Ultra Vires Volume 27 Issue 4 - January 2026

Ultra Vires

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO FACULTY OF

Ultra

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Ultra Vires

Sakina Hasnain and Puneet Kanda

BUSINESS MANAGER

Sam Zhang

NEWS EDITORS

Rachel Chen and Sahara Iman Mehdi

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR S

Adria Lao and Jocelyn Mattka

FEATURES EDITORS

Julia Allen and Asra Areej

ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITORS

Tyler Lee and Mia Jain

OPINIONS EDITORS

Abby McCormick and Mariam Patsakos

ASSOCIATE OPINIONS EDITORS

Emma Malcho and Alexandra Broun

DIVERSIONS EDITORS

Kiwan (Paul) Kim and Madura Muraleetharan

ASSOCIATE DIVERSIONS EDITORS

Juliette Lee and Charlize Yao

PUZZLE EDITORS

Matthew Farrell and Navya Sheth

ADVERTISING

ASSOCIATE PUZZLE EDITOR

Zach Gorman

RECRUIT EDITOR

Yuha Khan

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

Cherry Zhang

ASSOCIATE EDITOR-AT-LARGE

Taban Isfahaninejad

ONLINE EDITOR

Siegfried Kahama

STAFF WRITERS

Allie Fong, Matthew Grace, Harleen Grewal, Jake Rogers, Jeanine Varney, and Grace Xu

RECRUIT REPORTERS

Alexia Lee, Melanie Mah, and Yebin Shin

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Kabir Singh Dhillon

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

Bilqis Meer

LAYOUT EDITOR Fox

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OPINIONS

American Department of Justice’s “Epstein Library”

China, Canada, and Arbitration at a Global Crossroads.

Letter From The Editors

January

28, 2026

SAKINA HASNAIN (3L) & PUNEET KANDA (3L)

Welcome back U of T Law!

New year, new semester, new Dean—2026 is ringing in a host of changes. And while some of us may still be reeling from the changes announced last year (Jackman Law doesn’t quite roll off the tongue yet), we are cautiously optimistic that at least this change will bring some sweet treats (cookies? Or desserts at the least?) on the horizon.

We’re barely a month in and we’ve already had quite the semester—a snow day and Dean Essert soon to start his term. If January is any indication for the semester ahead, we’d better buckle in. To support you in the times ahead, we’ve got quite a bit packed into this issue. Get your latest updates with SLS with President Chelsea Musanhu’s (3L) update, as well as the latest scoop on the biggest

stories dominating the law school—the new Dean appointment and Justice Martin’s retirement. For a more critical and insightful read on the law school’s approach to academics might we suggest Matthew Grace (3L)’s pieces on mooting (aptly titled The Moot of the Problem) and intensives (Picking Your Intensive Class).

If between writing factums and intensive papers (or existing during the 1L recruit), you forgot about Valentine’s Day right around the corner, there’s no need to panic. Ultra Vires has got you covered. From finding the perfect pick up line, or the right rom-com to curl up to, look no further, our writers are here to serve.

In addition to your in-class puzzle roster, might we suggest perusing our new comic Core

January SLS Update

Memories by Layla Razek (1L). Or perhaps, explore a new year’s resolution to start (trust us, attempting a new resolution is a better answer to a mid-law school crisis than an impromptu haircut, or worse, bangs). If you’re really feeling brave and aiming to bring back hobbies like reading or cooking, check out Sahara Mehdi (3L)’s 2026 TBR or Jeanine Varney (1L)’s Quick Recipes for the Busy Law Student.

And, if it already feels like you never quite got a break, you’re not alone. Winter break often feels like it flies by and it’s easy to feel like you’re running on fumes before the term has even fully begun. Between grade release and either preparing for or reeling from a recruit (also on top of your classes), law school can be a lot. When it seems like

there isn’t time for anything, it’s important to remind ourselves that mental health always matters. This issue also includes an anonymous piece exploring mental health at the law school, and we hope it serves as a reminder that taking care of yourself is not a detour from law school, but a necessary part of getting through it.

As always, if you have any comments, are looking for ways to get involved with UV, or just want to say hi, you can always reach us at editor@ultravires.ca or @ultravires.ca on Instagram.

Until next time, Sakina & Puneet

Co-Editors-in-Chief

Ultra Vires Vol. 27

A note from the President of the Students’ Law Society

CHELSEA MUSANHU (3L)

Welcome back to another year, and congratulations on making it through the first month of the new semester. We hope that you’re quickly settling back into the rhythm of law school.

The Students’ Law Society has been hard at work behind the scenes, and we’re excited to share a few updates from January.

We kicked off the semester with Frost Week, which included hot chocolate and cookies, Ugly Sweater Spirit Day, a hockey game against Osgoode, and not one but TWO nights of Call to the Bar at The Maddy. These events were specially created to bring some warmth and community to the coldest part of the term,

and we hope you enjoyed reconnecting with classmates and taking a moment to unwind.

The Social and Finance Committee will continue to bring you more events and activities throughout the semester. In particular, SFC is already hard at work preparing one of the most anticipated events of the year - the Annual Law Ball. More details will be shared in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for emails from the SLS.

On the advocacy front, your SLAC representatives have been actively bringing forward student concerns and engaging with the administration. Following the increase in foodrelated thefts last semester, the SLS partici -

pated in extensive discussions with the Faculty regarding campus safety and security. You may already notice additional security-related measures and information being shared, with more updates to follow in the coming weeks. We would like to sincerely thank the SLS representatives and students who volunteered their time to serve on the Security Working Group and helped guide these efforts.

We have also dedicated significant time to raising student concerns about access to recordings, with the goal of making the Recordings Policy more responsive to the everyday realities of illness and unforeseen circumstances faced by students. While these discussions

Christopher Essert Appointed New Dean of U of T Law

A new chapter begins at the law school

ALLIE FONG (3L)

On January 14, the Vice-President and Provost announced that Professor Chris Essert has been appointed as the new Dean of the Faculty of Law, replacing Dean Jutta Brunnée. The decision comes after Dean Brunnée’s announcement that she would not seek reappointment as Dean early last year. Dean Brunnée served as the law school’s Dean from January 2021 to December 2025. Dean Essert’s term will begin on February 1, 2026 and end on December 31, 2030.

Incoming Dean Essert joined the University of Toronto Faculty of Law in 2018 as an Associate Professor. He became a Professor in 2024 and has taught first-year tort law, property law, and small group property law. He previously worked as an Assistant and then Associate Professor for 8 years at Queen’s University Faculty of Law. He has also worked as a Visiting Professor at the UCLA School of Law.

Dean Essert received his BA from McGill University and his JD from the University of Toronto. He received an LLM and a JSD from Yale Law School. Prior to his career in aca -

are ongoing, this remains an important priority for the SLS. Finally, one of the major SLS initiatives this year is updating and strengthening the SLS study materials, guides, databases, and academic resources to ensure they are current, comprehensive, and adapted to changing exam policies. We welcome your feedback and suggestions on what resources would be most helpful in supporting your academic success.

As always, the SLS is committed to building a community where you can thrive, both inside and outside the classroom. Thank you for your continued engagement, and we look forward to another exciting semester together!

demia, he clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada for Justice Bastarache and articled at Parliare Roland LLP.

Dean Essert’s academic work focuses on legal theory, tort law, property law, and philosophical approaches to law. He has published over 30 academic articles and co-authored multiple works, including the textbook on tort law: “Tort Law: Cases and Materials” (with Jason Neyes and Ernest J Weinrib).

Dean Essert was appointed as an Associate Dean of the JD Program in 2020. During his term as Associate Dean, he was present for major changes in the law school, including shifts in exam policy implemented in Winter 2025. His appointment as Dean comes after an extensive international search. On January 19, Dean Essert sent an email to the students in which he expressed his excitement about starting the position. He wrote, “I love this place, and so I am really looking forward to seeing what we can do, together, to continue our upward trajectory and make something great even greater.”

SCC Announces Justice Martin to Retire in May A surprise departure to be missed

On Tuesday, January 13, Chief Justice Wagner announced that Justice Sheilah Martin will retire from Canada’s highest court, effective May 30, 2026.

The announcement was a surprise to many members of the legal community, as she was not expected to retire until 2031. At 69 years of age, Justice Martin is still a few years away from the mandatory retirement age of 75.

Justice Martin has been sitting on the Supreme Court since 2017. In her years on the bench, she has penned numerous significant decisions, including the unanimous judgment in R v Zora, where she called attention to the crisis in the Canadian bail system. Additionally, she co-authored the majority opinion in 1688782 Ontario Inc. v Maple Leaf Foods Inc. Finally, and more recently, she produced an influential dissent— along with Justice O’Bonsawin—in Dickson v Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation.

As many of our readers will recall, Justice Martin also generously served as a judge for

the 2025 Grand Moot. While she was here, she took the time to chat about clerkships and give an interview to Ultra Vires.

Before her elevation to the judiciary, Justice Martin worked in both private practice and academia. Notably, she served as the Dean of the University of Calgary Faculty of Law from 1992–96.

With Justice Martin’s departure, the vacancy on the Court will need to be filled by a judge from either Western or Northern Canada (given the Court’s convention of maintaining two justices from the West and North). Justice Moreau was also recently appointed from the Western provinces, meaning some of the same candidates who were considered in that selection process may once again be in contention. The new justice will be the first appointment under the Carney government.

All in all, Justice Martin has made a significant contribution to Canadian law and her presence on the Court will be missed. Ultra Vires wishes her a very happy retirement!

Fall Faculty Council Recap Endowment, budget, and admissions

DAPHNE

EMBRY (1L)

The Faculty Council, the governing body for the law school, convened twice last semester on November 19 and November 26, 2025, for its regular business meetings. The first meeting focused primarily on the JD and Graduate Admissions reports, while the second covered the annual budget. The Council is chaired by the Dean and includes all full-time faculty, the Chief Law Librarian, and the Assistant Dean (JD Program). Students are represented on the Council by elected Student Life and Academic Committee (SLAC) representatives and two graduate students.

November 19

Dean Jutta Brunnée opened the meeting on November 19 with an acknowledgement of the generous $80 million gift from the Honourable Henry N.R. Jackman. She explained that the majority of this gift is endowed; while this ensures funding of the gift’s impact in perpetuity, it also means the bulk of the money is not immediately available for use. The Dean noted that this gift is particularly transformative in light of the ongoing Ontario tuition freeze and federal international student cap, both of which have created a funding strain for the University.

Dean Brunnée also celebrated the launch of the new EDI in Legal Practice initiative in October. The program is designed to integrate equity, diversity, and inclusion considerations with legal education through two full-day 1L workshops and a year-long speaker series, open to all students.

Before concluding her opening remarks, the Dean welcomed Professor Nathalie Smuha and Deborah Peart. Professor Smuha’s work centers on artificial intelligence and the rule of law, while Ms. Peart joins the Faculty as the new Manager of Recruitment, Admissions, and Diversity Outreach, succeeding Jerome Poon-Ting.

SLS President Chelsea Musanhu (3L) gave remarks next. Musanhu highlighted some of the events, initiatives, and workshops the Students’ Law Society (SLS) has implemented this year, as well as SLS’s plans for the

rest of the semester. She briefly discussed the current student advocacy initiatives related to academic accessibility and building security.

President of the Graduate Law Students’ Association (GLSA), Brooke Evans, addressed the unique challenges faced in engaging LLM, GPLLM, MSL, and SJD students, including the larger age-range and the short nature of some of the programs. Despite these challenges, the GLSA has seen strong participation this year. Evans highlighted concerns about the inconsistency between professors and programs on artificial intelligence policies.

Professors Chris Essert and Anthony Niblett presented the annual JD Admissions report for the 2025 entering class, noting that several trends from previous cycles have continued. Specifically, applications continue to increase, while offers continue to decrease, due to an increasing rate of acceptances, indicating that the University of Toronto remains a top choice school for many applicants. Following the unexpectedly high amount of acceptances in the 2024 entering class (231, compared to 214 in 2023), no transfer students were admitted last cycle. The admissions committee anticipates that transfer offers will return to normal (6 in 2024 and 9 in 2023) over the next few cycles.

