Continuum: Osgoode Hall Law School of York University Alumni Magazine (Winter 2003)

36 Pages·2003·1.7 MB·English

by  Advancement Office, Osgoode Hall Law School of York University

Continuum
OSGOODE HALL LAW SCHOOL OF YORK UNIVERSITY ALUMNI MAGAZINE WINTER 2003
Ontario’s
Front Line
A look at Osgoode alumni in Ontario’s highest political and judicial offices
Osgoode’s High-Tech Revolution, Page 12 • Teaching in China, Page 17 • A Native Powerhouse, Page 20
( think big )
Make a Commitment
And plant the seeds. We’ve established the Osgoode Hall Every gift is important because every dollar donated to the
Law School Fund – an annual fund intended to generate a Osgoode Hall Law School Fund is put to work right away:
dependable source of yearly income for the School – because to recruit top quality faculty, to develop new curriculum, to
we’re committed to continuing the Law School’s proud tradi- offer financial assistance and scholarships, and to integrate
tion of academic leadership and excellence in legal education. new technology into the classroom.
We need your financial support to help ensure that At Osgoode Hall Law School we’re thinking big, and with
Osgoode Hall Law School graduates have the skills to take your help and commitment we will plant the seeds to grow
their place on the leading edge of the profession, and as the Osgoode Hall Law School Fund.
they have for decades, play their part in shaping the legal
system in Canada. To make your Osgoode Hall Law School Fund donation contact:
Advancement Office, Osgoode Hall Law School,
York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3
416-736-5638 Online donations: www.osgoodealumni.ca
CCoonnttiinnuuuumm
C O N T E N T S
(cid:13)
Osgoode Hall Law School Alumni Magazine
FEATURES
Winter 2003
Volume XXV Number 3
7 Ontario’s Front Line
EDITOR
Ten Osgoode alumni, including Ontario Premier Ernie Eves, Virginia Corner
[phone]
have risen to Ontario’s highest political and judicial posts.
[email protected]
12 Osgoode’s High-Tech Revolution MANAGING EDITOR
Gillian McCullough
Making the best use of information technology enhances
CONTRIBUTORS
Osgoode education.
The Honourable Madam Justice
Sandra Chapnik ‘76
17 Teaching in China Virginia Corner
Anita Herrmann
A teach-abroad partnership with our sister-school in
Dean Peter W. Hogg
Chongqing, China provides unique teaching and learning Dean Jobb
opportunities for Osgoode students. Gillian McCullough
Rebecca Segal
Andrew Stelmacovich
20 A Hero to his Native People
Phil Surguy
Bernd Christmas ‘91, Chief Executive Officer of Cape Breton’s Martha Tancock
Christine Ward
Membertou First Nation, is using his corporate-law savvy to
help a lot of people. DESIGN AND PRODUCTION
Wright Ideas Inc.
RJM Print Group
DEPARTMENTS PHOTOGRAPHY
Babak
Michael Creagen
2 Message from the Dean John Dawson
Nik Sarros
3 Message from the Alumni Continuumis published once a year by
Osgoode Hall Law School of York
Association President
University for alumni and friends. Ideas
and opinions expressed in Continuum
4 Alumni Gold Key Awards do not necessarily reflect those of the
editors, Osgoode Hall Law School or
York University.
5 In Brief
We invite your letters and comments, and
hope that you will keep us posted on
22 Staff News where you are and what you’re doing.
Please use the enclosed reply card or
send correspondence to:
24 Faculty News
Continuum
25 Fund Raising Advancement Office
Osgoode Hall Law School of York
University
27 In Memoriam 4700 Keele Street
Toronto, On M3J 1P3
Telephone [phone]
28 Homecoming and Reunions Fax [phone]
E-mail:
[email protected]
30 New Books Osgoode Web Site:
www.osgoodealumni.yorku.ca
32 Class Notes
Printed in Canada
ISSN 0318-1295
M E S S A G E F R O M T H E
D E A N
The March
of Excellence
This will be my last message in Continuum, because this academic year is
the last of my five-year term as Dean, and a year later (having turned 65) I will
retire from the University. I love writing and teaching, and I hate daytime TV,
so I expect to continue my normal academic activities in the future, albeit at a
somewhat less busy pace.
