Gabby Aquino Law students wear many hats, and at Osgoode, many students also wear the hat of being community organizers. I had the honour of interviewing 12 JD students about their involvement in various social justice movements and community initiatives this past year. Here is an overview of their work. Gabby Aquino (1L) is a settler with Philippine roots living in Tkaronto, with stories to...
In conversation with Adam Knauff, Wade Poziomka, and Camille Labchuk Adam Knauff is an ethical vegan and a firefighter who has been employed with Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources for over a decade. In July 2017, Adam was deployed to Williams Lake, British Columbia. Meals at the base camp were provided by a company contracted by the Ministry. He relied on vegan meals from the Ministry, and...
Learning About to Learn From It’s no surprise that a Supreme Court Justice has a lot to teach an audience of eager law students, but the Honourable Justice Iacobucci showed that there is much more to learn about the law and Canada by listening to the stories of how we all came to be. In an event hosted by the Canadian Italian Association of Osgoode (CIAO), an Osgoode club whose goal is to empower...
Last Friday, Hicks Morley hosted a moot at Osgoode — just like last year. I competed with Jeff Adams — just like last year. We made it to the final round in the Moot Court room, and Hicks treated Osgoode students to dinner at Osteria Da Geppetto (Sud Forno) — just like last year. But last Friday, there was a striking difference: John Kloosterman was not there. Because...
What Happened at OWN’s Biggest Event of the Year? On Tuesday February, 25, 2020, the Osgoode Women’s Network (“OWN”) held its seventh annual “OWN Your Career,” event, the Network’s culminating event of the school year, at the Gladstone Hotel. This evening was designed for two main purposes: to provide a chance for Osgoode’s women-identifying students to network and make new connections with women...
Soon Osgoode will be abuzz with the L&L spring elections. You’ll hear candidates making their best pitch as to why they should represent the student body; you’ll see posters of candidates around the building; you’ll be diligently watching the all-candidates debate (which is probably even more popular than the US presidential debate). You may be wondering to yourself now whether you should...
Last October, swarthy Joe Rogan interviewed scrawny Edward Snowden about mass surveillance, patriotism, and extraterrestrial life. Eleven million people have tuned in since. Snowden, who copied and leaked over a million highly classified files from US military and intelligence agencies, shares the stage with Chelsea Manning, and the currently unnamed individuals behind the Panama Papers and the...
How Canada’s Expropriation Laws Function to Preclude Compensation for Private Property Owners Flipping through my property law textbook, I was struck by the realization that, in certain situations, the Crown has the power to expropriate the land of private citizens without compensating its owners. After navigating through the legal topography of expropriation, several of my cursory concerns...
The Rise of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump Editorial Note: This article was submitted before Super Tuesday. The Democratic Presidential Primary is shaping up to be one of the most chaotic in recent memory. 29 candidates threw their hats into the ring, creating the most competitive primary in US history. This list, with candidates ages 38-89, contained seven visible minorities, six non...
The Photograph is a love story starring Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield, two black actors who are among the biggest names in Hollywood today. Since it was released last weekend, there have been some discussions about the quality of the film. Some are comparing it to films such as Queen and Slim while others simply thought that it was boring. After seeing the film, I think it is worth having a...
There is a configuration of identity in our country that is becoming increasingly common with each passing day; yet, without a word uttered concerning its existence. It is a form of identity that is poorly understood by those who experience it, as it is true only half of the time. I am describing Canadians whose identities as ‘Canadian’ have been only recently conferred. Some of us were born here...
The video essay weighs in on the struggle against oppression and how African-Americans are forced to endure this. During the reading break, I had the opportunity to visit Montréal and view Arthur Jafa’s “Love is the Message, the Message is Death, 2016” at the Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal. “Love is the Message” is a video essay that has been featured at the Metropolitan Museum...
In veering away from her normal documentary fare, Kitty Green presents a vital distillation of the troubles that have plagued #MeToo Kitty Green’s latest feature-length, following 2017’s Casting JonBenet, is a slow burn that will certainly find its detractors, but its fans might outvoice them. The message is a much needed one in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, bringing attention to the...