While gender distribution has remained consistent, there has been a marked increase in offers to Black and Indigenous applicants. Offers to Indigenous applicants saw a 25% growth, and Black Student Application Program (BSAP offers increased by 89%, with the latter producing a high yield from offer to acceptance.) This increase is associated with increases in the number of BSAP and Indigenous applicants. Notably, there has been a 40% increase in BSAP applications in the last year. Professors Niblett and Essert believe this is due in large part to the outreach efforts of the Black Law Students’ Association (BLSA). While the number for Indigenous applicants is smaller, there has been a larger increase in applications in the last year as well.

Amidst concerns regarding grade inflation, the Committee states that GPA still remains a strong indi-

cator of law school success. However, Professor. Niblett stated that they do not use a set formula for weighing GPA and LSAT scores against other factors in an applicant’s profile; rather, the Committee relies firmly on a holistic approach, and emphasizes the importance of applicants’ personal statements.

Data on the current cycle is not yet public, but Professor Niblett noted an increase in applications compared to last year. A full profile of the entering class of 2025— along with several other classes—is available on the Jackman Law website (https://jackmanlaw.utoronto. ca/jd-program/jd-class-profiles).

Next, Associate Dean Vincent Chiao presented the Graduate Admissions report. Applications to the graduate program continue to trend downward for the second consecutive year, and offer rates varied across programs, ranging from 5.5% for the SJD program and 57% for the GPLLM program. According to Dean Brunnée, implementation of the university-mandated funding commitment of $40,000 a year for all PhD and SJD students has required the Faculty of Law to take a “cautious” approach to admissions while adjusting to this new expenditure. Professor Dyzenhaus noted that prior to this change, the SJD program had one of the lowest funding packages at the university, at $18,000.

November 26

Dean Jutta Brunnée welcomed the Faculty Council to the second meeting of the year. Associate Dean Richard Stacey celebrated Brunnée’s final Faculty Council meeting as Dean and thanked her for her dedication.

Next, the University budget was presented by Professor Scott Mabury, Vice-President, Operations and Real Estate Partnerships. The budget session of the Faculty Council was initially established in response to student questions about tuition costs and financial aid. The budget for the 2025-2026 school year is $3.62 billion, which is up $98 million from last year. Approximately 66% of University revenue comes from tuition and fees, 20% from grants, and 14% ‘other’. Mabury pointed out that the ‘other’ category is relatively low, especially com-

pared to other universities that have a hospital system generating revenue. Salaries and staff compensation make up the largest portion of University expenditures at 64%, and student aid is the second largest expenditure (11%).

Mabury advised that the University is experiencing slow revenue growth due to the tuition freeze beginning in 2019 and a decrease in international student enrollment. Mabury states that 43% of the operating costs for the University are paid for by international student tuition. Though the Ontario tuition freeze is slated to continue until at least the next academic year, University President Melanie Woodin has reportedly been advocating for the government to end the freeze.

Mike Snowdon, Assistant Vice-President of Planning & Budget, then addressed the 2025-2026 budget for the Faculty of Law. Snowdon explained that in 2006, the University shifted to an “activity-based” budget, where the majority of revenue stays where it is generated. A few costs are subtracted from the revenue of each area: 14% goes to the “University Fund,” and other deductions are made for central student aid and Universitywide expenses (libraries, research services, etc.). The University Fund “allows the University…to support initiatives where revenues and costs are not aligned.”

The Faculty of Law has a total budget of $56.9 million for the current academic year. Tuition accounts for 46% of this figure, with the next highest category being the University Fund at 16%. Snowdon stated that the law school receives more than it contributes to the Fund because it has a larger percentage of domestic students than other University programs, meaning the percent revenue obtained from tuition is comparatively smaller. Recoveries make up 14% of the revenue, and endowments and operational grants each make up 10%. The majority of the budget (54%) covers faculty and staff compensation, while the smallest expenditure for the Faculty of Law is financial aid at 12%. University-wide costs make up 18%, and the remainder of the budget goes toward ‘other’ expenses.

LSSEP: The Recruit After the Recruit (Encore)

Deconstructing this year’s LSSEP hiring numbers

GRACE XU (3L)

Last year, I wrote LSSEP: The Recruit After the Recruit to make sense of a recruitment process that felt opaque, anxiety-inducing, and strangely quiet for something that mattered so much. At the time of writing, I was coming off the Toronto 2L recruit and supervising phone intake shifts at Downtown Legal Services (DLS), hearing firsthand how much uncertainty the LSSEP process generated for first-year students. This year’s article is an encore—not because the process has stayed the same, but because it continues to evolve in ways worth mentioning. Much like last year, this article aims to demystify the Law School Summer Employment Program (LSSEP) by grounding it in numbers, context, and lived experience. What’s new this time: the dataset is broader, and the anecdote is more vulnerable.

This year’s LSSEP cycle takes place against a class size of approximately 219 students. The number of available positions also includes fellowships and Future of Law positions, all of which have been confirmed by UTLC. I have included fellowships into the calculation this year, since it offers a more accurate picture of how many students may actually secure a job through the program. Previously, these numbers were not accounted for because during my cycle, I was under the impression that these fellowship opportunities existed somewhat on the margins of LSSEP discussions, even though they functionally op-

erate as employer-funded or institution-supported positions. As of now, 12 fellowship positions are available to students this cycle. The lower end estimate of potential hires this year is 93. On the higher end, the number rises to 103. This means that roughly 42.5–47% of the 1L class may secure LSSEP positions.

In terms of employers, DLS leads the pack with an estimated 25–30 potential hires. The International Human Rights Program follows with approximately 13–17 positions, and the Future of Law Lab rounds out the top three with 9 potential hires.

Rather than treating my personal anecdote as an aside, as I did last year, I want to be explicit about what the process actually felt like. For DLS specifically, the interview process was relatively standardized. In my experience, the interview consisted of a division lawyer running through a slide deck with approximately five to eight questions, most of which were behavioural in nature. The interview then concluded with a written assessment. During my cycle, candidates were asked to prepare an affidavit; last year, the assessment took the form of a client reporting letter.

What I did not fully capture in last year’s article was just how stressful the waiting period could be, even for candidates who ultimately received offers. I received my offer from DLS approximately ten minutes before calls were scheduled to end. Those final mo-

ments were agonizing. What helped me, and what students can keep in mind, is that it is entirely acceptable to send a polite email asking about your position on a waitlist. I did exactly that, and the response I received was comfortingly positive. Being on a waitlist does not mean the process is over. Movement off the waitlist can and does happen.

Finally, with regards to DLS itself, the placement was exceptionally immersive. I had full carriage of several matters and spent a significant amount of time on litigationesque and client-facing work, including making submissions before an administrative board, conducting intakes, providing updates, and following up on clients’ legal situations. While many divisions at DLS are litigation-heavy, the Refugee and Immigration Division is particularly research- and writingintensive. Beyond the work, the people made the experience. My cohort regularly took coffee breaks together and occasionally attended firm tours and open houses together. Reflecting back, my time at DLS was demanding, but it was also deeply insightful.

If last year’s article was about understanding the numbers, this year’s article is about understanding the human reality of the process, and what comes after the numbers.

Editors Note: Please note that these are approximate estimates and not exact numbers relating to positions offered.

Mental Health at the Faculty of Law: A Misguided Approach

A temporary fix to a deeper problem

ANONYMOUS

Now, I have always been somewhat of a worrier. As a child, I would often ruminate about what would happen if the amusement park ride broke down while I was on it, or about the world ending in 2012. I was usually able to keep those fears in check with a little research and, admittedly, a bit of prodding from my parents to actually go out into the world. Then, I had my first panic attack, and in that moment, my worries suddenly became more than something I could push through; they were a diagnosable condition—anxiety.

For a time, I felt defined by my condition. It took about a decade of therapy, countless medications, and a string of other diagnoses to learn how to manage it—at least until exam season hit, when, all of a sudden, I felt like I was back at square one. Every click of the submit button on Examplify triggered a crisis; every awkward sentence became the reason I would never have a career; and, worst of all, every issue felt as if it had been missed. Luckily, however, my long history with anxiety provided me with the tools to contain the damage. After a few appointments with my psychologist, a couple of conversations with friends who knew about my history, and a return to some time-tested habits that reliably put me at ease, I was able to accept whatever the outcome of my first semester of law school might be.

My exam experience was far from unique. Rumination, doubt, and other psychological states that can trigger or exacerbate mental illness are ubiquitous in an environment like law school, where uncertainty abounds and a few hours can feel like they will define one’s career. This, in part, helps to explain why there is a substantial body of academic literature suggesting that law students experience unusually high rates of depression and anxiety compared to age-matched peers, with one study finding that law students suffer depression at a rate of 17-40%, relative to a rate of only 3-9% in the general population. These issues do not resolve themselves. I was only able to manage my illness by leaning on a support system developed over years of trial and

error to manage these stressors. Those who have not experienced mental health issues at all, or not to the degree that exam season can provoke, may not be so fortunate. They may find it challenging to navigate the agglomeration of mental health resources available to them, or even identify what, exactly, they are struggling with in the first place, and where to go once they do. When this occurs, a student’s instinct may be to turn to the immediate: the programming the Faculty offers. But does the Faculty do enough to address mental health needs within its community? On balance, it does not.

The current model is too sporadic and insular, even though the Faculty certainly does a great deal. Efforts such as Doggy Day, on-site counselling, accommodations, peer mental health support, and the psychiatric support provided through Health and Wellness are significant components of the puzzle, but, apart from peer support and accommodations, programs are often delivered as part of a patchwork model that provides one-off events or short clusters of offerings and then disappears. As such, the programming fails because it is too often a set of discrete offerings rather than a coherent pathway students can follow, one that teaches skills, reinforces them over time, and makes it obvious where to turn when something goes wrong. The current system feels like it approaches mental health as a moment suspended in time, something maintained through the odd decompression activity, lunch break event, a short string of appointments, or even “programs,” such as the mindfulness program, which, in practice, consisted of only two sessions this past semester. Simply put, that approach is insufficient to address the mental health risks that law students face.

While school may trigger mental illness, it does not begin or end with exams or the school year. It is a continuous risk in a setting and profession that incentivizes perfectionism, self-comparison, and catastrophic thinking. This risk often spikes at precisely those mo-

ments when institutional access is least reliable, such as after winter exams. Given that mental illness is a foreseeable consequence, not an infrequent occurrence, within the law school environment, the current situation presents a significant concern, and while the Faculty’s strategy may offer temporary stress relief and short-term coping mechanisms, it fails to provide a dependable, long-term approach to both preventing and effectively addressing genuine mental health crises. Crucially, it also neglects to equip students with the skills to identify when everyday stress has escalated into a serious illness. There must, therefore, be more.

What, exactly, is the “more” that the Faculty can offer? The Faculty can—and should—focus on resources for skill-building and maintenance, as well as on clearer, standardized promotion of existing supports. In doing so, it can give real effect to its Student Mental Health and Action Plan, which commits to developing programming and to enhancing and standardizing communication about mental health pathways, resources, and support, including self-management coping tools.

On the first point, a significant step in the right direction would be an optional bi-weekly workshop series focused on recognizing and responding to mental illness, and on maintaining mental wellness over time. The current programming, especially around exam season, is dominated by decompression workshops and activities. That programming should be retained; it helps people regulate, build community, and experience stress in a less isolating manner, but the reality is that individuals who are experiencing a genuine crisis, and those who have no mental health vocabulary and would not know what they are experiencing when illness arises, need to be offered the means to act.

A standing workshop series would supplement decompression programming by building durable skills. It could cover the difference between ordinary stress and clinical symptoms, rumination and perfectionism, tools for panic and acute anxiety, depressive spirals, and the

practicalities of how to contact support. It could also cover what to expect from a first appointment, what to do if the university is closed, and how accommodations work in practice. It could also address predictable law school trigger points directly—grade release, recruits, and the post-exam crash—because those moments are not surprising, and students should not have to improvise a response every time. The goal of this workshop series is not to turn students into clinicians; rather, it is to provide basic recognition and response skills so that students can intervene earlier, and fewer people reach crisis without knowing how they got there.