In the first two years of the Deanship, I developed a Plan for the Law
School, which has guided our development over the ensuing years. Following
Dean Peter W. Hogg
the Plan, we have developed the use of information technology in our teach-
ing, our administration, and in our communications. We have expanded
small-group teaching in first year, introduced more systematic teaching of pro-
fessional responsibility in first year and in upper years, introduced a writing
requirement into upper years, introduced more structure and better progres-
I love writing and
sion (in the form of curricular streams) in the upper years, and greatly expand-
ed opportunities for our students to take a semester of study abroad.
teaching, and I hate
The research-stream graduate program has grown to 60 students, about
half of them pursuing doctorates. Our coursework LLM, now taught from our
daytime TV, so I
new Professional Development Centre in downtown Toronto, has nearly 400
part-time students pursuing 12 different specialties. We are starting to use
expect to continue
video-conferencing and Internet technologies to offer these programs in cen-
tres outside Toronto. During the fall term (with my colleague Patrick
my normal
Monahan), I taught a constitutional law LLM class that met on Wednesday
nights in Toronto, Ottawa and Regina – a wonderful experience for Patrick
academic activities
and me, and I hope for the students.
We have improved services for our students, including a financial assis-
in the future.
tance officer, who administers a huge program of financial aid to students who
now struggle with high tuition. We have two career services professionals, who
provide the information and help with the skills necessary to find summer and
articling jobs (and who will help alumni with career moves as well). Academic
support for students in difficulty, and administrative support for study abroad
programs have also been enhanced.
We have a strong advancement team of four professionals who help with
fund raising, alumni relations and communications, and I hope that readers of
Continuum have noticed that these functions are more effective than ever before.
At the last two Convocations, the graduating students astonished me (and
everyone else) by giving me a standing ovation when I got up to deliver the
Dean’s address. Those were moving experiences. Working with the students
(who continue to be very active in Law School affairs) has been one of the
great joys of being Dean. I think that the students, the faculty and the alum-
ni share my sense that Osgoode is the best place to be, and that we must keep
on working to make it even better. (cid:0)
2 Continuum 2003
MESSAGE FROM THE
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
P R E S I D E N T
Excitement About
the Possibilities
Still to Come
Madam Justice Sandra Chapnik,
It has been such a busy year for the ed to young alumni. And that’s just
Alumni Association President
Law School, the Alumni Association to name a few initiatives.
and the Advancement team that I As we look ahead to 2003, I am
hardly know where to begin. excited about the possibilities still to
To start, I would like to offer come. With the guidance of Gillian
greetings to fellow alumni from the McCullough, the Alumni Association
2002-2003 Osgoode Alumni Alumni Association and my fellow will become more actively involved in
Association Board of Directors Board members. I would also like to the strategic planning process, engage
express our appreciation to two long- alumni in campus life and look for
President standing Board members who have innovative ways to increase commu-
The Hon. Madam Justice Sandra Chapnik ‘76 retired this year: Ian Beverley and nications with all alumni.
Chair Rhonda Cohen. We thank each of I am looking forward to one
Thomas Bastedo, Q.C. ‘69 them for their significant contribu- event, in particular. The Award of
Vice-President tion to the Board of Directors and the Excellence Dinner will take place on
Atul Tiwari ‘87 Law School. With the two vacancies Thursday, February 20, 2003 at
comes change and two new Board which time the Law School will
Dean
Peter W. Hogg members – Elizabeth Goldberg ‘74 bestow its highest honour, the
and Yair Szlak ‘00 – to whom we Robinette Medal, upon three distin-
Assistant Dean(Advancement)
extend a warm welcome. guished alumni: Austin M. Cooper,
Andrew F. Stelmacovich
Since this magazine was last pub- Q.C. (‘53), the Hon. Hilda M.
Executive Director
lished, we have welcomed a new McKinley (‘66) and Arthur R.A.
