“We may have years, we may have hours, but sooner or later we all push up flowers.” Photo CredIt: LucasArts You have to be serious about a noir film. That kind of cynicism and brush up with hard-boiled reality isn’t pure escape. You might get a happy ending, sure—but then you might also hear whispers of “forget it, it’s Chinatown.” There’s a lot of prestige tied up in the genre, and there’s no...
TIFF 2024-Review: Must Sees and Skips
Photo CredIt: Toronto InternatIonal FIlm FestIVal As the school year began, the yearly Northern migration of Hollywood A-to-Z listers, their agents, distributors, and directors took place at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Despite the shift from Bell as the festival’s biggest partner to Rogers after nearly three decades of partnership, the festival felt largely the same as...
How to Lose a Fanbase in 10 Days
Among the most prominent storylines of the inaugural season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) was that of the Minnesota Frost (formerly PWHL Minnesota). From significant on-ice accomplishments to questionable offseason antics, the team incorporated approximately a decade’s worth of drama into a singular season. The Frost’s meteoric rise and subsequent fall from favour, seemingly...
Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Releases Team Names
Photo CredIt: Getty Images/DennIs Pajot On 9 September 2024, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) released the official names and logos for their “Inaugural Six” teams. The new team names are Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, Montreal Victoire, New York Sirens, Ottawa Charge, and Toronto Sceptres. The new names and logos come ahead of the league’s second season. The league played its entire...
As Champions League and Club World Cup Schedules Expand, Concerns Arise Over Footballers Facing Detrimental Effects from Rising Stress Levels
This year, the expansion of major international football competitions will result in players participating in more games than ever before, raising concerns about the physical and mental toll on athletes as they are pushed to their limits. More games and tournaments are on the football calendar than ever before. Major tournaments, like the UEFA Champions League (UCL) and the Club World Cup are...
Crossword Answers
Across:
1 KARAKATSANIS, 3 STEVENSON, 5 MARKHAM, 6 LEXIS, 8 CAREER, 9 AMAR, 12 FORTY, 13 PIE, 14 OWL, 16 CANLII, 17 Library, 18 MCDONALDS.
Down:
2 IGNATKANEFF, 4 SUMMARIES, 5 MARKETPLACE, 7 STATUTORY, 8 CHAMBERS, 10 YEO, 11 WILLIAM, 15 VILAW.
Turning the Page on Obiter’s 95th Volume
In planning Obiter Dicta’s first in-person event earlier this year, I found myself in the student paper’s basement office leafing through past print issues dating well back to the 1960s. As we phrased it to one another on the management team, we planned this event with the goal of reminding the Osgoode community that Obiter exists and that it does interesting, creative things. We used...
A Move Towards Reconciliation: The Nehiyaw and Dene Nations of Treaty No. 8 Adoption and Private Guardianship Law
The Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta are advocating for the implementation of a new law—the Nehiyaw and Dene Nations of Treaty No. 8 Adoption and Private Guardianship Law—which aims to protect First Nations children. This law works to end the adoptions and private guardianships involving Treaty 8 children without written consent from either parents or guardians, and the First Nations themselves...
Mickey Mouse’s New Home: The Public Domain
Photo credits: Doo Lee, CC BY 4.0 from Center for the Study of the Public Domain at Duke Law In the jurisdiction of intellectual property, few names shine as bright as Mickey Mouse. Yet, as the clock struck midnight on 1 January 2024, Micky took a historic step: he entered the public domain.[1] For many, this is their chance to dive into their creative minds and transform Mickey into distinct...
Osgoode Represents Canada at The Hague in International Criminal Law Moot Competition
Osgoode Hall Law School is set to represent Canada at The Hague in May, the renowned court for international criminal law and the seat of the United Nations. Competing against top law schools such as Georgetown, University of Chicago, and University of Miami, Osgoode’s team will face a challenging and intellectually rigorous competition. This year’s case touches on critical issues...
Goodwill in Trademark Infringement
Depreciation of goodwill in trademark infringement cases is highly subjective, and alternative arguments to those of the court can be made in the case of Subway IP LLC v. Budway, Cannabis & Wellness Store.[1] This Federal Court case was one in which Subway claimed that Budway violated their trademark, directed business away from Subway towards Budway, and depreciated the goodwill of the...
Brain Waves and Breakthroughs: Patenting Neurotech in Canada
In the ever-evolving landscape of innovation, neurotechnology stands as both a beacon of promise and a nexus of ethical complexity. While patents fuel innovation, they also risk creating barriers that hinder society’s access to life-changing advancements in brain science. As Canada ventures into this domain, it confronts challenges regarding the patenting of life-saving devices, navigating...
