In Germany, just decades before the Holocaust, Jews were welcomed and celebrated members of society. They participated in all aspects of life and were generally considered to be German. Hitler’s commanding officer in World War I was actually Jewish. But, with the problems that plagued Germany following their failed campaign, they needed someone to blame. They rallied against the Jews. Hitler...
The inner-workings of the administrative state can seem hazy at best, even to those who take it upon themselves to study it. That’s not entirely a criticism—I understand that the varied aspirations and tensions of the administrative state often result in complex systems and procedures, and to expect otherwise is both unrealistic and reductionist. That being said, these systems and...
A military coup d’état may have just killed Sudan’s democracy before it even got going. With the Prime Minister placed under arrest by military forces, the provisional government shepherding of the country towards democracy may be no more. The toppling of military-strongman Omar al-Bashir in 2019 appears to have been an interlude, rather than a conclusion, for a country that has spent most of the...
Some thoughts on tattoos in the workplace. My mother insisted that I wear long sleeves to my first day of law school. Yes, she is the protective kind that appreciates the opportunity to pick out what I wear because it brings us closer. It’s a shared moment and for this I truly appreciate her and the event. But hidden behind her good intentions are a collage of secrets which she, for my own good...
The misrepresentation of squalor made by the most privileged. From the time we were children, most of us dreamed of being something greater than the little pea-sized humans we were. For many, a vivid caricature of what we aspire to be was found in fiction, through fables that depicted heroes as the antithesis to evil and all that was wrong in the world. Heroes, however, are rarely free from...
With a mixture of sports and delectable dietary options, it has a bit of everything The Gregorian calendar serves as the master of time. It helps us simple beings to make sense of what happens when we see the sun one morning and then rise again the next. Divided into twelve months, there has long been great social debate as to which month reigns supreme amongst its eleven other counterparts. You...
With Sex and The City bound for a return to TV, we consider the age-old conundrum of Carrie’s romantic choices Humanity’s future beyond earth. What is dark matter. When is my package arriving. Big or Aidan. These are some of the most pressing questions of our time, but none more so than the latter. Sex and The City (SATC) will have the issue top of mind for its fans and armchair pop culture...
Before I went into grade school, having immigrated from the other side of the world and thrust straight into the North American education system, my mom told me to always be mindful of conflicts and do your best to avoid them. She told me that I should a) always try to deescalate a situation and avoid physical confrontation where I could, and b) to never take anything from anyone when that...
Starting law school, I knew little about different areas of law. I like to think I wasn’t the only one coming into this like a blank slate. It was incredibly difficult for me to find an area of law I actually liked. So, to save someone the stress of researching different areas of law to see which ones clicked, I thought I would work with Osgoode Hall Family Law Association (OHFLA) to create a...
30 September 2021 was the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation also known as “Orange Shirt Day,” and I would like to share some of my reflections. I must start by saying that as a non-Indigenous person, I feel uncomfortable writing about these issues, but the importance of discussing this topic is much greater than my feelings of discomfort, and so I write this as mindfully as I...
The music industry is one with a rocky history as far as accessibility and price are concerned. With each passing iteration of music – cassettes, CDs, streaming, etc. – the world of music its fans alike strive for a delicate balance of sales and plays that can be heard by many and generate immense revenue for few. It is for reasons such as this that torrenting platforms such as Napster rose to...
September 24th marked the 30th anniversary of one of the most influential modern(ish) albums: Nirvana’s Nevermind. The album featured the trio ditching their metal riffs and center-of-the-show bass lines for a more alt-rock-y sound that synthesized the three core instruments into a more cohesive and narrow sound. We also saw a shift in lyrical style, where Nevermind took an analogous approach of...
Regardless of the result of the 2021 Federal Election, one thing is certain—our political parties are continuing to drop the ball. This isn’t a matter of public policy or ideology, but rather one of competence. Throughout the campaign, there was no shortage of gaffes, flip-flops, and communication catastrophes. But one particular failure dogged all three of the biggest national parties, where...