Additionally, such a series would respond to the most pressing structural mismatch in the current model, the fact that mental illness does not simply fade as triggers do. Many students struggle most after the event, when adrenaline subsides and rumination peaks, but unfortunately, this is also likely to occur when campus access is restricted, such as during winter break. A program that is only present at the peak of exam season misses the period when many students need continuity the most.

Regarding the second point, while I have criticized its model, the Faculty's resources are valuable, but they should be more readily accessible. At present, support can function as a lifeline. Yet it is often communicated through word of mouth, scattered web pages, or occasional emails buried amidst the mountain of programming notifications one receives on any given day. Put simply, that is not adequate.

In response to this issue, there should be a standardized, clear “where to turn” pathway. That could take many forms, even one as simple as a single permanent page linked to every course page on Quercus that lists upcoming programming, crisis steps, and other available resources. Whatever the solution, it should identify what to do after hours and during closures. It should clarify which services are provided by the Faculty, which are provided by the university at large, and which supContinued on page 5

Mental Health at the Faculty of Law: A Misguided Approach

Continued from page 5

ports are available off campus. It should, as the Faculty has done with help lines and short-term programming, be repeated at predictable moments: orientation, before exams, after exams, before grade release, and during recruit season, using the same language and the same links each time. Standardization—essentially—reduces friction precisely when students are least able to navigate it.

Finally, none of this is a criticism of the care providers. The staff and clinicians who support students are doing meaningful work, and for many students, they

make the difference between coping and collapse. If you need help, reach out. As of January 2026, that includes Liz Montgomery, the Faculty’s on-site counsellor, and Chantelle Brown-Kent, a registered social worker and psychotherapist who is the Program Manager for the Faculty’s Wellness and Student Success division. Both are just an email away if you need help. If you are in immediate danger or feel unable to keep yourself safe, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. In Canada, you can also call or text 988 for immediate suicide crisis support. There is a signifi-

cant body of mental health resources in Toronto that can make a legitimate difference in recovery. Do not hesitate to utilize them.

Mental Health Resources:

• Supporting a student in distress: studentlife. utoronto.ca/service/faculty-support-for-responding-to-distressed-students/

• U of T MySSP is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via telephone, video, or chat in multiple languages

Contacts for Students:

• The Health and Wellness Centre (M–F, 9am to 4:30pm): 416-978-8030, or visit the Student Mental Health Portal online

• CAMH 24/7 Psychiatric Emergency Department: 1051 Queen St. W, or call 416-535-8501

• Talk Suicide Canada helpline: 1-833-4564566

• See also: ontario.cmha.ca/documents/areyou-in-crisis/ or camh.ca/en/suicide-prevention/get-help

Law School Lifts Trophy in Dramatic Intramural Finale

How a Scrappy Sixth Seed Defied the Odds

OSCAR JUDELSON-KELLY (2L)

After a rollercoaster regular season, the Law School Open Soccer team is basking in the glory of a hard-fought intramural championship, clinched in late November 2025 with a gritty 2-0 victory over a tenacious Skule engineering squad.

The road to the title was far from straightforward. The campaign began with a narrow 2-1 win over Daniels (UofT’s architecture school), followed by setbacks against the Grad House and St. Michael’s College. We were handed a piece of much-needed good fortune when the Pharmacy Faculty couldn’t field enough players to compete. However, the Pharmacy Team agreed to play the Law School in a scrimmage, where retiring 3L midfield maestro Ethan Kibel announced his final season with a stunning, first-half lob from beyond midfield.

A physical 1-1 draw with Skule in the final regular-season game left playoff hopes in limbo. Fortunately, other results fell our way, squeaking us into the postseason as the sixth and final seed. The upper years on the team — particularly the 3Ls

— were nervous as the playoffs approached. For the past two years, the Law School had been ranked as the first seed entering the playoffs, only to lose in the first round. Luckily, the 2026 season had something new in store. The team found its form at the perfect moment.

The playoff run was a story of resilience and rising to the occasion. First, a commanding 5-0 rematch victory over Daniels Hall set the tone. Season MVP Haneef Amusat scored a handful of goals — a feat that surprised no one on the team, given his form over the course of the season. Then, facing the top-seeded Grad House, the squad showed its heart. After conceding early, Thomas Mora equalized with a sensational free kick into the top-left corner. It was undoubtedly the goal of the season. Amusat, a consistent scoring force, calmly converted a penalty to secure a massive 4-1 upset. It would be remiss to omit the defence’s contribution, especially given the Grad House’s tricky wingers. Mora, Diego Alvarez, Julian Miller, Hannah Nelson, and Justin Waun put in a

huge shift tracking their runners and stifling their attack.

The final against Skule was another scrappy affair. Paul Buzzelli, another retiring 3L, broke the deadlock with a close-range finish from a corner. What followed was a masterclass in determined defending. The entire unit, helped by several huge goal kicks from Alvarez, absorbed Skule’s pressure. The wingers put in a huge shift: Lorenzo Cassi, Diya Courty-Stephens, Anna Lisa Lowenstein, Eric Kwon, Zane Shammas-Toma, Jayden Daniels, and Cameron Smith harried Skule defenders and sprinted back to help out on defence. Ultimately, the game was won in the midfield. The tireless trio of Kibel, Sam Bowers, and Zak Ibrahim proved decisive. Ibrahim made a crucial goal-line clearance in the first half following a scramble caused by a Skule corner. The championship was sealed when, after weathering a Skule onslaught, Ibrahim burst free on a counter-attack and coolly slotted home, triggering euphoric celebrations from Law players and fans alike.

The victory capped a memorable fall season, securing both the trophy and the coveted UofT Intramural Champion t-shirts. The team now carries the title of defending champions into the indoor league and next year’s outdoor season. The message to the rest of the league is clear: the Law School Soccer Team is here to play, and here to stay.

Law School Soccer Team:

Goalkeeper: Vlad Mirel

Defence: Diego Alvarez, Jayden Daniels, Bryan Ding, Oscar Judelson-Kelly, Julian Miller, Thomas Mora, Hannah Nelson, Zane Shammas-Toma, Tomas Vine, Justin Waun, Marwan Yousif

Midfielders: Sam Bowers, Zak Ibrahim, Ethan Kibel, Isaac Menghisteab, Will Mitchell

Wingers: Lorenzo Cassi, Diya Courty-Stephens, Eric Kwon, Anna Lisa Lowenstein, Sydney Ofiara, Marin Shahaj, Sid Sidhu, Cameron Smith

Forwards: Haneef Amusat, Paul Buzzelli, Ciaran Dunwoody

The American Department of Justice’s “Epstein Library” A Mausoleum for Independence and Impartiality

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Ozymandias, by

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Amidst a cacophonous holiday news cycle, in which U.S. forces captured Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and carried out strikes on ISISlinked targets in northwest Nigeria, one event still stood above the rest in capturing the zeitgeist of the internet age: the release of the Epstein Files.

The files were released under the Congressional Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bill marketed as a transparency measure because it would compel the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) to make its records related to financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein public. However, while initially seen as a victory for survivors of Epstein, sexual assault advocates, and other parties seeking public accountability, the release of the files has been anything but—significant issues related to transparency remain.

In early January, DOJ officials told a federal judge that less than 1% of the material had been reviewed and more than 2 million documents still remained under review, despite a December 19th deadline for the release of all files. The DOJ’s primary explanation for this delay is the need to protect victims' privacy; yet this explanation is difficult to reconcile with what has already been released. Redactions in early releases could be reversed with basic editing tools; indicators of survivors' identities, and even names, have been left untouched; and the names of numerous alleged co-conspirators have been blacked out, even though the Department is statutorily barred from redacting information “on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.”

Given concerns about victims' privacy, why include their names? Why redact the names of so many alleged co-conspirators? No public justification has been offered.

However, missed deadlines and uneven redactions are only part of the problem. The DOJ’s enormous discretion over what it releases and withholds, how quickly it moves, and how it frames its actions has also created a legitimacy issue in relation to the Epstein Files. When the Department’s discretion is exercised in a way that predictably reduces scrutiny of influential people, calling into question its commitment to the principle of independence and impartiality, the public does not need a smoking gun to lose trust—it is sufficient that the Department appears to be serving as a political actor rather than managing public disclosure.

When portions of the files contain multiple mentions of Donald Trump, reviving years of speculation regarding his relationship to the disgraced financier and sex offender, such concerns about appearances do not exist in the abstract. Yet, the DOJ has sought to insulate the president from political backlash by removing an image of Trump from the file archive and quickly issuing statements about the veracity of documents that might incriminate him. In doing so, they have signalled that any notion of independence and impartiality in politically sensitive matters is a thing of the past at the Department.

Of course, this is not a new issue; concerns have long existed about Trump turning the DOJ into his own “personal law firm,” concerns made only more salient by the fact that he believes he is only limited by “[his] own morality” and his cabinet believes that he should possess plenary authority. With the DOJ weaponized, another barrier to Trump's achieving this aim—prosecutorial independence—falls away.

Is this reason to be callous about the DOJ’s outlook, though? Is this merely one of many dominoes to fall in Trump’s quest for unfettered power or an inevitable outcome of a presidential cabinet filled with loyalists? To some extent, perhaps, but that does not mean the only option is to accept that we live in a reality where justice is little more than messaging.

The DOJ has been weaponized before, famously by President Richard Nixon, yet those events led to new practices and regulations designed to increase public confidence. That can happen again if the Democrats win back the presidency in 2028. The Democrats can also win back the House of Representatives and the Senate this fall, in the November 2026 midterms, offering a more immediate solution to the DOJ’s breakdown.

Unlike the long game of “wait for a new administration,” congressional control has immediate consequences. It changes what is investigated, subpoenaed, aired in public, and written into law—it offers a legitimate avenue for public accountability. At a basic level, Congress can compel the DOJ to explain itself through sworn testimony when issues similar to those in the Epstein Files release arise. If the DOJ insists it is complying with congressional directives in good faith, it should be able to explain clearly, behind closed doors or in public, how its processes work and why it continues to produce a record that appears tailored to the political interests of the current administration.

If the DOJ cannot justify itself, a Democratic majority in Congress can narrow its discretion through legislation. The core weakness of the current Transparency Act is that it permits delays and discretion without penalty. Subsequent legislation, whether in relation to the Epstein Files or not, must impose stricter controls with firm, funding-dependent dead-

lines to ensure compliance. Such legislation could also require independent review in politically sensitive categories, not because an independent reviewer is a perfect solution, but because it is preferable to the DOJ being accountable to the president, and the president alone.

These proposals highlight the significant challenges facing bipartisan efforts to increase external oversight of the DOJ. Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, sponsors of the initial Transparency Act, have already requested that a federal judge appoint a special master to oversee the release of the Epstein Files. The fact that the law’s sponsors are seeking judicial intervention demonstrates the seriousness of the DOJ’s weaponization, and it reflects an acknowledgment that the DOJ, as currently structured, cannot be trusted to manage politically sensitive disclosures. A shift in congressional control would give members such as Khanna and Massie, who seek greater accountability within the DOJ, the authority to oversee vital processes related to public trust.

Transparency cannot mean releasing minimal information, making excessive redactions, or making vague promises. It must be verifiable by the public; otherwise, the Department will continue to seek trust while giving the public legitimate reasons for doubt. As such, the Ozymandias epigraph is apt: institutions do not collapse only in dramatic moments, but can erode gradually through bureaucracy, delay, and selective silence, until public faith is lost. Once that trust is gone, only the appearance of legitimacy remains. However, while damage has occurred, it is not irreversible; there remains hope for genuine accountability—accountability that could bring about a return to normalcy for the administration of justice in America.

China, Canada, and Arbitration at a Global Crossroads Trade, legal reform, and what a “new world order” means for Canadian law students

GRACE XU (3L)

We may be approaching a moment of genuine transition in the global order. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 20, 2026, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described the present moment as the emergence of a “new world order,” marked by shifting alliances and trade relationships. Carney’s speech comes on the heels of his January 14 to 17 visit to China—the first visit by a Canadian prime minister in eight years—and it offers a useful lens through which to understand recent developments in Canada-China relations.

