From Western News:

University of Virginia professor Peter Ochs will share his views on the future of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim dialogue as part of Huron University College’s annual R.T. Orr lecture Oct. 14…
Participants will honour each other and each other’s scriptures despite differences in interpretation. As texts open around the study table, participants will gain a renewed and deepened understanding of their neighbours’ as well as their own scriptural traditions.

Participants will include:
• Shari Golberg, University of Toronto
• Omar Ha-Redeye, Western
• Susan Kennel Harrison, Emmanuel College
• Paul Nesbitt-Larking, Huron University College
• Peter Ochs, University of Virginia
• Nevin Reda, University of Toronto

Seems they’re still after Michael Carabash of Dynamic Lawyers.

The London North Centre Federal Liberal Riding Association sponsored a panel on pension reform.

Speakers included:

Prof. Robert Brown, Pension Reform Specialist at The University of Waterloo
Mitch Frazer, Pension Specialist at Torys LLP
retiree Robert Sexsmith
teacher Janis Mark
Michael Lynk, Professor of Labour Law at The University of Western Ontario

See the notes on Slaw and LawIsCool.

The International Law Association hosted Pablo Villeda, Field Office Director of Guatemala for International Justice Mission.  Villeda works with Guatemalan authorities to investigate and prosecute cases of sexual violence.

He received a J.D. from Universidad Rafael Landivar in Guatemala, where he is currently a professor, and has worked as an attorney with a focus on family law and contract dispute.

From Vol. 25, No. 5 of Western News, on Oct. 8, 2009:

Hon. Bob Rae:

When the political party opposite says that it does not want political games or an election, who does it think it is kidding? The party opposite is campaigning for an election each and every day of the year, day after day, night after night. It never stops and it never ends.

Not a single intervention is made and not a step is taken that is not controlled by the Prime Minister’s Office. Not a declaration is made that is not part of a systematic political election campaign. When I hear the party opposite talking with piety and rectitude about its interest in building hockey rinks and making parks better for Canadians, all I can say is that is not the Conservative Party that I see every night on television.

The Conservative Party that I know and that I have learned to see every night on television is a party that has nothing better to do than to drag the reputation of every other politician in the country through the mud. That is what it knows how to do and that is all it knows how to do. That is its specialty. That is what it does for a living, which is why the corrosiveness of the House and of politics is something for which they bear an enormously heavy responsibility.

OMG! Law Talk is launched today, with Omar Ha-Redeye, Michael Carabash, and Garry Wise.

The online video show features:

• Lawyers Who Blog;
• Managing the Public vs. the Private;
• Augmenting the Public with the Personal;
• Rants and Bones to Pick; and
• Search Engine Malpractice.

See the story behind the video on Slaw and Law is Cool.

Canadian Constitution Foundation held its Third Annual Law Conference on Race, Religion, Equality and Freedom: Current Canadian Legal Controversies.

The first panel was titled, Is there a human right to be free from offence?

Debating the restrictions on free speech in human rights legislation
Grant Huscroft, University of Western Ontario, Faculty of Law
Richard Moon, University of Windsor, Faculty of Law
Philippe Dufresne, Canadian Human Rights Commission, Ottawa

The second panel on Intellectual property law featured Howard Knopf of Macera & Jarzyna, and  Richard Owens of Stikeman Elliot LLP.

The third panel addressed, The legal status of polygamy

Debating whether polygamy should be a Criminal Code offense
Martha Bailey, Queens University, Faculty of Law
Nicholas Bala, Queens University, Faculty of Law
Lorraine Weinrib, University of Toronto, Faculty of Law
Bradley Miller, University of Western Ontario, Faculty of Law

Keynote speaker over the lunch was Supreme Court of Canada Justice Louis LeBel.

Justice Louis LeBel of the Supreme Court of Canada

An afternoon panel looked at the recent decision in R. v. Kapp,  Racial equality, aboriginal rights, and Section 15

Dwight Newman, University of Saskatchewan, College of Law
Bryan Finlay, Weir Foulds LLP, Toronto
Craig Jones, Office of the Attorney General, British Columbia
Jonathan Kay, National Post, Toronto

The kenynote speaker over dinner was George Jonas of the National Post.

Justice Louis LeBel of the Supreme Court of Canada