SOME CAUSE FOR OPTIMISM – HOPEFUL TIMES AHEAD IN VARIOUS AREAS

TEACHING

On the UPSIDE, I taught a LOT of Law this year and began my tenure as co-Director of the Mental Health Law course in Osgoode PD’s Health Law LLM, with Ruby Dhand.

I was a guest lecturer at no fewer than four law schools this past year, including Osgoode Hall Law School, The Western Faculty of Law, U of T’s Faculty of Law and the Lincoln Alexander Law School at Toronto Metropolitan University

Another FIRST for me this past year was the incredible honour of seeing a full year’s worth of work come to fruition as the Inaugural Rosenberg Moot was held at the Court of Appeal for Ontario. I am excited about this program growing in the coming years as well.

WiCCD

Another Good News Story has been WiCCD – born in 2022, WiCCD started to see broad-reaching successes in our second year in existence in 2023. We won an award for the YouTube channel I created that Maya Shukairy has turned into something truly special.

You can learn more about WiCCD’s herstory, growth and successes here:

PUBLISHING

The really best story of the year has been publishing.

In 2023, I had not one, not two, but (I can hardly believe it) three textbooks published.

Two were new editions of previous volumes, and one was a brand new product.

CANADIAN ANTHOLOGY ON MENTAL HEALTH AND THE LAW (CAMHL) 2024

In 2024, we are publishing my most ambitious text book effort yet – an ADVANCED MENTAL HEALTH LAW TEXT – THE CANADIAN ANTHOLOGY ON MENTAL HEALTH AND THE LAW (CAMHL) forthcoming in August, 2024. It is amazing to me that one year ago to the day nearly we published our law school casebook – Law and Mental Health in Canada with 9 authors and just 365 days later we are putting the finishing touches on our publication forthcoming this year, an undertaking that’s manifold the size of anything I’ve ever done before.

I am so proud of nearly 80 contributing authors and 50 chapters we are now polishing up for submission to LexisNexis. Best book of my career, it will be a stunningly important resource for anyone who cares about persons living with serious mental health issues who come into any contact with the law. A collection of Judges and tribunal decision-makers, law professors, practising lawyers, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, clients, PWLE, families, victims and others have chapters in this book. Our team of four General Editors include an academic, a Crown counsel, a Superior Court Judge and me, representing the defence. Right now we are debating cover art and that’s my favourite part of the publishing journey – SO Excited!! Stay tuned for details to come very soon!

SCC work

Finally, I hope to return to the SCC in 2024.

2023 saw us getting denied leave on a case I was very exercised about, which was fairly crushing.

But we were there on Kahsai, which was a good experience on an important case.

Here is hoping 2024 is a better, more peaceful year for us all. Keeping the faith, wishing all my colleagues and friends health and happiness in all you do. And to my haters, well, just nothing. Remember, the opposite of love is not hate. It’s indifference.