from social...
On August 26, 2019, the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) began a seven-day hearing for an appeal to the City of Toronto’s amendments to short-term rental bylaws. The amendments to the bylaws were approved on December 7, 2017 and January 31, 2018 by the City of Toronto Council; but were subsequently appealed. The new bylaws were legislated to target Airbnb-type short-term rentals. The key...
The fall semester always dawns on us so fast! But it’s good to have everyone back on campus refreshed to start off a new academic year. The Osgoode Library librarians and staff are in full swing to make the library accessible and welcoming for everyone. We listened to suggestions from the student representatives during the past academic year. As a result, library tours are available as part of...
Welcome to Osgoode! My name is Ali, and I run a club called the Disability Collective of Osgoode (DCO). The DCO is a platform used both to build community amongst Osgoode students with disabilities, and to engage in collective advocacy, because our voices are stronger together than they are individually. The start of law school can be an exciting period, but I also know it can be a difficult time...
Statement of Principles debate reflects lawyers’ unwillingness to address systemic racism in the profession Over the past two years the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) has become a public forum for the debate about the existence of systemic racism in the legal profession. Tomorrow, the regulator will open its floor once again to consider and possibly vote on the source of this debate: the Statement...