Carney’s visit culminated in a joint statement reaffirming both countries’ commitment to strengthening engagement across multiple fronts, including trade and investment, clean energy, people-to-people exchanges, and multilateral cooperation. Substantively, the most immediate implications lie in trade. Canada and China reached a preliminary agreement-in-principle under which China is expected to significantly reduce tariffs on several Canadian exports by March 1, 2026. Most notably, tariffs on Canadian canola, which were previously hovering at approximately 85 per cent, are expected to drop to around 15 per cent, alongside reductions in tariffs affecting peas, lobsters, and crabs. Together, these changes could reopen close to $3 billion

in bilateral trade.

In exchange, Canada has agreed to permit up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into the domestic market, a notable shift in Canada’s recent approach to industrial protection and foreign competition. China has also committed to visa-free travel for Canadian passport holders, signalling an intent to revive people-topeople and commercial exchanges that have stagnated in recent years. Taken together, these developments suggest a strategic recalibration: Canada appears increasingly willing to diversify its economic relationships in response to a more fragmented global trade environment.

What is particularly striking—though less publicly discussed—is how these economic developments intersect with changes in the legal architecture governing cross-border commerce. At the same time as Ontario’s civil procedure landscape is undergoing reform, commercial actors are increasingly turning to arbitration as an alternative to domestic courts. This trend is especially pronounced in transactions involving China, where enforceability, neutrality, and procedural predictability have long been concerns.

China’s newly amended Arbitration Law, set to take effect on March 1, 2026, represents a significant effort

to address those concerns. The amendments bring China’s arbitration framework into closer alignment with international standards under the UNCITRAL Model Law and the New York Convention. Among the most notable changes is the formal recognition of the “seat of arbitration,” a concept that clarifies which courts have supervisory jurisdiction over arbitral proceedings. This reform enhances legal certainty for foreign parties, particularly in disputes involving crossborder contracts.

The amended law also expands the circumstances under which foreign arbitral awards may be recognized and enforced in China. The new laws also signal an openness to establish offshore arbitral institutions and administer foreign-related arbitrations in pilot free trade zones. In addition, the new framework expressly recognizes online arbitration proceedings where parties consent, reflecting the increasingly digital nature of international dispute resolution. The time limit for challenging arbitral awards has also been reduced, strengthening finality and aligning the regime more closely with global arbitration norms.

These reforms matter not only in theory, but also in practice. As Chinese arbitration institutions continue to gain prominence internationally, the legal environment

in which Canadian businesses operate—and resolve disputes—is changing. For Canadian lawyers advising on cross-border transactions, arbitration clauses, and enforcement strategies, familiarity with these developments is becoming increasingly important.

For me, these shifts feel less abstract. Having recently returned from an academic exchange at Tsinghua University in Beijing and having taken several courses in international commercial arbitration, I have become more aware of how legal reform, trade policy, and geopolitical strategy intersect. The renewed Canada-China relationship, combined with China’s arbitration reforms, underscores how dispute resolution is becoming a central feature of global economic governance rather than a peripheral afterthought.

If this moment does mark the emergence of a “new world order,” it will not be shaped by diplomacy and trade alone. It will also be shaped by the legal frameworks that determine how disputes are resolved, obligations enforced, and commercial relationships sustained. For Canadian law students, understanding these shifts is not simply an academic exercise—it is preparation for a legal profession that is increasingly global, interconnected, and shaped by forces far beyond domestic borders.

The Moot of the Problem

The upper year moot has gone stale

MATTHEW GRACE (2L)

Oral advocacy is a fundamental part of any legal professional’s education. At U of T, it’s no secret that a large portion of students prefer solicitor work over litigation, but that is no excuse for the Upper Year Moot course to be as restrictive as it is. The Upper Year Moot is regarded as a course that is suitable for those uncertain about litigation and simply need to satisfy the graduation requirement. Given the strong emphasis on oral advocacy experience in law school and the quasi-safety net role that the Upper Year Moot course serves, it should be more expansive. Alternatively, other courses or experiences ought to satisfy the mooting graduation requirement, because the limited number of subjects covered in the Upper Year Moot fails to capture the diverse practice of law and the curious students therein.

The pedagogy behind the requirement for appellatelevel advocacy is that students must engage in a substantive oral argument, and the oral argument must be based on legal research and a corresponding piece of written legal advocacy. If this is the case, then why do

other courses, like negotiation or trial advocacy, not meet the often-dreaded oral advocacy requirement? It appears that other law faculties in Ontario have a much more flexible approach. Notably, the Common Law section at the University of Ottawa allows students taking mediation, dispute resolution, externship placements or the aforementioned trial advocacy and negotiations courses to fulfill their oral advocacy requirement. While I cannot claim to understand the nature of the courses at the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa, the U of T equivalents call upon many of the same skills.

Between fostering the development of students as advocates and taking a pragmatic approach to instituting an oral advocacy requirement, it is a difficult balance for the faculty to strike. Regardless of how passionate we all are to become zealous legal professionals, the truth is that there will always be those who are uncomfortable with the idea of mooting. Beyond that, students might simply not be passionate about the topics that are

offered as part of the Upper Year Moot. A complete overhaul to the mooting program is not necessary, but adding alternative topics and courses to fulfill the requirements would help address the glaring issues with this curriculum at U of T.

This year, the Upper Year Moot allows students to litigate issues in areas such as Constitutional law, criminal law, torts, and contracts. This largely reflects the foundational law courses that students take in 1L, plus a few other specialized areas such as ethics issues and shareholder litigation. The existence of the latter moot subjects is evidence that the faculty is at least open to offering more specialized subjects for the Upper Year Moot. Unfortunately, as it stands, the Upper Year Moot fails to offer the same expansive options as the competitive moots. If students are hoping to explore litigation in a specific area of law, but are not yet dead-set on mooting, then the Upper Year Moot is not the place to look. Notable omissions include labour and employment, intellectual property, and family law, among others. As a

Picking Your Intensive Class

result, those who still want to try mooting in a specific subject but are not ready to take it to a competitive level are shortchanged.

The particularly frustrating part is that Upper Year Moot could be something great. It relieves the stress of oral advocacy due to the non-competitive nature of its assessment structure. To that point, the pass/fail and 1-credit weighting of this class is further conducive to helping students feel at ease when it comes to exploring oral advocacy. Moreover, the judges, supervisors and other faculty stand as connections to the legal field; it’s an excellent opportunity to meet and reach out to specialists in the field that students would not otherwise have the chance to meet in law school. It would be a squandered opportunity to preclude students from connecting with legal professionals in a mooting domain that they are passionate about. There is great value in an oral advocacy curriculum, but surely the efficacy of mooting would not be diminished if a few more options were made available.

In defence of the most tiresome week in January

MATTHEW GRACE (2L)

Intensive Week 2026 is in the books, but before it gets shelved following students’ submissions of their final papers in early February, it is important to look back on the intensive process this year. Many subjects were on offer, and while nobody wants to cut their winter break short, choosing the right intensive class can make your mandatory return to the law school a little more palatable. Given the breadth of intensive courses offered, understanding what you want to get out of the first week in January is essential for narrowing down your selection. While it is a required course to meet your graduation criteria, there are reasons to take an intensive course beyond earning your degree (as good a reason as that already is).

The intensive classes on offer often explore many contemporary issues in law. Since the course is designed to fit within a single week, it can often serve as a ‘flash briefing’ on the

most recent developments in the legal world. For example, the aptly named Contemporary Issues in AI Regulation provided a look into the developments of one of the biggest legal debates in technology at the moment. The intensive courses are concentrated packets of specialized legal knowledge taught over the course of five days, potentially on niche areas of the law that you might not get to explore otherwise. A Brief Introduction to Water Law, which was offered this year, is an example of a course that might not warrant a semester’s worth of study, but is, nonetheless, a unique offering that deserves your attention for the week .

Relatedly, students may want to choose an intensive course that they are unsure they’d want to commit to for a full semester. If you want to explore intellectual property law, but don’t want to burn four credits on a course you are not entirely sure about, then an inten -

sive course in intellectual property might be for you. The low-risk opportunity to learn about something new is an especially compelling feature of the intensive curriculum. Other students may want to return to something familiar. Jackman is full of students with diverse academic and professional backgrounds that may not necessarily be related to law; intensive courses may offer you the chance to return to your roots. For example, the Lawyering for Health Justice: Interprofessional Collaboration and the Medical-Legal Partnership Model intensive this year provided an interesting option, particularly to those who have a health sciences or other biopsychosocial degree. The opportunity to study something a little more distant from law and reminisce on your past academic experiences might be an excellent way to ease yourself back into the new semester by indulging in more of what you already know. Whether you

were a criminal law aficionado in 1L or developed a passion for Indigenous law thanks to Borrows, there are plenty of intensive courses that serve as a return to form.

It is bothersome to have to write a paper for an additional class on top of your busy winter semester, but the winter intensive can really be a meaningful experience. It facilitates the guilt-free exploration of a new legal subject, while promising not to get in the way of any of your full-semester courses. The intensive is also unique because it is taught by professionals coming from all the reaches of the globe, and getting to hear their insights on specialized areas of law is a real privilege. All this to say, do not dread the ill-timed Cognomos notification declaring that you have been added to an intensive class during your winter break; it could actually be a pretty neat experience.

The International Human Rights Program at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law An independent student-led publication

2025–26 Rights Review Editorial Board

Co-Editors-in-Chief: Rachel Brouwer (2L) and Mackenzie Birbrager (2L)

Senior Editors: Jeffrey Ma (3L) and Joy Cudjoe (2L)

Junior Editors: Jackie Tan (2L) and Sanaea Suntok (1L)

A SUMMER

INTERNSHIP AT THE LEGAL RESOURCES CENTRE IN JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

This summer, I had the opportunity to complete an IHRP fellowship at the Legal Resources Centre (LRC) in Johannesburg, South Africa. The LRC was founded in 1979 with the goal of using the law to combat South Africa’s apartheid system. Since South Africa’s democratic transition in 1994, the LRC has worked to uphold and promote the rights enshrined in the South African Constitution.

The LRC specializes in strategic human rights litigation with a particular focus on issues including gender equality, land redistribution, and access to education. However, in practice, the scope of the LRC’s work is much broader. Over the course of three months, I aided in designing litigation strategies for securing clean water accessibility in communities across South Africa. I also worked on cases concerning mining accountability, environmental rights, and land expropriation.

Securing Clean Water Accessibility

Water Accessibility in Joburg Townships

In South Africa, the right to potable water is a constitutionally enshrined, justiciable, and progressively realizable right. However, critical water accessibility issues prevail in both rural and urban areas across the country. Although water issues are widespread, the most severe conditions often manifest in townships, informal settlements, and rural areas. One of my primary assignments was to explore critical water accessibility issues in a number of townships in Johannesburg.

The LRC administered community surveys to as-

sess the status of water accessibility and quality in four communities. I reviewed the survey data and identified evidence of violations of the Constitution, the Water Services Act, and the National Housing Code. The survey data identified that these communities have relied on JoJo tanks as their main source of water for several years. The JoJo tank system requires the municipality to truck water into these communities multiple times per week to fill up the tanks. However, there are often too many people relying on these tanks, leading them to run dry. Consequently, entire communities are left without the water required for drinking, cooking, and sanitation. Additionally, even if the tanks are full, they are not serviced, which leads to water contamination and the proliferation of water-borne illnesses. Ultimately, it is arguable that the JoJo tank system fails to facilitate water accessibility at the standard that is demanded by the South African Constitution and the Water Services Act. The work that I completed on this project will contribute to identifying whether the LRC can bring a case challenging the legality of prolonged JoJo tanker reliance in place of adequate and functioning water delivery infrastructure.

Water Accessibility in Carolina, Mpumalanga

I also worked on a water accessibility project in the rural community of Carolina, Mpumalanga. Carolina has faced clean water accessibility issues for over a decade due to the presence of pollution from a nearby coal mine and untreated sewage

that frequently enters the main water source. In this matter, a community leader in Carolina contacted the LRC after completing a series of water tests on key water sources, which demonstrated that the water is heavily contaminated. The tests highlighted that the water contained unacceptable turbidity, coliform, and E. coli levels, among other contaminants.