Gillian McCullough
Director of Alumni Relations, Gillian Scace, Q.C. (‘65). It promises to be a
Directors McCullough; celebrated the Class of glorious evening, showcasing three of
Calvin Barry ‘86, Hon. Judge Reuben Bromstein ‘69 2002 Convocation; established the our most illustrious graduates. I hope
Penny Cader ‘91, Caroline Clark ‘97 Dean’s Newsletter; completed an many of you will join us on this spe-
Andrew Evangelista ‘92, Verlyn Francis ‘95 alumni survey; and launched a new cial occasion.
Elizabeth Goldberg ‘74, Sally L. Hannon ‘86 Web site (www.osgoodealumni.ca). As you can tell, there are many
Hon. Mr. Justice Harry LaForme ‘77 In addition, we have celebrated nine opportunities for Osgoode alumni
Timothy M. Lowman ‘78, Philip B. McMullen ‘93 class reunions; awarded the Alumni involvement. On behalf of the Board of
Loretta P. Merritt ‘85, Peter J. Osborne ‘90 Gold Key Award to nine of our Directors of the Alumni Association,
Nicholas P. Paul, Q.C. ‘60, David G. Purvis, Q.C. ‘70 most outstanding alumni; held a suc- we welcome your active participation
Mohan Sharma ‘97, Gilbert Sharpe ‘72 cessful Homecoming weekend fea- in alumni affairs. Whether it is cele-
Peter Straszynski ‘91, Yair Szlak ‘00 turing guest speaker Madam Justice brating a class reunion, homecoming,
Bonnie A. Tough ‘76, Barbara Walker-Renshaw ‘99 Louise Arbour; established two new volunteering in your local area,
Chapters of the Alumni Association; becoming a mentor or recognizing a
President of Legal & Lit
welcomed the Class of 2005; placed fellow graduate, the success of these
Shannon Rattray, Class of 2003
220 first-year students with mentors programs depends on you. Get
Faculty and developed a seminar series target- involved and stay connected! (cid:0)
Ian A. McDougall ‘71, Patrick J. Monahan ‘80
Marilyn L. Pilkington
Continuum 2003 3
GOLD KEY AWARDS
s
o
r
r
a
S
k
Ni
y
b
y
h
p
a
r
g
o
ot
h
P
Congratulations to our 2002 Gold Key Award recipients (standing, from left to right):Nicholas P. Paul, Q.C. ‘60; Reuben M. Rosenblatt, Q.C. ‘59; A.Winn Oughtred ‘67; Bonnie
A. Tough ‘76; Judy N. Boyes, Q.C. ‘79; Linda L. Fuerst ‘81; Ronald D. Manes ‘71; Art Vertlieb, Q.C. ‘72; and John H. Tory, Q.C. ‘78.
(In the front row, left to right) :The Honourable Madam Justice Sandra Chapnik ‘76; Verlyn Francis ‘95; and Dean Peter Hogg.
T
he Board of Directors of Osgoode Hall Law School Alumni Association has created
an award known as the Osgoode Hall Law School Alumni Gold Key Award to
honour outstanding alumni who have made contributions to the Law School.
Do you know This is your opportunity to nominate an Osgoode alumna or alumnus for a
prestigious Gold Key Award, which will be given out on Saturday, October 4, 2003 as
an exceptional part of Homecoming Weekend festivities.
The Awards Committee shall consider the following criteria in making its selection:
Osgoode
•contribution to the quality of education and welfare of the Law School;
graduate? •promotion of the Law School nationally and internationally;
•support for Student Services through supplementing and diversifying the
educational experiences available at the Law School, and
Nominations may be mailed or e-mailed to: •recognizable contribution to the community at large.
Advancement Office
Room 415 Nominations must include the following:
Osgoode Hall Law School •statement by the nominator outlining why the candidate should receive the Award;
York University
4700 Keele Street •letters of reference from two people who are familiar with the candidate’s Law
Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 School contributions;
Fax: [phone] or
•any other supporting documents.
