Retraumatizing victims of abuse in court occurs less frequently because of trauma-informed litigation, but it must be eliminated if we want to realize the justice we claim to pursue in the Canadian legal system. If I must be honest, I was preparing to write about Osgoode’s neglect of social justice-related legal work. Even though that conversation is important, I believe this topic is also in...
On June 6, 2021, Nathanael Veltman drove his pickup truck into a family of five in London, Ontario, resulting in the tragic deaths of Talat Afzaal, her son Salman Afzaal, and his wife Madiha Salman. Two of their young children were also harmed: only the 9-year-old boy survived. On November 16, 2023, Veltman was finally found guilty for four counts of first-degree murder and one count of...
Last month, the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) ruled that the Impact Assessment Act, 2019 (“IAA”) is unconstitutional in part. The majority for the SCC held that while the federal government can define criteria for areas touching federal jurisdiction, they cannot do so for provincial areas. The majority’s primary area of focus was on the statutory element which enabled the feds to use the public...
Okay, so I was wrong. Klingberg is no longer an all-star defenceman and it could not be any more obvious. Our goaltending isn’t bad but just terribly inconsistent. Tyler Bertuzzi cannot score playing five-on-five hockey. Domi’s not bad. Reaves got scratched already. It’s not looking good. The Leafs are not having a great start to the season. They can’t seem to win in regulation, their...
Editor’s Note: Using our platform to discuss the Israel-Hamas war The Israel-Hamas war is a highly sensitive and important topic, given the recent hostilities and long-standing conflict within the region. Due to the sensitivity and complexity of this matter, we have decided not to cover it in this issue given the personal impact of the violent conflict on many members of our community...
Halfway through the 2023 Cricket World Cup, we explore the sport’s ability to further decolonization The ICC CWC trophy with the Taj Mahal in the background. Source: Al Jazeera What do India, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Sri Lanka have in common? History buffs may recognize them as former British colonies. But cricket fans know them as the top five teams of the 2023 ICC Cricket World...
On 24 October 2023, Iceland held a twenty-four-hour strike supporting gender equality. The rally was organized by forty-five organizations and saw thousands of women and non-binary people across Iceland standing in solidarity. Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir joined the cause, stating that she and all the women in the cabinet would not work on this day. The rally holds great significance after...
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan have been in a state of war since April 2023. An estimated 9,000 people have lost their lives in what has become one of the worst humanitarian crises on the African subcontinent in recent years. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, about 5.8 million people have been displaced internally...
As a 3L, I’m acutely aware of how fast approaching the “real life” working world is. Soon enough, all of us law students will reach the end of our law school journey and move on to the real world, where most of us will dedicate most of our lives working as attorneys for a firm, or maybe even start our own. Maybe some of us will leave the legal field altogether, or not even bother to try to become...
If you’re reading this, you probably thought you would never have to think about the LSAT ever again. But what you didn’t account for was that the LSAT, like most things in this profession, is constantly changing. Additionally, opinionated students don’t know how to keep their thoughts to themselves. Well, I apologize, but I think this short piece is worth a quick read. The Law...
*Disclaimer: there is no sugar-coating in this article. This is the real deal. We don’t carry our experiences well in law school. Perhaps the good ones— yes— but the mediocre ones, not so much. Don’t worry, I’m not here to give you a depressing story about this three-year journey from a jaded 3L. Quite the contrary. I want to show you that law school can be an enjoyable experience (who would have...
Your Next Netflix Binge Might Not Be What You’d Expect NB: spoilers have been denoted with spoiler warnings. A little while ago, my partner had some classmates over at his place to study. I was heating up a leftover poke bowl (yuck, I know), listening to him and his peers debate the delicacies of obstetric medicine. One of them popped into the kitchen to grab a drink. While I picked at my...
Four Movie Recommendations Based on the Best Things I’ve Seen Lately I might not be a “cinephile” (as the Twitter nerds would say) but I watch a lot of movies. So far, my excursions to the movie theatre have been the only thing sustaining me through the first insane months of law school. After all, it is important to escape from the Ignat Kaneff Dungeon once in a while. Revue Cinema in...