To start our investigation, I designed a community survey to obtain additional data on water quality and potential adverse health effects across Carolina. After designing the survey, I travelled to Carolina alongside my coworkers to complete a community consultation. During the consultation, we visited key water sources, completed water testing, spoke with community members, and assisted residents with completing the surveys. Later, I compiled the survey data and identified evidence underscoring that the community’s right to potable water was being violated. This work will contribute to the LRC’s potential future litigation on water rights violations in Carolina. The opportunity to work on these water accessibility projects provided me with valuable insight into how to build litigation strategies from the ground up.

Mining Accountability

Another one of my primary projects was completing legal research for one of the LRC’s corporate accountability cases. In South Africa, the regulations governing the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act stipulate that mining companies must publish their Social and Labour Plans in mining-affected communities. A Social and Labour Plan is a document that outlines how mining companies will make a positive impact on surrounding mining-affected communities. The content of a mining company’s Social and Labour Plan plays an important role in determining if the company will be awarded a mining right.

The LRC is representing a community organization in a mining-affected community. In this case, a mining company created a Social and Labour Plan stating that it would institute a vegetable growing and marketing program for residents, build a brickmaking business, and start a laundry service business. Unfortunately, this mining company failed to institute these proposed projects. Instead, this company’s activities have damaged the structures of local homes and businesses, and polluted the local water source, making residents and their livestock ill.

Over several years, this mining company has failed to publish its Social and Labour Plans, meaning the community lacks insight into the programs the company committed to instituting. The LRC is seeking declaratory relief to clarify the law on publishing Social and Labour Plans and accompanying compliance reports. This litigation will bolster the rights of this particular community. But crucially, this case will enhance the rights of other mining-affected communities by improving their

ability to hold mining companies accountable in the future. Working on this project strengthened my ability to craft innovative legal arguments and bolstered my substantive knowledge on issues such as access to information rights and community consultation requirements.

Land Expropriation Without Compensation

For my final project, I worked on the LRC’s amicus submission in a case brought by AfriForum, an NGO advocating for Afrikaner interests. In January 2025, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Act (“the Act”) into law. The Act provides for land expropriation without compensation in a very narrow set of circumstances. This Act has garnered international attention and has become a highly controversial decision in the eyes of some South Africans and a portion of the international community. AfriForum is attempting to argue that the entirety of the Act is unconstitutional. The LRC is intervening in an effort to uphold the Act in the interest of achieving South Africa’s longstanding goals of land redistribution and rectifying wrongs committed during the apartheid era.

I contributed to the LRC’s submission by evaluating the legality of expropriation without compensation in foreign and international law. This project involved completing an extensive comparative law analysis and an assessment of binding and non-binding international legal instruments for their stance on expropriation without compensation. While there is a widespread presumption against expropriation without compensation in purely common-law nations, South Africa has faced highly unique historical challenges that call for an innovative solution tailored to the South African context. Working on this project strengthened my comparative law skills and allowed me to explore the legal and political complexity associated with land redistribution in South Africa and around the globe.

Reflection

My internship at the LRC allowed me to work on a diverse range of cases, engage in client consultations and field work, and navigate the challenges associated with doing legal work in a different country and jurisdiction. My work on water accessibility and mining accountability was particularly fulfilling and reaffirmed my interest in pursuing a career in international human rights law. I was also able to build lasting relationships and learn from the LRC’s incredible articling students and attorneys. I am very grateful to have had such a positive, encouraging, and valuable experience at this stage in my legal studies and career. I would like to thank my supervisor at the LRC, Ektaa Deochand, and the IHRP team for making this experience possible.

The International Human Rights Program at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law

An independent student-led publication

STANDING IN SOLIDARITY A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON SUDAN

By Mackenzie Birbrager (2L)

“It is a political decision to take action in response to an atrocity, not a legal one.” This statement was made by David Crane, the former Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, during the roundtable discussion, “Complicity and Silence: El Fasher and the Betrayal of Never Again,” on January 9, 2026. Crane’s assertion that atrocity accountability is contingent on political will was the very impetus for the roundtable discussion; absent political will to take action in response to the genocide in Sudan, there will be no justice for the victims. This harrowing conclusion stood as a resounding consensus among all the speakers. Bringing together experts who have profoundly shaped the international legal landscape, the goal of this roundtable was to ignite public awareness and discourse to influence governments to support avenues of international justice for the Sudanese people.

The roundtable discussion began with remarks from Hala Al-Karib, a Sudanese activist for women’s sexual rights in war and the regional director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa. AlKarib provided necessary background on the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, with a particular emphasis on how sexual violence has been used as a weapon of war. Sudan has been plagued with instability since the alleged genocide committed by government-backed militias in Darfur in 2002-2004. In Al-Karib’s view, the deployment of the subsequent African Union Peacekeeping Mission from 2008 to 2020 provided a reasonable level of protection for civilians across the region, particularly women. While the peacekeeping mission did not end the violence, it allowed for stability among those in dis-

placed communities across Sudan. Unfortunately, the mission was terminated in 2020 by a United Nations Security Council resolution, which was a “reckless decision” according to Al-Karib. Communities traumatized by prior atrocities were abandoned, and the task of protection was handed over to the very perpetrators who terrorized Sudan in 2002-2004. On April 15th, 2023, a new civil war broke out in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This war has led to the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Further, the systematic killing and ethnic targeting of Sudanese by the RSF resulted in a declaration of genocide by the United States in January 2025.

The roundtable analyzed the crisis in Sudan through the lens of the events unravelling in El Fasher, a city in North Darfur that was overtaken by the RSF in October 2025, and the latest arena of genocide. Under RSF control, innocent Sudanese in the El Fasher region have been detained, starved, killed and subjected to sexual violence. Crucially, as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights noted, what occurred in El Fasher was preventable. El Fasher is yet another atrocity in the 21st century, embodying how the salience of the motto of “Never Again” diminishes when knowledge is met with indifference or apathy. As panellist Irwin Cotler, the former Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada, forcefully remarked, the atrocity was “foretold and forewarned and yet ignored and erased.”

Sudan’s genocide is occurring against a backdrop of declining support for international justice and international rule of law. This was an unshakeable thread throughout all of the panellists’ remarks. Crane spe-

THE

In the 21st century, social media is a valuable tool governments use to build public support and legitimacy for their foreign policy decisions. This dynamic is particularly evident in Russia’s online misinformation campaign surrounding its invasion of Ukraine. While tanks and troops crossed the border on February 24, 2022, Russia’s effort to shape information, narrative, and public perception of the conflict had been underway for years.

Even prior to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, the country had employed a significant number of trolls, bloggers, and bots to cultivate fear and anxiety among Ukrainian citizens, promote pro-Russian sentiments, and silence opposing voices. While such propaganda was present throughout Ukraine, it was especially pronounced in predominantly Russian-speaking regions such as Crimea. A 2014 Gallup study found that nearly all Ukrainians watched television for news at least once a week, and that the most influential sources of news for Crimean residents were four channels owned by the Russian state. At the time, this marked a significant shift in media consumption patterns from 2012, when the five most important news sources in Crimea were all Ukrainian television stations.

As individuals increasingly rely on social media as their primary and often sole source of news, scholars have emphasized the importance of understanding the perverse tactics used by foreign malign actors and subsequently developing effective countermeasures to address them. Dr. Alexandra Pavliuc, a researcher and affiliate at the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford, was recently invited by the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy to discuss her research on Ukrainian digital diplomacy as a countermeasure to Russian propaganda. The discussion centred on her paper, “Gender and Narrative in Digital Political Communication During Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine,” in which she applied a gendered lens to the study of digital conflicts and the development of strategies to counter foreign malicious influences online.

cifically characterized the contemporary landscape as an age of aggression, which is fundamentally distinct from 1993, when international legal accountability mechanisms were established. Richard Goldstone, the Chief Prosecutor of the United Nations’ International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda from August 1994 to September 1996, explained that international criminal courts or tribunals cannot operate successfully absent support from international governments. He noted that the United States has joined China and Russia as global superpowers that have taken steps to weaken and destroy the International Criminal Court. An undercurrent of the discussion was whether there is a real possibility for victims in Sudan to seek and obtain justice. Each panellist brought their esteemed background as architects of international justice to the inquiry. Crane, for instance, was the founding prosecutor of the world’s first hybrid international war crimes tribunal, which prosecuted the first sitting African head of state in history, President Charles Taylor. In his view, there will be no justice mechanism in Sudan because there is a lack of political will to create one. Hennie Strydom, a professor of international law at the University of Johannesburg, believes international justice is stifled by “rituals of performed concern and denouncement.” In his view, what is unfolding in El Fasher is a “global reaction to the crisis of apathy,” noting that even the majority of African states have not even issued a statement denouncing the atrocities in Darfur. Paul Williams, bringing his insight as an international peace negotiation lawyer, declared that the notion of “peace now, justice later” has only served to teach the bad actors that they can

DIGITAL DIPLOMACY

IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN 21ST CENTURY WARFARE

Previous literature suggests that men and women experience conflict differently with respect to physical violence, economic impacts, and displacement. Building on this research, Dr. Pavliuc examined how men and women differed in their use of social media narratives in relation to the Russia-Ukraine war. Specifically, she looked at whether wartime populations exhibited patterns consistent with the Women and Peace Hypothesis and the gender affinity effect.

The Women and Peace Hypothesis posits that, in international affairs, men are more inclined towards violence or combat-based solutions while women are more likely to favour pacifism, compromise, or non-military approaches. This theory, however, remains highly contested, with some studies indicating that in places with salient conflict, evidence of women’s pacifism is less pronounced. The gender affinity effect, meanwhile, holds that individuals are more likely to form connections or alliances with others who share their gender identity. For example, female politicians may appeal strategically to female voters by emphasizing their shared gender identity to foster a sense of affinity and build support.

For her research, Dr. Pavliuc collected all posts published on X by Ukrainian politicians, as well as posts from X accounts frequently mentioned by those politicians. These included accounts belonging to figures such as former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former U.S. President Joe Biden. The data covered a two-week period before the invasion and a one-week period following the first anniversary of the invasion, from February 2022 to March 2023. Dr. Pavliuc then applied structural topic modelling to identify clusters of co-occurring words across these posts, allowing her to determine key topics and narratives associated with accounts that self-identified as male or female.

Overall, Dr. Pavliuc did not find support for the Women and Peace Hypothesis. While men were more likely to employ narratives focused on military and diplomatic action, women tended to emphasize civilian trauma and Russian war crimes. Although the narratives by women emphasized human suffering, they did not

necessarily reflect pacifism as the Women and Peace Hypothesis predicted. Dr. Pavliuc argues that women’s emphasis on trauma and victimization may be partly explained by the historical context of Ukrainian feminism, which integrated a gender equality lens into nationalist movements. Given that injured civilians are frequently women and children, narratives centred on human suffering may allow female politicians to simultaneously affirm their roles as protectors or “mothers of the nation” and as committed nationalists. With respect to the gender affinity effect, Dr. Pavliuc found strong support for its presence among male Ukrainian politicians and international figures, especially in narratives related to diplomacy and military action. By contrast, women did not exhibit the same level of narrative convergence, which may reflect structural differences in political power, as men continue to occupy a disproportionate share of senior leadership positions. As a result, women may lack the visible political authority necessary to generate the offline and online support required for sustained convergence around shared narratives.

Ultimately, what do these findings reveal about how democratic states can counter foreign malign actors?

Dr. Pavliuc suggests that her research supports a counter-branding approach to disinformation. Rather than responding directly to individual falsehoods, this strategy emphasizes communicating a coherent, values-driven narrative that operates at a higher level than the disinformation itself. Countering misinformation, therefore, does not require directly repeating or rebutting false claims. Instead, political actors and individuals can proactively tell their own stories, shaping public understanding in advance. When disinformation later emerges, such as claims portraying Ukraine as the aggressor, it is less likely to be believed by audiences already exposed to extensive evidence of Ukrainian civilian suffering and war crimes.

