Long ago, as a child, I was told that driving is a privilege, not a right. It makes sense, right? To ensure that only the most capable get behind a wheel, we hold prospective drivers to high standards. After all, being at least sixteen years old is a pretty high standard and does demonstrate that you would be ready to deal with all the stresses of the road. However, the idea that you are a driver...
If you found your way here because you want to transfer law schools, I was in your position not too long ago. I knew from the first week at my original law school that I wanted to transfer back to a school closer to home, yet the pressure of not knowing what was required of me made me nervous. Would I be able to attain the grades needed to get accepted back home? How hard is law school, really...
My mother was sitting by the kitchen table wrapping all her pennies, nickels, and quarters in various coin wrappers. She had all the coins organized on her bed. I knew that when tomorrow came, we would be at the grocery store by the embarrassingly loud coin machine waiting for it to count her coins as I stand beside her feeling embarrassed and ashamed. My mother was a strong-willed woman...
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m late to the party. By now, the wreaths of carnations have dried, the mourners have drowned their sorrows with new ones, and the bus stations of Canada have been repopulated with scrappy upstarts. The public transit I rely on to commute between Hamilton, Toronto, and Osgoode has gotten me thinking about an old—and sometimes reliable—friend. If it’s not too much...
A post-Covid era has demonstrated that tribunals are, in fact, capable of expanding access to justice. However, it is important to note that the same regulatory agencies that claim to be more inclusive refused to conduct virtual hearings before the pandemic unless some extenuating circumstances would enforce otherwise. On the one hand, scholars studying administrative law argue that tribunals...
The relationship a sports fan has with their team of choice is a sacred bond that words cannot adequately describe. It’s what drives someone to paint their face, dye their beard, or 3D print an entire Mandalorian suit and paint it in their team’s colours in order to wear it to each game. Oftentimes, for many, their mood can depend on whether their team emerged victorious, the elation of a win...
There are three words I absolutely despise saying: I am sorry. See, remorse is funny. It’s the precursor to redemption and a byproduct of doing the wrong thing. Yet, we all feel remorse while simultaneously avoiding those two magic words. We let remorse fester and eat us up while we turn blue in the face, unable to blurt out those healing syllables. All too often, we just say “I’m sorry” not to...
The disproportionate risks of returning to mandatory in-person learning For the last several months, the Disability Collective of Osgoode has been raising concerns about the proposed mandatory return to in-person classes during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, particularly amidst the current Omicron wave. There is widespread agreement that people with disabilities are disproportionately affected by...
Every year at the end of January, my social media is bombarded with videos, images, and corporate messaging pushing for a general “awareness” of mental health issues. #BellLetsTalk has become a Canada-wide campaign to raise money for mental health initiatives. By sharing specific Bell Media content, we, the masses can contribute five-cent donations per view of Bell’s yearly mental health video...
In 2001, the Canadian Government formally recognized January 17 as “Raoul Wallenberg Commemorative Day.” Twenty-one years later, the importance of honouring Wallenberg’s legacy remains as pressing as ever. Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat who saved the lives of approximately 100,000 Jews during World War II. In the spring of 1944, the Nazis intensified their efforts to eradicate the Jewish...
In Issue 7, I discussed youth COVID-19 vaccinations and how Ontario’s Health Care Consent Act gives youth a taste of autonomy prior to adulthood. However, in pandemic-response fashion, more is to be said on this topic. With exponential COVID-19 case growth in December 2021, the province announced that schools will return to in-person education after a week and a half of online learning. In...
When I was a very young child, I used to be unreasonably scared of the dark: I had to have a nightlight, an adult awake when I was going to sleep, and of course, my trusty anti-ghost water gun under my pillowcase. Then, as I grew older, I developed this irrational fear that I would somehow swim out to the deep end of the beach and a tide would submerge me into a watery prison where I would be...
Note: The following article was written in 2021 and does not reflect announcements/changes that have transpired since then. Since resuming in-person education, a spotlight has shined brightly on Ontario youth and efforts towards limiting COVID-19 transmission in schools. Following the adult vaccination roll out, youth ages twelve and up were given the green light to receive mRNA vaccines in May...
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...