Indian General Elections 2024: A Third Term for Modi-led BJP Government?
On Saturday, 16 March, the Election Commission of India announced the dates for India’s upcoming 2024 General Elections. They are to take place between 19 April to 1 June, over a period of forty-two days and in a total of seven phases. These elections are the second longest to ever be held in the country, with the longest being the first ever General Elections held in 1951. Conducted 3 years...
Musings on “Tough Crime” Judges
Simply put, partisan appointment of judges erodes confidence in the integrity of the administration of justice. A fundamental principle of our justice system is that “justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done.” This stressing of the image of justice is informed by the overriding public interest in maintaining confidence in the integrity...
Zheng v Chen: A Warning Against the Use of AI in Family Law
Since the rise of Chat GTP, there has been a correlated increase in the debate of whether artificial intelligence will eventually render the role of the lawyer futile. After all, AI is gaining traction as a useful tool to analyze and synthesize great amounts of documentation, a large part of what lawyers and legal clerks do. In fact, in 2023, Goldman Sachs reported that generative AI currently...
I See the Light
At daybreak, you find yourself searching for the light, You see clouds, birds, trees, and grass, but no light, As day passes to dusk, light’s husk is not to be seen, Twilight approaches, and to your dismay, darkness is in the queue, What would dark be without light? Dare not say fright! In the darkest hour, the moon’s beams descend into the night, Watching from afar, you stand as close to...
Searching for a Loving Ethic in my Legal Career
In All About Love, bell hooks (note that hooks intentionally does not capitalize her name) describes love as a deliberate action. Love is a verb, a thing we do, and we should do it intentionally. This is foundational for a loving ethic. Throughout her book, hooks argues how love has space in all aspects of our lives, including the workplace. In order to cultivate self-love, we need to surround...
Consider the Tap(s)
An unauthorized guide to Osgoode’s best faucets and tap lamps. The Tap Lamps We are constantly surprised by the number of our peers who are unaware of the “tap on, tap off” lamps on the tables furthest away from the windows on the upstairs floor of the library. In fact, we are only sharing this information with Obiter readers because we are graduating and won’t be around for the inevitable fights...
Exploring Ontario: Hiking Trails for this Spring and Summer
I hope spring is coming soon because winter can kindly leave. Spring is the time to start leaving our homes again and (hopefully) start going on nature walks and exploring what Ontario has to offer. I’ve compiled a list of some routes I’ve hiked over the past few years, or ones that were recommended to me by friends. I’ve included the distance from Osgoode as well, and hopefully the...
2024 MLB Season Preview
On March 20, 2024, the 2024 MLB season would have kicked off with a two-game series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres in Seoul, South Korea. Opening Day in North America was slated to occur on March 28. For baseball fans, another 162 game season is on its way and the storylines are intriguing to say the least. Here are five that I will personally be keeping an eye on. ...
The Race for the Hart
The Hart Memorial Trophy crowns the Most Valuable Player in the NHL every year since 1972. Greats like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Alexander Ovechkin have won the award multiple times, cementing their legacies as some of the best to step foot on the ice. This year’s race, however, is one of the tightest ones we’ve seen in recent history. It’s a four-way competition between Connor McDavid...
A Wild Offseason
The NFL offseason just got underway and the player movement has been surprising. Star players seem to be changing teams daily and as the NFL world turns towards the Draft in late April, we can expect even bigger fireworks. Here are some of the most interesting and shocking offseason stories. Legends Retire Every offseason, the NFL bids farewell to historically great players. Defensive...
CUPE strike 2024
Courtesy: On 23 February 2024, at the Special General Membership meeting of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3903 (CUPE), members voted strongly in favour of initiating strike action on February 26 until a fair employment contract is negotiated. CUPE represents teaching assistants, contract faculty, graduate assistants, and part-time librarians and archivists across York University...
The Ford Government Introduces the One-Fare Program for Transit Users
Transit agencies participating in the One-Fare program. Courtesy: Prestocard.ca On February 26, the Ford government’s fare integration policy was enacted. The program was initially supposed to launch in March 2023. The fully funded One-Fare program by the Ontario government will make commuting more accessible and affordable for transit users. This one-fare decision will enable transit users...
Fashion and the Times: Gen Z’s New World Order
You hear talk of Gen Z everywhere nowadays—in the news, on your socials, in talks with friends. Maybe you’re part Gen Z, or maybe they’re a species of human completely foreign to you. Regardless of what you think of the young, feisty, and unconcerned group, one thing is clear: they have style. In 2022, a survey showed that in the United States, fashion was the favourite entertainment...