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: [phone]
Deadline for receipt of 2003 nominations is Friday, May 2, 2003
For more information, visit the Alumni Web site at www.osgoodealumni.ca
4 Continuum 2003
I N B R I E F
OSGOODE ALUMNI SHINE
IN LEXPERT MAGAZINE SURVEYS
Results of three Lexpert other top talent.” The
Magazine surveys in 2002 selections were made on
confirmed that Osgoode the basis of such things as
alumni are at the top of questionnaire scores and
k
their game. endorsements from firm a
b
a
The first survey, which colleagues, high IQ, and Paul Martin, former Finance Minister and touted successor B
ran in the July/August high Emotional to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, outlined a platform of House by
issue, identified Canada’s Intelligence (EQ) and per- of Commons reforms during a speech Oct. 21 to Osgoode hy
p
Top 25 Corporate sonality assessment. students. Left to right:Associate Dean Patrick Monahan, a
r
Litigators and “what The following 11 Legal & Literary Society President Shannon Rattray, og
makes them tick.” The Osgoode alumni, culled Paul Martin, Dean Peter Hogg. hot
following five Osgoode from a list of 5,344 poten- P
alumni – the most alumni tial candidates, were singled GERMAN SCHOLAR WINS SPRING CONVOCATION
from any one law school – out as “top performers:” DIEFENBAKER AWARD 2002
made the list: Gunther Teubner,a profes- Professor William
Cameron Belsher LLB ‘87 sor of private law and legal Twining received his
Earl A. Cherniak, Geoffrey Belsher LLB ‘91 sociology at the University Honorary Doctor of
Q.C. LLB ‘60 Paul Boniferro LLB ‘91 of Frankfurt and a perma- Laws (LLD) degree from
Lerner & Associates LLP Tamara Farber LLB ‘93 nent visiting professor of York University and
Thomas G. Heintzman, Sandra Forbes LLB ‘90 comparative law and legal addressed convocation at
Q.C., O.C. LLB ‘66 Michelle Lally LLM ‘98 theory at the London the Osgoode ceremony
McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Lynn McGrade LLB ‘88 School of Economics, will on June 14. Formerly
James A. Hodgson LLB ‘70 Vincent Mercier LLB ‘88 spend a year researching at Quain Professor of
Hodgson Tough Shields Peter Osborne LLB ‘90 Osgoode as winner of the Jurisprudence at
Harvey T. Strosberg, Alon Ossip LLB ‘88 2002 John G. Diefenbaker University College,
Q.C. LLB ‘69 John Tobin LLB ‘87 Award. The award provides London, Twining has
Sutts Strosberg LLP
$75,000 from the Canada been highly influential in
Benjamin Zarnett LLB ‘75 Council for the Arts, and a defining new approaches
In the third Lexpert sur-
Goodmans LLP travel allowance of $20,000 to legal education and
vey, which ran in the
from the Social Sciences legal research in the
November/December
Then in September, the and Humanities Research United Kingdom and
issue, Osgoode had the
magazine published the Council of Canada. around the world.
third largest number of
results of its survey of the
graduates among the Top
Top 40 under 40 lawyers
30 Corporate Dealmakers.
in Canada, and Osgoode
The Osgoode alumni are:
had the highest number of
graduates of any Canadian
Alan Bell LLB ‘73
law school.
Blake Cassels Graydon LLP
The Lexpert survey,
which examined 28 prac- Neil de Gelder LLB ‘78
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
tice areas, defined a top
performer as someone David Jackson LLB ‘72
Blake Cassells Graydon LLP
who “adds 127 per cent or
more value than an aver- Dale Lastman LLB ‘82
Professor Harry Arthurs (centre) was awarded the first-ever
age performer and that he Goodmans LLP
Killam Prize in the social sciences on April 25 at Rideau Hall.
or she can be a magnet for
With Arthurs, from left to right, are: Dean Peter Hogg,
Professor Susan Drummond, Penny Arthurs, and York
University President Lorna Marsden.
Continuum 2003 5
I N B R I E F
In mid-November, the
Professional Development
Left to right:
O
Mariana Semini, Program hosted a week-
Pam Ryder-Lahey, long session for the
Larry Taman, Albanian delegation, which
Vangjel Kosta,
involved finalizing the
John Claydon,
materials as well as demon-
Tefta Zaka,
Arta Mandro strating and practising a
variety of teaching methods.
