Remembering Professor Emeritus Alan Young, and more
Professor Emeritus Alan Young, a lawyer and legal scholar known for leading the challenge of Canada's prostitution laws before the country's top court, has died at age 69. Osgoode Dean Trevor Farrow says his death is "a profound loss" for the legal profession. Young was a central figure in a landmark Supreme Court case that struck down Canada's prostitution laws as unconstitutional in 2013 and forced the federal government to revise the legislation, reports The Canadian Press. He was also known for representing people with AIDS, cancer and multiple sclerosis who were charged for using medical marijuana, leading to federal regulations permitting its use. Young co-founded and directed York’s Innocence Project, investigating wrongful convictions and imprisonment. Canadian Lawyer magazine listed Young among the 25 most influential people in the legal profession over several years. In retirement, he became a playwright. "Known and loved by many of our colleagues and generations of students, Alan was a trailblazer who made huge contributions not only to Osgoode, but to the law and legal profession in Canada," says Farrow. Adam Parachin, a professor at Osgoode and one of Young's former students, says he was "blessed to have known" him. "Alan was brilliant and a 'one of a kind' character. His sharp wit made criminal law an early favourite of mine at Osgoode," Parachin says in a statement.
Professor Jennifer Mills talks about diet culture and the public discourse surrounding celebrities' bodies in light of the recent Wicked movie and press tour, and online discussions about how thin the two lead actors appear to be. Mills, who researches body image and eating disorders, says that diet culture today is being repackaged by narratives from the health and wellness industry as drugs that can cause weight loss are prescribed by doctors. "This may trick folks into thinking that these aren't diet culture messages or a diet culture product, but in reality, it is," says Mills to The Globe and Mail. In other words, all of this encourages the idea that smaller bodies are "healthier," she adds.
Professor and Dean Sarah Bay-Cheng weighs in on an apology issued by the Town of York Historical Society after greeting cards featuring art made with AI were sold at its recent holiday market. Talking to CBC, Bay-Cheng points out there are also issues around ownership when it comes to AI-generated art. "The images that are being used to train large language models as the basis of different AI have been scooping up a lot of images that have been created by individual and independent artists and posted online without attribution, without compensation," says Bay-Cheng.
Professor Yvonne Su speaks to the Los Angeles Times for a feature on Canada turning against immigrants. For the first time in a quarter-century, a majority of Canadians are saying there is too much immigration, with hate crimes on the rise along with rhetoric blaming newcomers for the country's economic problems. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government recently slashed the annual total allowed into the country. "We went to the world, we asked them to come, and they came," says Su. "Then we decided there were too many? We used them." Su has tracked a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment online, where videos of Canadians making racist statements have proliferated, as well as in the real world, where reports of hate crimes more than doubled between 2019 to 2023.
In an op-ed for The Conversation, Professor Ilan Kapoor writes about Canada's response to President Donald Trump's recent threats to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canada and Mexico and Trump calling Trudeau "Governor" and Canada a state. "Trump's latest taunts to Trudeau, in fact, prove that escalated bullying will be a common presidential tactic in the months and years ahead," writes Kapoor and co-author in their psychoanalysis of Trump and his politics.
The Walls Have Eyes by Petra Molnar, a lawyer and anthropologist who co-runs the Refugee Law Lab at York University, was selected by CBC Books for the top Canadian nonfiction of the year. Based on years of researching borderlands across the world, lawyer and anthropologist Molnar examines how technology is being deployed by governments on the world's most vulnerable with little regulation.
Research by Professor Christine Till is referenced in a New York Times' article about water fluoridation coming under scrutiny. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s skepticism about fluoride has become a focal point in the debate about whether he's suitable to run the nation's health department. In Till's highly publicized 2019 paper, researchers compared the IQ test scores of 512 young children in Canada to their mother's urinary fluoride levels during pregnancy, a proxy for fluoride intake. For every increase of one milligram per liter in urinary fluoride, they saw a 4.49 point drop in IQ in boys. The researchers found no relationship with IQ in girls. Till, along with other researchers, says there’s enough evidence at this point to suggest that pregnant women should try to limit their fluoride intake.
Professor Stephanie Ben-Ishai talks to The Globe and Mail about a looming reduction in the maximum allowable annual percentage rate (APR) for loans in Canada, effective Jan. 1, that creditors can legally charge. Experts are urging Ottawa to expand the kinds of borrowing costs covered by the cap, warning the lower limit will likely spur high-cost lenders to turn to ancillary charges. There are questions about whether this is enough or the best way to regulate the high-cost credit market. Ben-Ishai says making it easier for borrowers to declare bankruptcy, for example, could incentivize lenders to better assess the debt burden their clients are actually able to carry.
Professor Emeritus Paul Delaney talks to Toronto Star about the Geminid meteor shower which will peak Friday night and Saturday morning, bringing bright shooting star-like streaks to the sky in one of the best displays of the year. Delaney explains what a meteor shower is, how the Geminid shower differs, and the best way to view the shower.
Professor Sheetala Bhat writes about a recent violent confrontation at a Hindu temple in Brampton, Ont. between pro-Khalistan protesters and Hindu nationalists that has created further tensions between India and Canada since the slaying of a Canadian Sikh activist in British Columbia. "Several Canadian media outlets reported on the Brampton clash, but most did not highlight the role of far-right Hindu nationalists and the use of a controversial slogan chanted at the temple," writes Bhat. https://theconversation.com/how-indias-hindu-nationalist-rhetoric-played-a-role-in-the-violence-at-a-canadian-temple-243633
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