Around a year ago, I developed a surprising taste for a specific band’s sound that I otherwise never thought I would have enjoyed. What’s all the more peculiar is that this particular band is still very much part of the super-genre I listen to: Rock ‘n roll. Rock is the bread and butter of my musical taste—or “dad rock” to be specific (even if disparaging). Even those outsiders to the genre would...
As the 2023–2024 NBA season begins, fellow basketball fans will be excited to see how all the offseason drama cumulates onto the court. For a fanbase that craves petty online drama and debates on X, this upcoming season should present more fuel to the fire. Here are five storylines to consider for this season. Freak Time Former Portland Blazers superstar Damien Lillard was supposed to be a...
Over the past few weeks, the Italian FA have been busy dealing with the fallout of a betting scandal. As many as ten players could be suspended for betting on matches while being active players for their teams. These players range from emerging young stars like Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Fagioli, to veterans like Stephen El Shaarawy. El Shaarawy has denied the allegations, while Fagioli was...
In 2017, the National Hockey League (NHL) launched its “Hockey is for Everyone” initiative, seeking to promote diversity and inclusion for all who partake in or otherwise enjoy the sport of hockey. Backed by the You Can Play Project—a project whose mission it is to ensure the safety and inclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals involved with sports—it is clear that the NHL wanted to send a message that...
There’s one thing that Obiter Dicta and its editor-in-chief (nice to meet you) have in common this year: they’re both arguably in their angsty teen eras, despite both being far too old to warrant such a state. I’m this newspaper’s 95th editor-in-chief: a title that comes with the capacity for simultaneous uncertainty and opportunity (I’m also about five years too old to claim any label with...
Making Canadian Competition Akin to the EU “Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to. That’s the only way to become what you are meant to be.” This line from The Last Jedi, spoken by Kylo Ren, is wrong because you cannot reshape the future without understanding the past; breaking away requires what went wrong and trying to fix it. This is why Rey was the heroine of the film. But wait… this...
CHBA student chapter representatives The Canadian Hispanic Bar Association (CHBA) hosted an event in recognition of five Latin American law student organizations across Eastern Canadian law schools becoming official CHBA chapters. The momentous event was held at the University of Toronto Law building on 15 September 2023 and brought together law students, lawyers, and legal professionals from...
This year marks the third annual National Truth and Reconciliation Day recognized across Canada. Every year on September 30, the National Truth and Reconciliation Day and the Orange Shirt Day honour Indigeneity and calls for reflecting on the intergenerational trauma of residential schools. This day was made into a federal statutory holiday in 2021 to uphold the Truth and Reconciliation...
Katalin Karikó’s initial disbelief in winning the 2023 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine alongside her partner, American immunologist, Drew Weissman, reflects her humility and modesty, despite the significant impact of her contributions on global health. While you may not recognize her name, you are undoubtedly aware of her accomplishments. Karikó and Weissman pioneered research on...
Some forms of legal research routinely take place in the legal profession. For example, research into the facts of a dispute, prior rulings, relevant regulations, and precedent often informs legal strategy and generally precedes the presentation of a case or position. Legal research databases that facilitate everyday access to primary and secondary sources of law are staples of today’s law...
Attention all Osgoode foodies, aspiring foodies, or anyone who just loves to eat as a coping mechanism for law school stress: My name is Sophie, I am a 3L student, and as much as I absolutely love studying the law, my true passion in life is food and exploring the Toronto food scene. My personal mantra is “life is one big food tour” and I view each day as simply a vehicle for trying new...
Not only have I been an avid dog lover for most of my life, I would even go so far as to say that at times, I could have qualified as a cat hater by some standards. I didn’t understand why so many people would prefer to keep pets that were harder to train, more aloof, less friendly, and veritably moodier than dogs. I didn’t get cats. I didn’t understand how some were “outdoor,” or how “orange”...