Reflecting on the Biggest Canadian Sports Moment of a Generation Sports are usually a great pastime; a 2-3 hour distraction from the mundane realities we put ourselves through. But sometimes they mean just a bit more. Every now and then in the sports world, we get a moment so dramatic, a story so compelling, an event so impactful and emotional, that it causes people to scream with joy and...
What NHL Teams Should be Making Moves at this Year’s Deadline The 2020 NHL trade deadline is quickly approaching. Teams will need to decide whether they’re buyers, sellers, or just letting it ride as we approach the quest for the Stanley Cup. Let’s take a look at a few teams who should be buying (or should’ve bought) at the deadline. Eastern Conference Tampa Bay Lightning The Lightning are a team...
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...
An illuminative discussion with one of Osgoode’s finest In the inaugural piece of what I hope is to become a recurring feature with different instructors, I sit down with Professor Berger for a chat about his career and what he likes to do to unwind. Tomi Milos (TM): I know a little bit about your decorated path through school, but I’m curious as to when you developed a taste for academia. Did...
In vearing 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...
The last time I felt this lonely, I was living by myself on an ostrich farm in the-middle-of-nowhere, Guatemala. I would go for a run every day, find a tree to sit under, and cry. It’s sad, but also funny, in a dramatic kind of way. I was living that maudlin storybook life: drunk on desolation, epiphanies galore. I walked away from that dang ostrich farm with a very deep understanding of...
Osgoode students and professors discuss their experiences of clerking in Canada Dreaming of becoming a Supreme Court judge? You might be suffering delusions of grandeur. Or, you might need to pursue a judicial clerkship. For members of the legal world, it is almost undeniable that clerkships, particularly at the highest court level, carry cachet and intrigue. Part of the intrigue relates to what...
A look into the fierce activist and namesake of OUTLaws’ annual drag show CW: suicide, death, mental health, violence against sex workers, violence of child welfare When asked about the highlights of Osgoode, many cite the Wendy Babcock Drag Show, a night of performances by fantastic Toronto drag queens and fun. In the past, the show has been known to be a night to remember, a creation of a...
Obiter does not hold the views of any of its anonymous authors. In the future, Obiter intends to use pieces like this as a conversation-starter, and plans on engaging administration in a relevant way to help solve the problems that articles like this identify. The first and most fundamental responsibility owed to Osgoode students by both Osgoode Hall Law School, and York University itself...
A Perspective on Professional Responsibilities Editor’s Note: This piece was originally submitted as part of Osgoode’s Ethical Lawyering in a Global Community course. Growing up, I was taught that storytellers are the most powerful people in the world. Lawyers, like traditional storytellers, occupy a privileged place in society which gives their stories special significance. We have...
Lessons in Cause-and-Effect; from Walkerton to the Novel Coronavirus The interesting thing about disaster is that it generally surprises when it strikes, yet it is often revealed to have been entirely predictable and preventable in hindsight. Take the Walkerton E. coli disaster of 2000 as an example: more than two thousand sick, six people dead, and an entirely predictable and preventable...
If you saw Cats (2019), a pending class action lawsuit may affect you Are you a lover of film, musical theatre, cats, or Jason Derulo? Do you love them all and spend your days seeking an amalgamation that will quench your aching thirst for all four? Are you simply a lover of decency, good taste, and well-rendered CGI? If you or a loved one was exposed to CATS (2019, dir. Tom Hooper)...
Editor’s Note: Manny, our Satire Editor, has written another great non-satirical concert review. That’s right: you are to take the following quite literally. Returning to Toronto to perform at Generator, the science expo/TEDTalk/variety show created by Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield on January 10th, TWRP headlined at the Opera House with Rich Aucoin on January 11th before starting their...
As all of my Osgoode classmates have now come to know, musicals have defined much of my life. I mean, how fun is it to just burst into a song and dance to explore a big moment or dilemma in your life? Although not a realistic route to conflict resolution, song and dance have been integrated into much of my life since I was a young child. I began my passion for performance as a competitive...
