The Four Best and Worst Ways the Strike Affected Student Caucus As a Student Caucus representative and 1L student, I found myself thrown into discussions in a context I hadn’t contemplated in my legal education: a labour dispute. In my personal political adventure on Student Caucus in the midst of crisis, I partook in Osgoode’s quest for exemption from the academic activity ban and for the holy...
Sailing in the Uncharted Waters of 3D Printing In 1974, a joke written by David Jones in the New Scientist unknowingly predicted the development of an innovation that decades later would be called “the third industrial revolution.” Though his proposal imagined a laser that when shined through liquid plastic monomer caused it to solidify was intended to be tongue-in-cheek, it was only three years...
A Canadian-Israeli’s (Surprisingly Optimistic) Perspective on the Recent Elections and What the Future Holds for Israel Israel has a new government, and not everyone is happy—including many progressive Israelis. As a Canadian Jew by birth and an Israeli by choice, I offer a perspective shared by many here and in Israel—and it is a surprisingly optimistic one. I am always worried about...
A riveting, thought-provoking play by Catherine Frid Catherine mentions that working with J.D. students on the play was an amazing experience. Holder of a law degree herself, she felt right at home exploring issues of law and justice with so many bright people—a perfect collaboration. Children on a school trip parade by me as I wait for the conference room to open in the foyer of Black Creek...
My Eleven Golden Rules In 1946, George Orwell had an article published called “A Nice Cup of Tea” in which he describes the proper way to make tea. The way in which he thoroughly and eloquently describes a process as mundane as making tea has always made me chuckle. Recently, I have been wondering whether there were any other topics in need of such profound insight. Finally it hit me...
An interview with Nejeed Kassam, CEO of Networks for Change Nejeed Kassam graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2014. Currently articling at Ricketts Harris LLP, he is the CEO of Networks for Change (NFC), a social enterprise that celebrated a soft launch of their flagship product, Keela, at the United Nations in February 2015. Keela.co is a collaborative project management platform designed...
The Marvels of Filmmakers Unhinged: S&M, Stalkers, and Seatbelt Hangings The Duke of Burgundy (2014) 3/4 Sumptuously claustrophobic, visually ravishing, emotionally wise, wryly subversive, and peculiarly haunting, The Duke of Burgundy is a deeply eccentric filigree of a film; a louche, auteurist hothouse contemporary gothic; and a daring, atmosphere-soaked piece of hypnotherapy. It’s a...
On 1 April, the Toronto Public Library will launch their first ever Law at the Library series, which focuses on helping Torontonians solve common legal problems. According to CFCJ Executive Director Nicole Aylwin who sits on the Law at the Library Steering Committee, the goal of Law at the Library is to “empower people by expanding access to knowledge and resources that may help Torontonians more...
Food Adventure #12: Lady Marmalade LADY MARMALADE (898 Queen St. East) Kate: For our last foray into the Toronto brunch scene, we chose Lady Marmalade. In my four years living in Toronto, I had never been to this area (or many places east of Yonge, to be honest—I can count the number of times I’ve crossed the Don River on one hand), and holy shit it is far. It took me forty-five minutes to get...
Per jus ad justitiam. Through law to justice. So reads the Latin phrase on the regal crest of Osgoode Hall Law School. I have always understood that phrase quite literally—the law ought to be used to pursue justice. There are some, however, who seem to interpret it to mean that our understanding of the law ought to inform our understanding of justice. This puts the cart before the horse—and it is...
To Faculty Council: We are very pleased to learn that the University and CUPE 3903 appear to have reached an agreement that meets the membership’s demands. As law students burdened with debt and facing uncertain futures, we recognize CUPE 3903’s needs—for affordable tuition, for equitable employment practices, for job security—as consistent with our own. CUPE 3903 struck to create better...
We are a group of Osgoode Hall Law School alumni writing to you in regards to the CUPE 3903 strike at York University. We wish to address both the administration and students in voicing our support for CUPE 3903 and the law students who are refusing to cross the picket lines in solidarity. Our Message to the Administration of Osgoode Hall Law School Why we support CUPE 3903 and Osgoode Hall Law...