This strategy moves beyond traditional methods of combating online misinformation, which often rely on direct rebuttals of specific false claims. Such reactive strategies are inherently limited, as they place actors

commit atrocious crimes with impunity. If there is to be peace at some point in time, it must be accompanied by accountability.

Other panellists brought a more optimistic tone to the inquiry. Richard Goldstone, the first chief prosecutor of the UN International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda from August 1994-September 1996, noted that it was primarily civil society pressure that encouraged political leaders to pursue justice by establishing the Yugoslavia and Rwanda tribunals. Cotler supplemented this view, emphasizing the role of civil society in invoking the involvement of our own respective host governments and internationalizing advocacy. Cotler spoke with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anita Anand, to provoke the G7 to issue a condemnation of the Sudan crisis under Canada’s leadership as G7 President. Despite this, Cotler warned that, absent necessary actions, international condemnations become performative and are expressions of idle virtue signalling if not backed by action.

Considering the dire state of imminent peace or justice against the eroding normative support for international criminal accountability, the panellists solemnly recognized that the international community may not have much support, in the form of establishing legal accountability mechanisms or providing international protection, to give Sudan. Nevertheless, the international community must stand in solidarity with the Sudanese people. People need to keep talking about Sudan. This is why this roundtable discussion on Sudan is happening three more times in 2026, and I urge you to join the next meeting.

in a constant position of responding to content that has already circulated, while new misinformation continues to emerge. By applying a higher-level, indirect approach, audiences can be inoculated against disinformation through a strong foundational narrative that allows false claims to be recognized and rejected when they appear.

As advances in artificial intelligence and deepfake technologies make misinformation increasingly difficult to detect and manage, Dr. Pavliuc’s research becomes ever more critical. If state governments wish to maintain a healthy and functioning democracy, they must quickly develop an understanding of how foreign state actors exploit digital platforms to undermine democratic institutions. Governments cannot afford to remain merely reactive amid the pervasive and persistent stream of misinformation circulating online. To effectively counter misinformation, they must take proactive steps to cultivate a resilient citizenry capable of discerning truth from lies.

In Canada, the Online Harms Act (Bill C-63) was the government’s legislative response to mounting digital policy concerns related to misinformation, incitements to violence, and censorship. The proposed bill sought to impose a duty to act responsibly on social media providers, requiring them, among other things, to mitigate users’ risk of exposure to harmful content and to remove certain categories of explicit material. While this proposal may have been a meaningful first step toward addressing the proliferation of egregious online misinformation, more comprehensive countermeasures are necessary for effective consumer protection. Nevertheless, even this initial first step failed to materialize as the bill was ultimately defeated in early 2024. The bill’s failure to pass suggests Canadians cannot rely solely on government action to prevent online misinformation. Crucially, it further underscores the importance of innovative approaches like those emerging from Dr. Pavliuc’s research to strengthen citizens’ ability to detect misinformation in the interim while Canadians await a concrete legislative solution.

The International Human Rights Program at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law

An independent student-led publication

“ESSENTIAL, BEAUTIFUL, AND IMPORTANT” REFLECTIONS ON MADAN SARA AND WOMEN’S ECONOMIC

RIGHTS IN HAITI

By Joy Cudjoe (2L)

On October 21st, 2025, Universities Caribbean and the Canada-Caribbean Institute hosted a bilingual screening of Madan Sara, a documentary directed by Etant Dupain that centres around the lives of Haitian women market traders whose labour sustains the country’s economy. The screening was followed by a discussion featuring Sandra Wisner, director of the International Human Rights Program at the Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto; Dr. Sabine Lamour, a professor at the Université d’État d’Haïti and a visiting professor at the University of Ottawa; and Dr. Myriam Moïse, a professor at l’Université des Antilles in Martinique. Conducted in English and French with simultaneous interpretation, the event created space for a transnational conversation on gender, labour, political instability, and economic justice in Haiti.

In Haiti, a Madan Sara—sometimes called a Madam Sara or simply a Sara—is a woman who buys agricultural produce from farmers, transports it to urban markets, and sells it to merchants and consumers. An estimated 100,000 women work full- or part-time as Madan Sara, forming the primary link between approximately 700,000 small farmers and Haiti’s urban population. Through this work, they enable the circulation of money, ensure the consumption of crops, and prevent food waste. As the documentary makes clear, the Madan Sara are not peripheral actors in Haiti’s economy; they are its backbone.

Yet despite their central role, these women operate almost entirely within the informal economy, receiving little to no recognition, protection, or support from the state. Their work is physically taxing and begins long before sunrise, with many rising as early as three o’clock in the morning to prepare for transport. The journeys themselves are often dangerous; Madan Sara routinely face robbery, sexual assault, and exploitation, including coercive conditions imposed by those who control storage facilities and market access. Still, they continue to travel and trade, effectively keeping the country running in the absence of functional economic infrastructure.

The documentary does not romanticize their labour. Instead, it exposes the stark contradiction at its core: Haiti depends on the Madan

Sara for economic survival, yet offers them no meaningful protection. As several speakers emphasized during the discussion, these women lack access to insurance, social safety nets, or state-supported security measures. In a country marked by political instability and violence, they are not safe on the roads, in the markets, or within the broader economy. Many have already left the trade because the risks have become too great.

At the same time, Madan Sara are portrayed as highly skilled entrepreneurs. They negotiate prices, calculate profit margins, extend preharvest credit to farmers, and maintain extensive business networks. Their financial acumen directly supports their families and communities. The film highlights numerous women who have used their earnings to put their children through school, enabling them to become doctors, nurses, lawyers, or to pursue opportunities abroad. These outcomes are the product of sustained sacrifice, resilience, and strategic economic decision-making.

One of the film’s most intimate moments focuses on a Madan Sara named Clotide, who uses her earnings to buy her adult son Dory a new camera to support his interest in photography. The exchange is tender and understated, yet deeply powerful. It captures not only a mother’s pride, but the broader truth that this labour fuels intergenerational mobility and creative possibility. These women are not merely surviving; they are building and investing in futures.

The documentary situates these personal stories within Haiti’s broader political and economic context. Economist Eddy Labossière explains the inverse relationship between political instability and economic development in the country. Haiti’s economy imports nearly 70 percent of what it consumes and exports very little. This contributes heavily to currency devaluation and chronic unemployment. For example, the unemployment rate was approximately 14.1% as of 2025—a considerably high rate for a country not formally at war. Political legitimacy remains contested, and cycles of protest and violence further erode economic confidence. In this environment, the informal economy has become the primary site of resilience, with the Madan Sara bearing the brunt of this burden.

One of the most devastating scenes in the film shows the aftermath of a fire at the Du Port market. Amid the ashes, women cry out over their losses. “I have lost everything,” one Madan Sara exclaims. The documentary makes clear that such fires are not isolated incidents. Rather, they are a part of a recurring pattern in which all of Haiti’s major historic marketplaces have burned down—often under suspicious circumstances—at least once. As the film shows, these fires are widely understood to be acts of intimidation, frequently linked to criminal gangs or actors who exercise control over market committees and infrastructure. These acts function as weapons, used to terrorize vendors and destabilize already fragile livelihoods. The absence of effective state oversight or accountability as well as an erosion of the rule of law allows this violence to persist with impunity in a context where criminal actors often operate beyond the reach of police or judicial institutions.This reality further entrenches insecurity for women whose survival depends on the market.

Despite these realities, Madan Sara does not operate alone. The film emphasizes their collective strength and mutual reliance. Rather than adhering to a model of competition aimed at eliminating rivals, Madan Sara often bring family members and friends into the trade. They travel in groups for safety, share market knowledge, and train younger women entering the profession. One expert interviewed in the film describes them as a “national network,” underscoring the cooperative infrastructure they have built in the absence of formal support.

This cooperative approach aligns with what the film describes as a lakou model—a solidaritybased economic system rooted in trust, reciprocity, and community. Clotide herself speaks to the importance of treating regular customers well so that relationships endure. While competition certainly exists, it is tempered by a shared understanding that survival depends on collective participation. This model stands in sharp contrast to dominant capitalist narratives and invites reflection on alternative economic arrangements grounded in care rather than extraction.

A recurring theme throughout both the film and the post-screening discussion was access to

credit. Haiti’s financial system is highly concentrated and exclusionary, making formal loans largely inaccessible to informal workers. As a result, Madan Sara often rely on loan sharks or microfinance institutions offering credit at prohibitively high interest rates. The film introduces Dominique Boyer, CEO of Fonkoze, a microfinance organization that seeks to provide lower-rate loans to women entrepreneurs. While such initiatives offer important support, the subjects and experts in the film emphasized that they cannot substitute for structural reform in a system that purposely excludes women from financial opportunity.

The discussion following the screening framed these issues squarely within a human-rights context. Dr. Sabine Lamour argued that Haiti cannot develop without valuing women’s labour, emphasizing that the marginalization of the Madan Sara reflects broader patterns of gendered and postcolonial inequality. Dr. Myriam Moïse echoed this sentiment, highlighting the intersection of economic precarity, genderbased violence, and dignity. Sandra Wisner connected these realities to international human rights obligations, noting that economic rights, labour protections, and freedom from violence are not aspirational ideals, but legal commitments.

The film’s closing moments return to Clotide, who declares that Madan Sara are “essential, beautiful, and important,” and calls on them to unite in demanding better conditions in the markets. Her words resonate as both an affirmation and a challenge. Madan Sara asks viewers to reconsider whose labour is deemed valuable and whose lives are worth protecting. Etant Dupain’s documentary is ultimately a call to recognition and accountability. It reveals how Haiti’s economy is sustained by women whose work remains invisible to the Haitian legal landscape, despite being indispensable to daily life. The screening organized by Universities Caribbean and the Canada-Caribbean Institute transformed this recognition into dialogue, urging audiences to see women’s informal labour as a matter of rights, not charity. If Haiti’s future depends on resilience, then it depends on the Madan Sara. The law must catch up to a reality these women have long embodied.

Intra Vires

Totally real news from a P is totally a great grade law school!

SAKINA HASNAIN (3L) & KATE SHACKLETON (3L)

Dean Sweepstakes Winner Announced!

We’d like to congratulate our lucky Dean sweepstakes winner—if you followed our Intra Vires betting tips last semester, you might be the lucky student! The new Dean is in the one, the only, Christopher Essert. One lucky Jackman student has won themselves $2 million—enough to cover one entire semester at UofT Law!

INTRA VIRES EXCLUSIVE: Move over J’s Java, it’s time for Chris’ Candy Bar!

Intra Vires is thrilled to provide exclusive insider information that the new Dean has lofty ambitions to bring the law school to new frontiers. Part of these ventures is expanding the previous J’s Java beyond just coffee. Keep your eyes peeled for Chris’ Candy Bar! *Please note: the law school assumes no responsibility for any uptick in diabetes which may result.*

Intra Vires New and Improved Support: The Five Stages of Getting a P (1L vs 3L)

Denial: 1L: Impossible. I was first in my undergrad class! 3L: Phew, I didn’t LP!

Anger: 1L: The professor just doesn’t understand my genius. How dare they!? 3L: I should have gone on exchange!!

Bargaining: 1L: If only I had done that Winter 1999 exam… 3L: If only I hadn’t even tried . . . Depression: 1L: I guess I’ll just drop out now. Nobody will hire me now. 3L: I’ll just never study again. I should never be shackled by outlining ever again.

Acceptance: 1L: P is a great grade. 3L: P’s get degrees.

U of T Law Snow Day Spurs Several Lawsuits

Disgruntled students are considering a class action against the school after a recent snow day. The proposed class will consist of students who had already begun their commute and/or who stayed up past midnight finishing their readings for the next day. The lead plaintiff, who preferred to remain anonymous, allegedly shoveled for 3 hours to escape their driveway before spending 6 hours on GO transit only to be notified of the cancellation upon arrival at Museum station. Another class member allegedly commandeered a

plow after her streets were snowed in but was forced to turn back at the DVP closure.