“One of the objectives of
the project is to create a F
team of trainers who can
continue in Tirana on
their own,” Semini
explained.
ning proposal to design
OSGOODE HELPS TRAIN ALBANIAN JUDGES The final phase will
four courses, as well as
involve another teaching
by Virginia Corner supporting materials, for
education session in
the Magistrates’ School in
Albania early in the year,
the areas of Alternative
Mariana Semini, an associ- “As an institution, the and the new courses will
Dispute Resolution,
ate professor of law at Magistrates’ School has an be taught starting in
Intellectual Property,
Albania’s Magistrates’ obligation to raise the February.
Private International Law
School, is acutely aware of capacity and professional- “We have set up a
and Courts
the daunting challenges ism of judges in Albania,” friendly working relation-
Administration. Taman,
judges face in her country. said Semini, a member of ship, one in which we are
who is the founder of
A fledgling legal system an Albanian delegation learning from each other
Justice Reform
with a poor record of who recently turned to and exchanging experi-
International, is now
enforcing judgments; Osgoode for help in course ences,” noted Semini.
administering the project.
uncertainty about the law development. “We have a Adds Claydon: “This
The first phase was the
due to foreign inspired leg- new generation of judges project reflects Osgoode’s
completion of a needs
islation and lack of pub- who need continuous long-standing commit-
assessment, done by
lished court decisions; lack training. However, the ment to improving the
Claydon and Taman in
of access to even basic legal budget of the school is a quality and administration
Tirana in June of last year.
sources such as treaties limited one. We need of justice and is also in line
From July until November,
binding on Albania; and financial support to organ- with more recent initia-
three Osgoode faculty
little computerization make ize the training.” tives towards international-
members (Claydon, Paul
the Albanian judge’s job an Larry Taman, a former izing legal education at the
Emond and Janet Walker,
extremely difficult one. Osgoode faculty member Law School. Involvement
with assistance from a col-
It was with these issues and Deputy Attorney with such issues as course
league, Professor Carys
in mind that the General for Ontario, was design and teaching
Craig) put courses and
Magistrates’ School, which one of the first people to methodology, and the
course materials together
began in 1997 as a com- get wind of the World opportunity to recom-
in collaboration with their
pulsory three-year training Bank project. mend appropriate laws and
Albanian colleagues –
ground for lawyers in He, in turn, approached judicial practice in a coun-
Professors Vangjel Kosta,
Albania who want careers John Claydon of try that is building a new
Arta Mandro and Mariana
as judges, approached the Osgoode’s Professional legal system, has the
Semini of the Magistrates’
World Bank for assistance Development Program and potential for enhancing
School and Tefta Zaka, a
in developing courses and then submitted what teaching and research at
former judge of Albania’s
materials for the school. turned out to be the win- Osgoode.” (cid:0)
Constitutional Court.
6 Continuum 2003
C O V E R S T O R Y
Ontario’s
Front Line
by Christine Ward It’s not every day that Osgoode can count a Premier,
four Cabinet Ministers, a Chief Justice and two
Associate Chief Justices among its alumni ranks but
that’s exactly what’s happening in Ontario at the
moment. The fact that two more Osgoode alumni
recently stepped down as Chief Justice and head of
the Ontario civil service, respectively, adds to the
tremendous pride we feel in the accomplishments of
these Osgoode graduates who are profiled on the
following pages.
Still, it would be good to see more female Osgoode
alumni in Ontario’s highest political and judicial posts.
Given that we have been admitting more females than
males into our three-year LLB Program in recent
years, and more female than male students in the
graduating class of 2002 said they are articling with
the federal, provincial and municipal governments, we
expect that will happen in the future.
t t t t t
Continuum 2003 7
Carl De Faria Donald Ebbs Ernie Eves
Minister of Associate Chief Premier of Ontario
Citizenship & Justice of the
Minister Ontario Court of
Responsible for Justice
Seniors
Ask Carl DeFaria, LLB ‘76 about Donald Ebbs, LLB ‘67 surely It was 1967 and Ernest Larry Eves,
Osgoode and he’ll tell you the remembers his Osgoode classes, then a 21-year-old, second-year politi-
story of a semester spent giving especially the camaraderie of cal science and economics student at
free legal advice at Parkdale Community the “grand ‘ole place” and the odd visit the University of Toronto, had yet to reply
Legal Services. to the nearby courts when the lectures to Osgoode’s offer of admission. When
“Parkdale affected me both personally were simply too much to handle. Professor R.J. Gray called, “I told him I
and professionally because it’s a walk-in But he wants to talk about curling. had changed my mind and didn’t want to
,
practice for people who are struggling to It was 1965 or 66 and the night of the attend law school,” remembers Eves.