Imagine you are on any dating app. Swiping left and right, you see a good-looking person, just your type. Their face is stunning, they seem fun and exciting, and their body isn’t too bad either. You are excited for this prospect, so you check their bio, but to your horror their tinder bio is “Looking for the Pam to my Jim.” You have no choice but to swipe left. It is not just people on Tinder who...
When it comes to debates, getting comfortable being uncomfortable can be the most fruitful way forward Your friends, colleagues, parents, and their dogs are aware of the snap election called by Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau scheduled for 20 September 2021. The consistent buzz stirred by election season forces voters to choose whether to engage in potentially lethal political discourse or...
Daniil Medvedev’s reenactment of the “dead fish” forces us to reflect on the most infuriating celebrations in the video game Daniil Medvedev won the US Open in Flushing Meadows, Queens this past weekend, in a match that had tennis fans riveted to their screens. The rangy Russian thwarted Novak Djokovic in his bid to become the second man ever, after Rod Laver, to win a calendar Grand Slam...
As International Women’s Day passed, I found myself reflecting on my positionality in the male-dominated legal field as a woman; a white passing, biracial woman, to be precise. I will preface this opinion piece by stating I do not share the same experiences as a BIPOC woman, and I am not trying to speak on behalf of women (if you need to be reminded, no one is the spokesperson for women, in...
Two issues ago, I wrote in Obiter Dicta about the unprecedented risk of nuclear Armageddon. In this issue, I want to talk about something slightly more insidious and not quite as sexy – the impending end of humanity through reproductive failure. Many readers will be familiar with P.D. James’ timeless novel “Children of Men” in which reproductive failure in human males leads to global chaos...
[I’m very grateful to Heidi Young for raising the questions and concerns set out in this article. Following the publication of the article, Jeffery Sperling and I met with Heidi and other students to discuss these issues. Over the summer, we will work on addressing these issues, and in September, Heidi and I plan to co-author an article for Obiter Dicta setting out the resolutions and...
As a result of climate change, extreme weather events and natural disasters will worsen which can add to the threats that force people to flee across international borders. Furthermore, desertification, drought, land degradation and erratic rainfall will increase as temperatures rise and put pressure on people’s livelihoods leading to forced migration. In 2018, there were 28 million...
Two Systems, One Ignored Well, it’s finally happened, folks. As of March 13th, Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary for the United Kingdom, now considers the People’s Republic of China to be in a “state of ongoing non-compliance” with the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, after the “third breach in nine months”. Does this change a lot? Not necessarily. As many may already know, the Joint...
The third anniversary of Maxime Bernier’s exit from the Conservative Party of Canada is approaching. Following his firing from Andrew Scheer’s shadow cabinet and subsequent involvement in a media firestorm surrounding his comments on diversity and multiculturalism, he decided to quit the party and form his own. Dubbing it the People’s Party of Canada (PPC), Bernier claimed that his new party...
In one of the largest university settlement cases, the University of Southern California (USC) has agreed to an $852 million USD settlement in addition to their previous $215 million settlement approved by the federal court. The total settlement is even larger than many of the settlements that followed the child sex abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church. Ironically, both are closely related...
will the Roaring 20’s lead to a burning of the next decades to come? According to Wall Street, Washington, and Ottawa economists, many consumers are sitting on piles of pandemic savings that is prompting the possible prospect of a post-covid boom. Even in the last few weeks, vaccine distribution has increased and retail sales have jumped. This is said to be a result of months of lockdown induced...
I. Ontario’s Ag-Gag Legislation On June 18, 2020, Ontario’s Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act (“the Act”) received Royal Assent. Some provisions of the Act came into force on September 2, with the remaining provisions of the Act and its Regulation coming into force on December 5, 2020. The Act creates provisions specific to places where farm animals are kept and...