A group of students is hoping to change the way poor people relate to the law, aiming to find more solutions that will ensure the legal system does not counter the needs of those with the lowest incomes.
This year’s Student Public Interest Network Legal Action Workshops (SPIN LAW) conference will take place this weekend (Feb 1-3) at Metro Hall, with Saturday evening and Sunday events taking place at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.
“Our goal in putting on this conference is to have an open forum where we can discuss the connections between law and poverty, both in the ways that the law creates and exacerbates poverty, and the ways in which we can use the law in a positive way to address the many problems associated with poverty,” said Mindy Noble, a third year law student at U of T and member of the SPIN LAW organizing committee.
Noble stressed that the event is open to all students and members of the community, regardless of their backgrounds or legal knowledge. Child poverty, environmental concerns, international corporatization and Aboriginal justice will all be discussed.
“It’s our responsibility as we get our education to use that privilege for the betterment of our society,” said Pauline Rosenbaum, another member of the SPIN LAW organizing committee.
The conference’s keynote address will be given Friday night by Madame Justice Rosalie Abella of the Ontario Court of Appeal. John Clarke of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, Cathy Crowe of the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee and U of T math professor and social justice lawyer Peter Rosenthal will also speak.
The conference, which costs $5, will begin at 4:00 on Friday afternoon. A benefit pub will be held that night at the Hooch at Queen and Bathurst, with all proceeds going to the Squeegee Working Youth Mobilization.
Contact [email protected] for registration information.