Return of the Exchanges

For those wondering why there are so many new faces around the law school recently, don’t worry: we’re not being invaded by Osgoode students. However, the returned exchange students are invading the halls with endless stories about French baguettes, Spanish wine, and the way “class isn’t even real.” If you find yourself feeling annoyed or jealous, we’re here to reassure you that your opportunity to go on exchange will come. Unless you’re a 3L… or poor!

U of T Law: Where are all the courses?

Frustrations are mounting as students find themselves searching for their top-tier education. Promised a wide selection of courses on various interesting subjects, many students have instead found themselves in an array of AI or transactional courses. The Faculty of Law maintains that it intends to bring the law school into the future with leading scholars in AI, while simultaneously focusing on what they call a ‘hard skills refocus,’ which

New Year’s Resolutions

removes all technology from the exam process and instead focuses on pen and paper skills.

New York Recruit Broadens Horizons

In an effort to get the jump in the ever leaping NY 2L recruit, one firm is allegedly asking students to submit their resumes as they submit their personal statements with their law school applications. Rumour has it that a rival firm, in response, is offering summer positions to high schoolers whose parents told them to study law because they just love to argue.

Re-re-re-re-renamed

U of T Law

If you’re tired of this, imagine how sick of it we are. U of T Law is now getting a new new new new new name.

Following a yet another donation, now of $80,000,005, the school will now be known as the Khan Faculty of Law. Khan drove through a surprise hostile bid ousting out Hasnain & Shackleton after their “non-ousting” of Khan. With the law school renaming, Khan pledges to bring a new emphasis to U of T Law Follies which will now be the central focus of the law school.

All the resolutions you should absolutely not follow!

JEANINE VARNEY (1L)

I first started making new year’s resolutions as a first grader. Carefully writing my resolutions on snowflakeshaped paper, I swore to practice my handwriting (to this day, no one should ask me for handwritten notes), clean my desk (“needs improvement” in organization), and read more (I actually did this one! Maybe too vigorously!).Since then, I generally stopped writing down my new year’s resolutions, but I still thought of them, and accordingly, resolutely did not follow them. Therefore, I have decided that reverse psychology is really the only way to get myself to reliably follow positive new year’s resolutions. Thus, the anti-new year’s resolutions list:

1. I resolve to not read a single word on any page in any casebook or textbook or case for class. If I am in the room with any of the above mentioned class materials, I will fling it out the window, post-haste. If a window is not available, lit fireplaces or exterior doors

will be sufficient. In all, I will become allergic to reading for class, yet obviously acing any cold calls that I may be faced with.

2. I resolve to divorce myself from my highlighters. I think it's best for both of us if we part amicably. I am a serial highlighter murderer, and so for the sake of the highlighters’ lives I must resign myself to a life without them. In the divorce settlement, my highlighters can keep my favourite lucky pen, but I am keeping my set of fountain pens.

3. I resolve to not study at all after classes. The second I pass the double doors out of J250, every concept from lecture shall simply float peacefully out of the top of my head, leaving an empty space that can be filled with my unending drive to defenestrate any casebook I see. Similarly, I will never outline, be-

cause outlining leads to studying, and studying leads to the demise of my resolutions. I will forget about the existence of the law library, as well as every other library on UofT’s campus. I shall get a concussion bumping into Robarts because I willed myself into seeing it only as an overgrown peacock.

4. I will not go to class at all. I will not be able to point to the law school’s location, even if I am standing right outside its gates. I shall simply be blind to its presence and the existence of my classes. Some mornings, I may wake up at 9 am, out of the blue, with a sense that I should be doing something, but I will convince myself it was simply a vestige of a nightmare.

5. Despite not reading any class materials, not studying, bidding adieu to my highlighters, and not going to any classes, I will seek to be an extreme perfectionist

Your Valentine's Watchlist

SAHARA I. MEHDI (3L)

If you’re checking your calendar and realizing that February 14th is undoubtedly free, worry not… I have the perfect watchlist for your solo Valentine’s Day! These ten romantic comedies are ones I come back to when Hinge feels like hell, and I need to believe in love again.

Dirty Dancing (1987)

This is mMy favourite comfort movie forever. A girl named Baby is spending the summer at a resort with her family when she learns to dance with her instructor, played by the incomparable Patrick Swayze.

Notting Hill (1999)

Notting Hill is oOne of the best romantic comedies of all time;, I will not be taking any questions or criticisms! 90’s Hugh Grant plays a travel bookshop owner in Notting Hill, a dreamy area of London, England. He falls for an A-list movie star, played by Julia Roberts, and the two struggle to find common ground between their incredibly different worlds.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)

A hilarious classic where magazine writer Andie Anderson tries to write an article about the best way to (you guessed it!) lose a guy in 10 days. Unfortunately, she picks a man (played by the iconic Matthew McConaughey) who is trying to prove he can make any girl fall in love with him in 10 days. Their opposing missions create tension, chemistry, and a cute story.

50 First Dates (2004)

A classic pairing of Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler that can never be beaten. Imagine you fell in love with someone who has short-term memory loss— despite forgetting him every single day, Henry decides to spend his life reteaching Lucy about their love.

The Proposal (2009)

A Canadian named Margaret (Sandra Bullock) is facing deportation from the U.S. (very topical today!) and decides to fake an engagement with her assistant, Andrew (Ryan Reynolds), to get her green card. They take a trip to Alaska to visit Andrew’s family to prove to

their immigration officer that their love is real, and the ultimate fake dating romance ensues!

Set It Up (2018)

Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell play two stressed-out assistants who usually antagonize each other, but then end up working together to set up their bosses in an effort to reduce their workload. This is oOne of the most underrated rom-coms of the last decade!

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

This is eEveryone’s favourite airplane movie. Rachel Chu accompanies her longtime boyfriend tofor his family's wedding in Singapore, only to find out that he and his family are extremely wealthy! A visually stunning work that will make you laugh out loud and swoon at the same time.

Wedding Season (2022)

While trying to resist their respective parents' pressuring them to get married, Asha and Ravi decide to pretend to be each other’s dates for a summer of attend-

in everything I (don’t) do. I shall make sure every i is dotted and every t is crossed. Due to this crippling perfectionism to ensure that every word-- nay every thought-- is perfect, I shall be able to write a staggering 315 words on my exams at the end of the semester (the average word count is 3500).

6. Finally, I will never go to any extracurricular events at the law school. That panel that sounds interesting? Can’t go, against my new year’s resolutions. Always wanted to go to a Lawyers Doing Cool Things session? Sorry, I need to think about my resolutions. I shall live a very boring life this semester, with nothing to occupy me at lunch. I might even lose my aversion to pizza!

ing weddings. After enough time, they start to wonder if their fake dating scheme has turned into something more real.

Hit Man (2023)

Based on a true story, Gary Johnson is pretending to be a contract killer to help his local police station catch criminals, when he falls for one of the potential clients of his hit man persona. Yes, there are two Glen Powell movies on this list, and I restrained myself from adding more…

Red, White, and Royal Blue (2023)

A movie adaptation of the Casey McQuiston book by the same name, this story imagines what would happen if the son of the President of the United States fell in love with the Prince of England. If you’re a politics nerd who loves an enemies-to-lovers trope, this is definitely for you!

Why Galentine’s Beats Valentine’s

Tapping into the power of female friendship

SAHARA I. MEHDI (3L)

As Chanté Joseph wrote in Vogue recently, having a boyfriend is embarrassing these days—but that doesn’t mean you need to completely abandon February and the season of love. Whether you are in hell on Hinge, suffering in a situationship, or happily boo’ed up, I am a strong advocate for Galentine’s! Here’s why…

It’s much less pressure

Valentine’s Day always comes with so many expectations and assumptions—get rid of all that and spend the day with your friends! No need to book the fancy restaurant or to plan an elaborate date, you can just enjoy the company of your besties.

Your girls are underappreciated

Everyone else gets a special day to celebrate them—

Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and your partner even gets their anniversary… But we so often forget to celebrate our friends! These are the girls who hold you through heartbreak and make you laugh so hard that you cry. They show up time and time again, so this day should be a reason to honour that bond.

You set the vibes

With your girls, there’s no need to impress because they’ve already seen you at your worst—so you can choose the vibe! If you want to lounge around in ratty pajamas, eat pizza, and watch movies, you can. If you want to get all dressed up for a night on the town, that’s great too. Do whatever makes you feel best, the most important part is to enjoy some quality time with your friends.

I Read 50 Books in 2025…

Here are my top 5! Books to add to your 2026 TBR List

I. MEHDI (3L)

I’ve been an avid reader my whole life, but last year I even surpassed my own expectations. I read 50 books in 2025, and I’ve narrowed down my favourites to create your To-Be-Read List for 2026. If reading more was part of your New Year’s Resolutions, these five books will help you get started!

FICTION:

I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue

For fans of The Office, this comedy begins when Jolene is part of an IT mistake that grants her complete access to all her colleagues’ emails. The book is a mix of humour, a touch of romance, and a lot of hijinks.

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

A sweet romance for book lovers—Eileen’s car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, and she somehow ends up in the fictional town from her favourite romance book series. While trying to figure out how to get back to the real world, Eileen starts to fall for a grumpy bookstore owner.

NON-FICTION:

The House of My Mother by Shari Franke

This memoir focuses on the popular vlogging family channel “8 Passengers” and the author’s abusive mother and her cult lifestyle. The Hulu docuseries was fascinating, but this book allows you to hear the real story from the eldest daughter, Shari.

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

As someone who barely understands most scientific and medical concepts, I was hesitant to read this, but it became one of my favourite books of the year. I attribute that to John Green, whose writing style focuses on the humanity behind every concept and tells a beautiful story regardless of the topic.

MY FIVE-STAR READ OF THE YEAR:

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell

This book follows Cary and Shiloh, former best friends who are meeting at a high school friend’s wedding, fourteen years after they last spoke. The story alternates between past and present, offering a gorgeous depiction of love, friendship, and growing up.

Quick recipes for the busy law student

Comforting recipes you can whip up in no time!

JEANINE VARNEY (1L)

Quick and easy recipes that will have you back to studying in no time! These recipes are designed to take half an hour or less of active cooking time, and generally use simple ingredients you might already have lying around your kitchen, negating the need for a trip to the grocery store. The recipes generally feed one, but with some leftovers for lunch or the next night. Enjoy!

MODIFIED POTATO PIE

This is a quicker modification of one of my favourite recipes, made in much less time.

Ingredients

• Mini Pie Shells (4-6, depending on the amount of filling you use)

• ¼-⅓ of an onion, sliced thinly

• ¾ tsp Salt

• 1 can of sliced potatoes (540 mL can)

• ¾ cup of some sort of cream, for a richer taste use heavy cream, but table cream or half and half are also acceptable

• 1 tsp of dried garlic

• ½ tsp ground pepper

• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Directions

Toss onion and salt in a bowl and set aside. Add the potatoes to a small saucepan on medium low heat and add the cream along with the garlic, pepper, and nutmeg. Cook the mixture until the cream thickens and starts to coat the potatoes (10-ish minutes, depending on how soft you like your potatoes). Remove from heat and add in the onion mixture. Spoon the combined mixture into the mini pie shells, and bake per the instructions on the pie shell packaging, but no less than about 20 minutes.

SPAGHETTI AGLIO E OLIO

A quick, but filling pasta with garlic and olive oil.

Ingredients

• Spaghetti (I use about 2 oz)

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp garlic (I use dried, but fresh is also okay)

• ¼ tsp pepper, to taste

• Parmesan cheese to taste

Directions

Cook the pasta. In a skillet over medium low heat, add

1 Tbsp of the olive oil and the garlic. Cook until the garlic is aromatic and lightly browned. Add ½ cup pasta water to the skillet and simmer until reduced by half. Add cooked pasta to the skillet and toss or stir until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Plate and add parmesan cheese.

CREAMY PAPRIKA CHICKEN

A dish with complex flavours, yet comes together very quickly. Side note: why am I obsessed with paprika?