make ends meet.” The experience gar- great electrical blackout that stretched That wasn’t good enough for Gray.
nered DeFaria a handful of like-minded from Boston through eastern Canada. “I At lunch a short time later, the Assistant
law school friends and a focus for the was on the rink taking the breaking shot Dean made an earnest plea on behalf of
kind of community-oriented practice he for the Osgoode team when the lights Osgoode. Eves laughingly claims that Gray
aspired to after graduation. went out. We could hear the stone hit, had as much to say about the benefits of
DeFaria and his wife, Riina, also an but we had no idea which way it went.” attending Osgoode as he did about the
Osgoode grad, opened their own small, On the rink and off, Ebbs worked hard, Law School’s golf team. “He told me a law
storefront law firm just a few blocks graduating from Osgoode a few years later degree is something no one can ever take
north of Parkdale in 1978. He contin- and spending four years in general practice away. And, besides, he said, we sure could
ued to practice private criminal and in his hometown of Peterborough. In use someone with a single handicap.”
constitutional law until being elected to 1973, he founded his own firm with two By the time Eves graduated in 1970,
the Ontario Legislature in 1995 as the others. He devoted the next decade to he was in the top fifth of his class. “He
MPP for Mississauga East. He was re- wide ranging practice that included real wasn’t a gold medallist,” remembers Gray,
elected in 1999 and currently serves estate and criminal law, and some munici- now an Osgoode professor emeritus who
alongside fellow Osgoode alumnus pal work — the kind of varied legal servic- taught torts and medical-legal law, “but
Premier Ernie Eves as the Minister of es that are critical to a small town. he was in the top part of his class [and
Citizenship and Minister Responsible Then, in 1983, Ebbs was appointed to he] was terrifically affable, the kind of a
for Seniors. the Bench. He presided in Windsor guy that his peers liked and respected.”
“I wanted to go to Osgoode because and London before being assigned to Other professors of that era scratch
of its excellent program. At the time Toronto in 2001. In addition to being their heads. They can’t picture Eves in
Osgoode was — and still is — one of Associate Chief Justice of the Ontario their classes. Why would they? He was-
the best law schools in Canada,” says Court of Justice, Ebbs is responsible for n’t theErnie Eves then.
the Minister, who financed his studies overseeing the province’s 310 Justices of But Eves remembers Osgoode.
with night and weekend work as an the Peace. “Most striking,” he says, “was the
emergency social worker for the Peel Thirty-odd years after graduating, he camaraderie and collegiality of the peo-
Children’s Aid Society. says a lot of Osgoode students remain ple I went to school with, students and
Still, DeFaria says he wasn’t prepared his good friends. Of the 200 or more professors alike. And the practicality of
for the intense studying it takes to earn an students who began their legal education the degree. It was down-to-earth knowl-
LLB. “The amount of reading in first year with Ebbs in 1964, about 160 graduat- edge taught by practising professionals.”
really shocked me. I don’t think I adjusted ed. “The combined theoretical and Back then, Eves’ wife might have
until sometime in my second year.” hands-on, practical training served us thought otherwise. At last year’s Bruce
While he describes most of his profes- well,” says the Associate Chief Justice. Bryden Alumni Recognition Awards din-
sors and fellow students as supportive, Now, about that curling stone. Ebbs ner at York University, where he was pre-
the self-described “average student” is says he honestly doesn’t know where it sented with a Bruce Bryden Alumni
equally certain his appointment to the hit. But he still can’t help but wonder if Recognition Award for Achievement for
Eves Cabinet took them all by surprise. he won the game for Osgoode. political and community service, Eves
“For sure, no one would have expect- told the story of returning home from
ed me to become a Cabinet Minister!” class with the news that he had earned
top marks in taxation law. “Tax law?” his
8 Continuum 2003