With present concerns over the ongoing strike at York University, it’s easy for the environment to take a back seat on our list of priorities. However, rather than making us forget the importance of environmental protection, the labour disruption should remind us of that issue. The labour movement started about a century before the modern environmental movement, but the two phenomena have...
The Maple Leafs haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967. The Blue Jays haven’t made the playoffs since 1993. Most people reading this likely don’t remember the last time these teams were truly successful. So why do we care so much? Why are we fans? I asked myself these questions this past week after one of the Blue Jays’ best pitchers was unexpectedly injured. He will likely miss the entire...
A look into the team’s ascension to greatness and its heydays Part 4: Putting the finishing touch on the masterpiece The signing of Morris and Winfield after the 1991 season was of ample significance. For the longest time, it was inconceivable to envision that elite unrestricted free agents would be willing to sign in Toronto. One reason is because in the eyes of these top-end unrestricted...
Societies are judged by the manner in which they treat their most vulnerable. How will ours be judged? Over the course of less than one week in January, two homeless men died out in the cold. They died because they were exposed to the elements with no place to go, not in a far-flung developing nation, but here in Toronto. In an epoch when nearly everyone has a phone that can count steps walked...
Editorial Note: Second-year JD student Ryan Robski was chosen as this year’s Dean for a Day. He was supposed to have moved into the Dean’s Office on 5 March. In light of the labour disruption, however, Ryan and Dean Lorne Sossin decided to forego trading places. Here is Ryan’s award-winning essay submission for the 2015 Dean for a Day contest. Remember “Big Block of Cheese Day”...
“We have to overcome distrust and hostility, make things compatible, and become agreeable. For this to happen, from the Inuit perspective, many things need to be considered.” – Amagoalik, Jon. 2012 The Arctic is changing. The thawing of permafrost and icecaps induced by climate change has shaken Inuit livelihood and led to an international push for resource exploration and development...
It’s not our fault; saving the world from climate change just isn’t in our nature There’s nothing terribly sexy or salacious to be found in talks of environmental degradation or resource depletion—and rest assured, you likely won’t be the life of the party as you enlighten your guests on the disastrous effects of oil spills, acid rain, and urban runoff. In fact, for many people, environmental...
Vampires, Melodrama, and Bad Erotica: Something for Everyone? Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) 1/4 Tepid, timid, turgid, tedious, and tame, if barely staying off the track of terrible, Fifty Shades of Grey is a monochromatic misfire, a syrupy softcore melodrama, a Harlequin Romance with pulleys. Chaste and clumsy, drab and dull, silly and sanctimonious, limp and ludicrous, it’s a Twilight ripoff...
As the composition of the law school student body has evolved, so too, have the rules of the game. Some have welcomed these changes, while others demand more; others still lament what they consider to be hyper-sensitivity and the stifling of free speech. These changes probably seem radical to those who have never been exposed to critical perspectives on topics such as gender and race. A thorough...
Why are we so apathetic about environmental injustice and indigenous suffering, Canada’s two most famous shames? “Going green” is not just a seasonal recommendation for Canadians; it is a moral imperative. “Continuance of life depends on sustenance and it is the duty of everyone to nurture and protect the land. As women we have a special relationship to Our Mother the Earth because we also give...
A plan without enforcement is no plan at all Alberta has released a new set of rules that it says are designed to limit water use from the Athabasca River. In addition, companies will be expected to diminish the growth of tailings ponds (pools of wastewater from bitumen extraction) and ensure that these ponds have been reclaimed within ten years of the end of a mining project. While these new...
Osgoode’s environmental law mooting program is alive and well. As a member of Osgoode Hall’s 2015 Willms & Shier Environmental Law Moot team, I am pleased to report that the 7 March competition went (almost) as well as we could have hoped for. While nine law schools from coast to coast were represented at the competition (from the University of Victoria all the way to Dalhousie University)...
Shaking up the Business Community’s Climate Change Complacency Climate change—although a hot-button issue for environmentalists and a concern of many Canadians—has taken a political backseat in recent years. This has allowed the fossil fuel industry and investors to delay thinking about transitioning to a low-carbon economy. The wait is over. The growing understanding of the carbon bubble is set...