Ingredients

Boneless, skinless chicken breast strips (I use precooked, but raw also works, just cook for longer in the second step)

• 2 tbsp smoked paprika

• Pinch of salt

• Pinch of black pepper

• 2 tbsp butter

• ½ cup diced onion, preferably yellow onion

• 1 tsp minced garlic, fresh or dried

• ½ cup canned diced tomatoes, including juice

• ½ cup chicken broth

• 2 tbsp heavy cream

Directions

Add 1 tbsp of the butter, ½ tbsp of the paprika, the salt, and pepper to a skillet, and let butter melt. Add the chicken pieces and stir until they are warmed/cooked and fully coated in the spices. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside. Melt the remaining butter in the skillet, and add the garlic and onions. Cook until the onions are soft, and almost starting the caramelization process. Add the remaining paprika and stir briefly. Add the diced tomatoes and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add the chicken back to the skillet and add the cream. Stir to combine. It’s ready to serve when the sauce fully coats the chicken and the chicken is heated through.

CREPES

A quick recipe for crepes, from my high school French teacher.

Ingredients

• 1 cup, 1 tbsp flour

• 3 eggs

• 2 tbsp sugar

• 3 tbsp melted butter

• 1.5 cups Milk

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Whisk the flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and ½ cup milk until a smooth batter forms. Whisk in the rest of the milk. After the mixture is smooth, with no lumps, pour through a fine strainer, to ensure a smooth texture. Add the butter to the mixture. You can always make the batter beforehand! Pour approximately 2 tbsp of the batter into a crepe pan or small skillet. Swirl the mixture around the pan until it has thinly coated it. Allow the mixture to cook until it browns slightly at the edges. Carefully flip the crepe and cook on the other side. Remove from the pan and fill it with your favourite filling.

Core Memories

The Saucy Intruder

Year of the sauce

Even as perfect as you all tell me I am, I’ve been in the gym getting bigger. I’ve been in class getting smarter. They’re trying to tell you that it’s the year of the horse, but 2026 is the year of the sauce. But reading through my inbox (while resting between sets of my 700-pound leg press), it’s clear that you’re not following my lead. New year, same old problems.

Dear Saucy,

My non-law school boyfriend keeps trying to make Valentine’s Day plans, but they never fit into my schedule. My moot meetings are ramping up, and I’m somehow already behind in my classes. I love my boyfriend, but he doesn’t seem to get that I’m basically going to be camped out in Jackman for the next few weeks. How do I make him feel seen without falling behind?

Sincerely,

Busy Bee

Dear Bee,

Relationships are an exercise in compromise, which is a skill you really need to work on as an up—and—coming legal star. Good thing you have me to guide you. Why don’t you have your Valentine’s Day date at the law school? Sure, some of your peers may talk, and okay, it’s possible that I’ll try to kick your boyfriend out of the fishbowl should you end up there. Privacy, ambience, affordable coffee—sure, you’ll have none of it. But what you will have is love. And who can put a price on that? Cheers!

Saucy

Dear Saucy,

My moot partner is my long-time law school crush (score!). Something about being quick on our feet got us worked up, one thing led to another, and we started hooking up over winter break (double-score!). But lately things have been getting…weird? But I can’t tell, so I’m coming to you.

After our first time, she told me I was a bit too toothy—I’m super open to feedback, so I didn’t think much of this. Then she asked me to do a British accent, which I was kind of into. After a few more times, she started calling me “My Lord,” and I can’t front, I really liked that. But the last time we were together, she asked me to wear a white wig, and I can’t tell if I misheard in the heat of the moment, but I am reasonably certain I heard the name “Denning.”

I’ve liked her since 1L, so I want to continue seeing her, but I’m not sure how I feel about Lord Denning roleplay.

From, Bedding Denning

Hi Bedding,

Wow! First of all, congratulations on bagging your law school crush! Second of all, I think it’s necessary to separate some feelings here. Ask yourself: Do you feel weird about Lord Denning roleplay, or do you feel weird about Lord Denning? Because if it’s the latter, I think it’s important that you leave the casebook outside the bedroom and get into whatever the hell is going on.

Otherwise, I think you need to communicate with your MPWB (moot partner with benefits) and let her know where you draw the line. Maybe you can wear the wig, but she calls you by your name?

You can also shift your perspective on this. This sensual experience is inviting you to reflect on whether there are any legal fantasies you’ve been keeping under wraps. Cold call with a twisted punishment? Expanding the bench? Think on it.

Finally, handle all advice with caution because this is ultimately your moot partner (with benefits), and if you screw it up, you could cost yourself your moot. No pressure.

Stay cool, Saucy

Hi Saucy,

I’ve been doing some mock interviews in preparation for the 1L recruit, and I keep getting tripped up by the first question. How do I answer “Tell me about yourself”?

Sincerely, Worried 1L

Dear 1L,

I’m so flattered that in the wake of CDO’s flooded inbox, you’d turn to me.

Let me level with you: You’ve got the school, and you’ve likely got the grades. But so does literally everybody else. How you answer that first question is what will signal to firms that you’re different. So be different. Demand that they tell you about themselves instead. Or better yet, maintain steady, unbroken, silent eye contact to show them how great you are at keeping things confidential.

Recruit is really just a series of mind games,

so you need to start playing them before the firms start playing you.

Best of luck!

Saucy

Saucy,

I’ve been hitting Hart House pretty consistently thanks to my new years’ resolutions. There’s a guy that I’ve been making eye contact with for the past couple of weeks. He’s tall, he’s broad, he’s strong. But when he finally came up to talk to me, I also found out that he’s IN UNDERGRAD?! How do I recover from the fact

that I was attracted to someone born in 2006?

Signed, Concerned Cougar

Dear Miss Cougar,

While it’s no Criminal Code offence, I understand why you’re concerned. There’s really no good advice for a situation like this. Maybe petition Hart House to make all gymgoers wear a tag with their age on it. Either that or a mountain retreat to rid you of worldly desire.

Stay saucy!

Saucy

Follies Writers scrambling in response to Esserts Ess-cension

Writers claim they should have been consulted on the funniest option for new dean

Writers for UofT’s law follies—the end of year comedy show put on for the law school are in disarray this week. Reacting to the news of Christopher Essert being selected as the new dean, writers and executives were seen scrambling to rewrite scripts and come up with new ideas. One writer was quoted as saying “it’s so stupid, we had so much Brunnée material—what are we gonna do with the Brunnée wig now??”. An anonymous source familiar with Follies' finances suggested that the show is now in "significant trouble" as an "overwhelming" portion of its

budget had been spent on an "unbelievably realistic" wig. Others are optimistic that this change could breathe new life into Follies— with an exec speaking anonymously saying “I’m sure we can dig up dirt on Chris— maybe he’ll fund free popcorn for everyone this year.” As a final wrinkle, sources confirm that Dean Essert is banned from Scotiabank Theatre after watching Wicked 2 three times in a row and singing along… every time. Follies execs are scrambling to find a new venue for the March show date.

Valen-scopes

Situationships, Soulmates, and Section

Crushes

HARLEEN GREWAL (2L)

Whether you’re as single as a pringle or emotionally invested in someone you’re “just studying with,” February has romance creeping in through Jackman law like it pays tuition. Between the fishbowl eye contact, the hallway run-ins, and the world’s least convincing “we’re just friends” energy, love this month is less about the labels and more about the vibes. Here are your February horoscopes to translate the Valentine’s chaos.

Aries

February has you flirting in stealth mode, Aries. Love in Jackman looks like sharing outlines during Reading Week, explaining cases “real quick” (it never is), and insisting you’re just being helpful. Sureeee. If your love life were a trope, it would be the Secret Situationship : private, intense, and fueled (almost) entirely by proximity. This month calls for clarity over quiet martyrdom. Chemistry is fun, but you don’t need to be someone’s emotional support study buddy to deserve affection.

Taurus

February has you running romance like a lowrisk investment, Taurus. You’re social, likable, and strategically flirty in groups so nothing can be pinned on you. If your love life were a trope, it would be Friends-to-Maybe . All vibes, no declarations, maximum “I didn’t mean it like that.” Cute! But Valentine’s energy is nudging you to decide: are you actually interested, or just collecting attention like it’s participation marks?

Gemini

February has you emotionally networking, Gemini. At Call to the Bar you’re all eye contact, inside jokes, and main-character

banter. In Jackman the next day? Suddenly you’re a professional acquaintance. If your love life were a trope, it would be Will They / Won’t They. Valentine’s energy says romance requires more than vibes and a good exit line.

Cancer

Cancer, you’re living in the slow burn this month. The kind where nothing happens, but it feels significant. You replay moments, assign meaning, and let the tension do the work for you. If your love life were a trope, it would be a Yearn-ship: high emotional investment, zero visible action. February’s message is simple— either enter the scene or admit you like the longing more than the outcome. At some point, you have to do more than make eye contact and call it fate.

Leo

February has you insisting nothing’s going on while behaving like something very much is, Leo. You’re invested, attached, and still calling it “not that deep.” If your love life were a trope, it would be Lovers in Denial : mutual, intense, and aggressively unacknowledged. You’re calling it discretion. The rest of us are calling it a relationship. Valentine’s season is asking whether you’re keeping this quiet because…it’s special…or because admitting you care would make you vulnerable?

Virgo

Virgo, February has you approaching romance like a group assignment. You’re organized, reliable, and quietly assessing whether someone would be a good long-term collaborator. Your love life is giving Work Spouse . The communication is seamless, the support is mutual, and the boundaries are…

blurry. You’re mistaking reliability for romance and calling it chemistry. Valentine’s season is reminding you that love isn’t just about being good on paper—it’s also supposed to be fun.

Libr a

Libra, February has you harmony-maxing like it’s a full-time job. You’re charming, attentive, and just emotionally available enough to keep everything pleasant—and everything possible. If your love life were a trope, it would be a Slow Burn . Not because you’re patient, but because you’d rather let things unfold naturally than risk an awkward moment. Valentine’s season is reminding you that “keeping the peace” is not the same as being clear.

Scorpio

Scorpio, February has you revisiting unfinished business with impressive composure. It’s “I’ve been thinking” texts, familiar chemistry, and an ex who suddenly feels… less ex and more current. If your love life were a trope, it would be On-Again/OffAgain . You don’t revisit things lightly, and you don’t do anything halfway. Valentine’s season says: if you choose the sequel, commit to the plot.

Sagittarius

Sagittarius, February has you wanting closeness with an exit strategy. You want warmth, comfort, and someone to be obsessed with—right up until it feels real. If your love life were a trope, it would be Commitment Issues Not because you don’t care, but because you hate anything that feels too… final.

Valentine’s energy is nudging you to stop treating emotional depth like a trap and start treating it like a choice.

Capricorn

Capricorn, February has you flirting the only way you respect–consistency. You’re showing up, saving seats, sharing notes, and acting like this is purely academic. Riiight. Let’s be real, you might be in a Study-Buddyship. It’s giving “we’re productive together” until suddenly you’re staying later than you need to. Valentine’s season calls for enjoying that tension. Just don’t pretend that this is still about the syllabus.

Aquarius

Aquarius, February has you acting unbothered with impressive commitment. You show up, you stay consistent, and you still insist you’re “not really thinking about it.” If your love life were a trope, you’d be the Aloof Love Interest You like distance, autonomy, and plausible deniability–even when the feelings are real. Valentine’s season asks for a small adjustment. Try lowering your guard by like… 10%.

Pisces

Pisces, February has you treating Jackman like a rom-com set. You’re falling in love with a look, a lyric, or someone being mildly polite to you in a way that feels spiritually significant. If your love life were a trope, it would be Love at First Sight . It’s sweet, it’s cinematic, and it’s also how you end up becoming emotionally attached to a person whose last name you don’t know. Valentine’s energy screams soulmate… but it might also be giving stranger.

ZACH GORMAN (1L)

january crossword

By Navya Sheth

Oilers, on NHL scoreboards

Could be metric or imperial

Statute used by the LTB

Medieval quest for

used to do pro bono work for this org.

It's not free of charge

With enthusiasm

Wyatt or Wynonna

OpenAI CEO's X handle

Prefix with propyl

Long, long follower

Three-syllable berry

____ up (keep quiet)

TTC stop

Catch some rays

46-Across replaced this person

Synonym for 20Across

Mature

'60s war zone

Kind of bill

German granny

Trunk