Read about some of the hurdles and obstacles of law school in Completing the Circle of Blood for Future Law Students, in the 6th annual Black Law Students Association of Canada (BLSAC) magazine. A text version is also available on Slaw.
Need debt relief? Then vote liberal.
By: VERONICA BLAKE
Published in The Courier. February 25, 2010
Federal Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff considered the idea of wiping out student debt in exchange for one year of volunteer work.
Ignatieff recently rapped up a cross-country tour of University campuses. His student-debt idea is not part of his platform, but it was discussed in an online question and answer session. For the most part, Centennial College students have some form of debt, whether it be from OSAP, bank loans, credit card-debt or begging and borrowing from parents.
Jennifer Romano, 25, is in her first year of the fast-track journalism program on the CCC campus. Before Centennial, she completed a four-year degree at Ryerson University. She expects to graduate with $30,000 of debt.
“I still have such a high debt…cause I still…believe somehow the government is going to pay for part of it,” Romano said. “There’s no way I can pay it off.”
Liberal Omar Ha-Redeye supports Ignatieff’s idea. He thinks that the idea makes sense financially.
“Banks have found that many of these loans default,” Ha-Redeye said. “Canadian students are already finding themselves in a difficult situation, burdened by crippling debt and frustrated that they cannot apply their education in the ways they would want.”
Beginning in the 1999 school year, Ontario high school students were required to complete a mandatory 40 hours of community service in order to receive their diploma. Ignatieff’s volunteerism for debt-relief idea would take this a significant step further.
First-year student Cecilia Olmos, 29 attended the Universidad Anáhuac in Mexico before coming to Centennial. As part of the curriculum, the students would perform social services. She travelled around Mexico providing food and clothing to the poor. Olmos valued this experience.
“It really touched my heart,” Olmos said. “I reinforced my values as a person, that we should help anybody that needs help.”
In addition to the financial benefits for students, volunteer work can be a rewarding and satisfying experience. Omar Ha-Redeye likes an alternative approach to debt-relief that marries financial help with giving back to society.
“Canadian volunteerism has been steadily on the decline and when the youth do volunteer, it’s not necessarily for altruistic reasons,” Ha-Redeye said. “This generation is under enormous pressure to succeed financially and the social burdens placed on the youth are far greater than before.”
The potential college strike further complicates matters. Ashtonbee student, Sashell Mills, 21 dreads the possibility of a strike. She won’t be able to pick up any extra hours at her part-time job, and worries that if the semester is extended into the summer like the York University strike, she’ll miss out on summer job opportunities.
“I’ll mooch off my dad, that’s all I can do,” Mills said. “I’m scared… of paying (OSAP) back.”
The working paper, A Trial to End All Terrorism: How the United States Could Have Won the War on Terrorism Before it Even Began, with the Trial of Only One Man, made the top ten list on SSRN for Conflict Studies.
Speakers included:
Everyday EMS Tips has an interview with Ric Skinner, editor for an upcoming book where Omar Ha-Redeye has a chapter,
Author, editor, and GIS for healthcare expert Ric Skinner is the guest on this episode of the Medical Author Chat. Ric is the owner of Stoneybrook Group and writes the blog healthGISGuy. Ric is the editor of a book due out in May 2010 – GIS in Hospital and Healthcare Emergency Management
. A description of the book can be read here.
Mitch Kowalski of the Legal Post catches this post about a video by Andrew Black of Windsor Law:
David Cruickshank of Kerma Partners spoke on “The Business of Law: Hot Topics and Emerging Trends in the Legal Profession.”
See notes from the talk on Slaw.
The paper, A Trial to End All Terrorism: How the United States Could Have Won the War on Terrorism Before it Even Began, with the Trial of Only One Man, has been accepted for the 3rd Annual Canadian Law Student Conference in Windsor, Ontario on March 18-19.
The conference is hosted by the University of Windsor Faculty of Law, Law Foundation of Ontario, and the Windsor Review of Legal and Social Issues (WRLSI).
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University of Toronto Faculty of Law and the Law Foundation of Ontario presented the third biennial symposium – Combating Hatred in the Twenty-first Century: Legal Remedies.
The Use of the Criminal Code to Combat Hate
Introductions & Overview
• Mark Sandler, Lawyer – Cooper & Sandler LLP, Barristers and Solicitors
Panel Discussion
• Acting Inspector Steve Irwin, Toronto Police Service
• Deputy Director Howard Leibovich, Crown Law Office – Criminal
Use of Civil Remedies to Combat Hate
Introductions & Overview
• Marvin Kurz, Lawyer – Dale Streiman & Kurz LLP
Debate: Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act
• Professor Richard Moon, Faculty of Law – University of Windsor
• Mark Freiman, Lawyer – Lerners LLP
A Menu of Innovative Remedies
• David Matas, Lawyer
• Professor Patrick Monahan, Vice President Academic & Provost –
York University
• Douglas Elliott, Lawyer – Roy Elliott O’Connor LLP
1:30 pm Fighting Hatred in Europe: A View from the Front Lines
(Colony Ballroom)
• Right Honourable Denis MacShane, MP – British Parliament
Concurrent Workshops
1. Hate on the Internet (Terrace Suite)
• Saleha Khan, Instructor – Ontario Police College
• Marvin Kurz, Lawyer – Dale Streiman & Kurz LLP
• Dr. Abbee Corb, Open Source Intelligence Specialist – Hate Crime Extremism Investigative Team
Campus Issues
• Professor Lorne Sossin, Faculty of Law – University of Toronto
• Julia Hanigsberg, General Counsel – Ryerson University
• Nouman Ashraf, Former Director of the University of Toronto’s
Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office
• Bram Freedman, Vice President, External Relations and
Secretary General – Concordia University
3. What do Human Rights Laws have to do with Hate?
• Raja Khouri, Commissioner – Ontario Human Rights Commission
• Raj Anand, Lawyer – WeirFoulds and Chair, Ontario Human Rights
Legal Support Centre
• Nathalie Des Rosiers, General Counsel – Canadian Civil Liberties
Association
4. Sentencing for Hate Motivated Crime
• Mark Sandler, Lawyer – Cooper & Sandler LLP, Barristers and Solicitors
• Sandra Bacchus, Deputy Crown Attorney – Attorney General
• Julia Sandler, Assistant Crown Attorney – Attorney General
4:00 pm Voices of Experience
Moderator
• Justice Harry LaForme, Ontario Court of Appeal
Panelists
• The Honourable Irwin Cotler, M.P. for Mount Royal, Québec
• Zubeda Vahed, Senior Policy Advisor – Ministry of Education
• Reverend Dr. Brent Hawkes, Senior Pastor – Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto
• The Honourable Zanana Akande, M.Ed., B.A
Law is Cool Slaw Canadian Health Law