Four More Books on China The internecine conflict between the Kuomintang (or Nationalists) and Communists defined Chinese politics for many decades. By the time the defeated Kuomintang fled to Taiwan in 1949, it had been going on for over 20 years—intermittently at first, and as a full-scale civil war from 1945. Thereafter, it continued as a mostly cold, very occasionally hot war before settling...
Maple Leafs’ embarrassing loss to Emergency Goalie causes flashbacks to that Game Seven vs. Boston for fans On February 22, 2020, the Toronto Maple Leafs suffered one of their most embarrassing losses in history when they fell 6-3 to the Carolina Hurricanes, a team that was forced to send out David Ayres, a 42 year-old Zamboni Driver for the Toronto Marlies, as an emergency backup goalie after...
On the importance of an anti-oppression lens in ELGC and beyond Last month, 1L students kicked off their Winter semester with two weeks of Osgoode’s mandatory course, Ethical Lawyering in a Global Community. Known to most as ELGC, the course aims to orient new law students to professional norms and ethical issues faced by lawyers. The course was introduced to Osgoode in 2006 and covers topics...
The Osgoode Chapter of the Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR) is hosting its first networking event of the semester and it is one you do not want to miss! The theme will be Transnational Corporations and Social Responsibility. Those who are passionate or interested in human rights, Indigenous, environmental, public interest, or international law are encouraged to attend...
Heads up Osgoode! The Competition Law Society (TCLS) is hosting an exciting contest after reading week! We will be calling for short submissions––it can literally be as short as a Facebook post––about a hot competition related issue that you have come across! What kind of issues would be considered relevant to competition law, you might ask? Here are some examples of topics that you...
Angela Bain represents the law school and the nation at the UN Human Rights Council Osgoode is known by many to have an excellent international law program. From courses in international human rights law and international trade regulation to the International and Transnational Law Intensive Program (ITLIP), Osgoode provides concrete means for interested students to engage in the theoretical and...
This month, Osgoode began a strategic planning phase. The strategic plan sets out the big-picture goals and direction of the law school for the next three years, and student participation in this plan is highly encouraged. In response to this call for participation, a number of Osgoode students have formed a working group made of 1L, 2L and 3L students, with the intention to encourage Osgoode to...
Oh, you wanted a twist?! Come on Osgoode! Let’s get sickening! *insert deathdrop* Get ready for the return of the Wendy Babcock Drag Show, organized by the Osgoode OUTLaws. This annual, drag-extravaganza continues to celebrate the diversity and expression of Osgoode’s LGBT2QA student body. In loving memory to Wendy Babcock, all proceeds will be donated to the Wendy Babcock Scholarship. We are...
Why Chief Justice McLachlin’s Confidence in Hong Kong’s Courts Should Give Us Pause From London to Beijing Almost 23 years ago, the United Kingdom handed over control of their Hong Kong colony to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). As part of the transfer agreement, Hong Kong would become a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the communist nation, but would be able to retain the...
Editor’s Note: Occasionally the editorial team here at Obiter chooses to re-publish timely and relevant submissions from our archives. In acknowledgement and celebration of Black History Month, we bring you this piece penned by Class of ’13 alum, Shawn Knights, from Volume 85 of Obiter Dicta, originally published February 11, 2013. Since its inception, there has been an ongoing debate about...
From Trent University to Wet’suwet’en Territory, Respect and Understanding Needed I completed my undergraduate studies in economics at Trent University, a small research-focused school situated on the banks of the Otonabee River, just outside of Peterborough, Ontario. Trent University is known primarily for both its beautiful campus and world-class professors. However, Trent University also has...
A Comment on Wisconsin v Loomis Facts of the Case: The State contends that Loomis was the driver in a drive-by shooting. It charged him with five counts, all as a repeater: (1) First-degree recklessly endangering safety (PTAC); (2) Attempting to flee or elude a traffic officer (PTAC); (3) Operating a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent; (4) Possession of a firearm by a felon (PTAC);...