So, what exactly is Eataly? A quick Google search will tell you that Eataly is a fusion of two words: eat and Italy. This snazzy name is used to describe an eatery that combines fresh ingredients, grocery-store style, with various hot tables and restaurant spaces. You could be walking down an aisle of fresh produce or finding yourself mesmerised by the deli and cheese counters. Then, you turn...
OTTAWA, ON Following what they call years of systemic discrimination, “gamers” flooded the House of Commons yesterday to make their voices known. Championing private member’s bill C-1337, gamers of all stripes came to highlight the struggles they have faced and how parliament has remained silent on these issues. “It’s an utter travesty, what we can see is the state trying to control our...
The World Reacts to the Death of Basketball Legend Kobe Bryant The world was sent into utter shock two weeks ago when Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others passed away in a tragic helicopter crash near Calabasas, California. The crash immediately sent social media into a frenzy, as conflicting reports caused people to question whether it was a hoax. Bryant’s most recent tweet had...
Three Takeaways From Super Bowl LIV Super Bowl LIV provided the NFL’s 100th season with a storybook ending but it was a weird outcome based on how the game went. The game hummed along quickly and was devoid of big moments, aside from 30 minutes of Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, which likely caused many young boys to experience weird feelings they’d never felt before. I predicted a few weeks...
A Tribute to Kobe & Gianna Bryant January 22nd, 2006. I thought it was just another game. It wasn’t. I was at a family friend’s house celebrating his tenth birthday. We spent most of the day building snowmen and playing tag, hide and seek, Nintendo DS, and house. After stuffing ourselves with food and sweets, it was time for the basketball game to start. I wasn’t a basketball fan at the time:...
From the Archives: Dean Hogg Reflects on his time as Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School Originally Published March 24, 2003 The Editors of Obiter Dicta join Osgoode Hall in mourning the passing of Dean Peter Hogg, who died February 4, 2020. We are republishing this interview as a tribute to his legacy at Osgoode.Connor Campbell, Editor in Chief (Feb 7, 2020) In the grand Jan Wong tradition, the...
OSGOODE HALL, TORONTO ON – Citing ‘app failure’ and a lack of volunteer training, nearly a day after the Iowa caucuses in the Democratic primary we are still left in the dark as to who has clinched valuable delegates in the race to be the Democratic Party candidate. With the failure of the DNC to publish the results of the Iowa Caucus in a timely manner, Osgoode students who are allegedly...
Time for the Republic of Canada I consider myself to be a bit of a traditionalist. I grew up in a family where my grandmothers on both sides were (are) enamoured by our monarch, the Queen of Canada, Elizabeth II. Somewhat an oddity considering my late-grandmother on my Father’s side was of Polish-German descent, and my grandmother on my Mother’s side is French-Canadian – neither, of course, being...
A comment on Canada v Vavilov On December 19, the Supreme Court of Canada released its judgement in Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) v Vavilov (Vavilov), upholding a decision by the Federal Court of Appeal and confirming Toronto-born resident Alexander Vavilov’s status as a Canadian citizen. Mr. Vavilov, 25, and brother Timothy, 29, saw their parents indicted nine years...
My oldest step-sister and I have always been close. Maybe it’s because we’re both the “eldest” but mostly, I think we’re just wired in similar ways. In a few years, she’ll finish her PhD in Social Work in Calgary. Until then, her trips to Toronto and ours together are the best kind of time we spend. Professionally, she’s spent a good chunk of her adult life helping patients and their families...
You may be wondering what exactly L&L does at Osgoode. Before joining the executive this year, I didn’t quite understand the breadth of activities that L&L supports or leads. I thought of it as your typical student government offering social events here and there. I also thought of it as a fairly insulated group (for a student government at least) which is why I am writing this article to...