Sports have a storied history of hazing, bullying, and the “boys will be boys” mentality. Some consider it a rite of passage in sport, leading to stronger individuals and better people in the global community moving forward. But what happens when this isn’t the case? More often than not, the person who is being bullied will have no recourse and is left wondering what is wrong with them and why...
Winged Words Series Story # 3 When I was 14, I visited my grandparents’ Seattle home to help my grandmother out after a hip replacement. I don’t remember much about the trip, only that I saw a guy walking up a very steep hill in the middle of the city wearing a raccoon tail as an accessory, and that American Costco sells churros. My only regret is that I was too young to try the city’s...
Rest is a radical vision for a liberated future – @thenapministry When’s the last time you took a nap (without feeling guilty)? When’s the last time you did something restful (before you had the breakdown)? When’s the last time you reminded yourself that your value is not rooted in your transcript and is not calculable in 0.6 increments? I hope your answers to any of those questions...
“We have to talk about liberating minds, as well as liberating societies”. In first year, we were encouraged to write letters to ourselves. These letters were to contain our ambitions, our fears, our worries and the words we aspired to live by. As part of the letter I wrote to myself, I included an excerpt of a blog I wrote when I was 18 years old. “To be Black, is to be radiant. A radiance...
Is it my fault I was born this way? With melanin so dark you can’t even throw shade There is pain that lives deep down in my soul I feel like I’m being buried alive every time I hear the words “BLACK IS NOT BEAUTIFUL” I look at my reflection and all I can see is an embodiment of lies, constant relegation and skin that lacks beauty I feel like I’m drowning in waters polluted with...
This year has been a memorable one. We have experienced many notable events including the fires in Australia, the COVID-19 pandemic, and protests against racial injustice. In addition to all the world’s events, this year has impacted us all in different ways. As we near the end of the year, we challenge you to write a letter to yourself. We encourage you to take some time to reflect on this year...
The Mi’kmaq peoples of Mi’kma’ki, which is now called Nova Scotia, are being attacked by white supremacist lobster fishers because they have an Aboriginal Treaty right to fish and to a moderate livelihood. Full stop. That’s it, that’s all. Call it what it is. What is happening on the East Coast has nothing to do with conservation or concern for overfishing. It is quite the opposite. White...
If the theme of the 2016 US election was rage in the electorate – rage against a changing country, rage against globalism, rage against corporatism, rage against capitalism, rage against immigration, rage against racism, rage against sexism – the theme of the 2020 US election is undoubtedly rage in the media. On a daily basis the news media – from the corporate broadcast...
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...
“We’re a social enterprise.” As a novice “social” entrepreneur running my own company, I’ve used and heard this phrase a lot. The term “social enterprise” has rapidly emerged as a way of describing a new and improved generation in business and entrepreneurship. In recent years, social enterprise has become prominent, attracting the interest and attention of investors, mainstream media, and...
Content warning: This story contains details about the murder and sexual assault of a young child. Until last Thursday, the identity of nine-year-old Christine Jessop’s rapist and murderer was unknown. For thirty-six years, her family was unable to find answers, after the exoneration of Guy Paul Morin removed the main suspect. The police and prosecution’s singular focus on Morin had devastating...
A survey conducted in 2019 found that 71% of Canadians believe the country needs to take the lead globally in the fight against climate change, and 76% believe the country needs to be doing more on the issue as a whole. But you probably didn’t need to hear the statistics to back up the statement “Canadians care about the climate.” It is evident in small ways, such as more restaurants offering...
One student’s account of the online recruitment process Over the past two months, I participated in an entirely virtual recruitment process for 2L summer positions in the Calgary market. This process included a formal OCI day in early September, followed up by a second round of interviews and networking events in October. I thought I would share my experience and tips on virtual recruitment with...
In the summer between ninth and tenth grade, my friend and I would frequently visit the Newmarket Public Library. We’d spend afternoons browsing the dim aisles of the fiction section, checking out books, and strolling around the nearby lake and trail that led back to our neighborhoods. I didn’t know how else to fill my time other than with books. All my other friends at the time were engrossed in...
How our opinions on dystopias reflect who we are as individuals On October 21, 1949, George Orwell received a remarkable letter. It was penned by Orwell’s former French teacher and fellow writer, Aldous Huxley, whose own dystopian novel, Brave New World, had been published in 1932. The letter’s message was foremost congratulatory, as Orwell had recently published 1984. While Huxley...
There is no Kent Monkman retrospective planned for the AGO next month. A virtual vernissage occasionally drifts by, but no popup galleries feature his work amongst red wine in paper cups, and the list of his upcoming exhibitions dwindles with every month of COVID-19 closures. This doesn’t mean the art world has forgotten the Cree Two-Spirited artist, as his pieces still sell steadily for five and...
My father, a native New Yorker was particularly affected when the Twin Towers fell. In December of 2001, on the way home from one of our many trips visiting extended family, we detoured past Ground Zero. Three months had elapsed, yet small fires continued to smolder. Upon returning home, my father’s psyche collapsed. He developed migraines that have been with him since. To escape the ceaseless...
Schitt’s Creek features an ensemble cast of some of the most well-known names in Canadian media, including father-son duo Dan and Eugene Levy, and Catherine O’Hara. It follows the Rose family, down-on-their-luck former millionaires, who are stranded in a town originally bought by Eugene Levy’s character Johnny Rose as a joke. The Rose family camps out in a roadside motel, but manages to hang onto...
NOTE: the contents of this fictional retelling have been taken from trial transcripts. Some details have been changed or omitted to ensure privacy. Sidney Scofflaw got up to the stand. “You are Sydney Scofflaw, aged –, living in –? And you are a second-year student here at Osgoode, where the Osgoode Supreme Court is holding trial?” said the judge. “That’s right,” said Scofflaw. “And you were on...
As COVID-19 decimates the Canadian economy, throws indebted students into an uncertain job market, and poses real risk to both physical and mental health, Osgoode Hall Law School’s students click into their Zoom classes to start off the 2020-2021 academic year. One student reflects on the changes brought on by the pandemic and laments the virtual formatting of her courses. “Just because I never...
An interview with lawyer and Assistant General Manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Josh Flynn Jon Cooper, Brian Burke, Laurence Gilman, and Josh Flynn. What do these people have in common? For one, they all hold, or formerly held (sorry Brian), high-level positions within NHL organizations. However, there’s something else that links these men. Jon Cooper, Stanley Cup Champion and head coach of...
Outside of drafting and developing prospects, free agency provides NHL organizations with the best opportunity to improve their respective clubs. Sometimes these improvements come by way of making notable player signings or by inking multiple depth players, and in some cases, deciding not to re-sign a player at all. At the same time, there is no doubt that free agency can lead to GMs overpaying...