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Full-Text Articles in Law

An Essential Service: Public Libraries And Their Role In Law And Society, Graham Reynolds Jan 2020

An Essential Service: Public Libraries And Their Role In Law And Society, Graham Reynolds

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On March 16, 2020, in order to help slow the spread of COVID-19, the City of Vancouver closed all of its public library branches. I experienced these closures on a number of different levels: as a Vancouver resident who loves to read and to visit libraries, as the partner of an avid reader, as the father of a four and a half year old who is as excited about the prospect of trips to the library to pick up “fresh books” as he is with the chance to practice riding his pedal bike through the neighborhood, and, among other identities, …


Building The Aboriginal Conference Settlement Suite: Hope And Realism In Law As A Tool For Social Change, Toby S. Goldbach Jan 2020

Building The Aboriginal Conference Settlement Suite: Hope And Realism In Law As A Tool For Social Change, Toby S. Goldbach

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In 2014, the provincial government unveiled a new courthouse in Thunder Bay, Ontario, featuring a conference area designed to emulate an Anishinaabe roundhouse. The “Aboriginal Conference Settlement Suite” epitomizes efforts to support Indigenous justice within the criminal justice system. However, despite similar efforts in the past, the circumstances of Indigenous peoples in Canada have not improved. This ongoing commitment to legal solutions is emblematic of mainstream views of law as a problem-solving instrument. Notwithstanding awareness of its failings, law reformers remain dedicated to using law as a tool for social change. Employing a case study method focusing on the new …