The Economics Department is happy to announce that the Canadian Network for Economic History successfully wrapped up their meeting in Thunder Bay, sponsored by Lakehead University. The three-day event from September 27th to 29th, 2019 included three days of sessions, two keynote speakers, and also provided Professor Ann Carlos, from the University of Colorado-Boulder, as the speaker for the Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies September 26th Science Speakers Event.

The Conference Theme was the economic history of Indigenous communities, and interactions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous economies in Canada and attracted national and international scholars. Generous financial support was provided by the Canadian Economics Association, the Alan Green Memorial Fund, Lakehead University's departments of history and economics, the Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies at Lakehead and the Office of the Vice-Provost of Aboriginal Initiatives.

by Brandon Walker

Professor Ryan McVeigh believes we can learn a lot about the world by studying monsters.

As an assistant professor in Sociology and Interdisciplinary Studies at Lakehead Orillia, Dr. McVeigh understands how life connects people in various ways, which is why monsters fascinate him.

“Since people are so deeply connected to each other, it’s interesting that they hurt other people, which is why I also started to study violence,” he says.

“Because monsters in some sense permit or promote you directing violence towards them, I started to wonder what the sociological significance of monsters was.”

Dr. McVeigh says civilizations from all recorded periods of history have some semblance of a monstrous “other.” In myth, legend, and folklore, all cultures feature creatures that those societies do not allow to belong.

“These excluded ‘others’ are characterized as evil outsiders that we are supposed to stay away from. They do violence to us and we are allowed to do violence to them, so there’s historical significance to studying monsters, but I’m interested more in the sociological significance.”

The sociological significance hinges upon how the presence of monsters changes the way we act compared to the way we normally act around people who are more like us.

“An easy way to think about this is to pretend there’s a zombie apocalypse. What happens to the everyday norms of society – the rules and regulations we abide by?”

“You pack up your car and your kids, everyone is ready, you’re going to flee, you need to get out of the neighbourhood, and – oh, you come to a red light. Are you going to stop at the red light? Probably not,” Dr. McVeigh says. Those regulations and rules “get tossed out the window,” Dr. McVeigh says, much like prescriptions against violence.”

“Violence is not something people are normally allowed to do,” he says. “But if a zombie walked into your office, what would you do?”

“You would probably ignore the law and do your best to kill it. If you have ever seen the show the Walking

Dead, you know there’s no question. If you’re faced with a zombie, there’s no, ‘Hmmm, is it morally okay?’ In fact, you are morally responsible to attack a zombie. They invite that violence.”

Dr. McVeigh defines monsters as humans and non-humans who society does not allow to belong because they disrupt the separation between particular categories.

“A werewolf is monstrous because it calls into question the category of wolf and the category of person. A zombie breaches the line between life and death – now there is something both dead and alive.”

Brandon asked Dr. McVeigh if the following fictional characters are monsters:

Walter White from Breaking Bad

Ruling: Monster.

He is a disruption of category. It’s interesting to watch Walt become the character that he has created for himself. This tough guy pose that he adopts, he leans in and doubles down to become Heisenberg. He’s for sure a monster by the end, so he has to die – it was the only ending that made sense.

The Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz

Ruling: Monster.

Even her portrayal was designed to be seen as monstrous due to her bright green skin, plus she surrounded herself with flying monkeys – not normally the company you want to keep.

Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty

Ruling: Monster.

She was a stepmother. Step or otherwise, as a mother you’re culturally expected to care for your children, and she turns into a dragon at the end – in case there was any doubt.

Edward Scissorhands

Ruling: Monster.

Others see him as a monster but he really struggles to be accepted and belong. One of the defining traits of monsters is that they are not allowed to belong even though sometimes they want to. You empathize with him trying not to appear as a monster. He looks monstrous but you want to give him another chance.

 MP Patty Hajdu presented the commendation to Lorne Clifford in late August.

Lorne Clifford, Director of Security Services at Lakehead University, recently received a commendation from the Ministry of Veterans Affairs.

Now a Lieutenant (Navy) with the local Cadet Corps after a distinguished career with the Canadian Armed Forces and as a senior police commander, Lorne continues to be engaged in veterans’ issues, both personally and as a member of the local Royal Canadian Legion.

"I'm honoured and absolutely humbled to be recognized with this award,” he said. “We have a sacred obligation to those who have sacrificed and continue to give so much of themselves to ensure peace and freedom in Canada.  They are the ones who need to be remembered. We can all do our part – we just need to look after each other."

Lorne arranges for veterans to come speak to his cadet unit regularly and has them participate as reviewing officers during parades.

He also engages his cadets to volunteer during Veterans’ Week and the Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Campaign. Lorne is a gifted speaker who spoke in front of 5,000 people for the Thunder Bay Remembrance Day ceremony in 2013, bringing his perspective on the modern-day peacekeeping veteran. He has given dozens of presentations and he continues to speak to local community groups on the role of Canadian peacekeepers.

As leader of the Thunder Bay Police Pipe Band for over 30 years, Lorne has provided a yeoman service for countless Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police ceremonies.

He has provided over 50,000 volunteer hours to the community through his efforts with the pipe band. In 2017, the band performed 20 free concerts at seniors’ homes to commemorate Canada 150 and to highlight the 100^th anniversaries of the Battles of Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele. As a fundraiser for the band, he was able to donate proceeds to a local PTSD survivors group called Healing in the Wilderness.

Through work with his church, Lorne is responsible for setting up support for veterans using an effective outreach service called A Brother in Need. He draws attention to the unique needs of Canadian veterans and offers a grass roots peer support system.

He has connected individuals seeking support with the guidance or assistance needed. For example, he helped an Australian family to arrange a memorial service for their family member, a Royal Canadian Regiment veteran who died an accidental death in Canada.

Since Lorne was overseas on July 29 when the Minister of Veterans Affairs hosted the presentations, MP Patty Hajdu presented the commendation to Lorne shortly after that.

September 5, 2019 – Thunder Bay, Ont.

Are you experiencing memory loss? Have you received a diagnosis of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease? If so, then you and your care partner should register for the two-day Living Well With Dementia: Creating Dialogues of Hope conference.

The conference will start on Sunday, Sept. 22 with a special Dementia Café: A Place to Belong, at the Urban Abbey from 2 to 4 pm, followed by a barbecue at the Best Western Plus Nor'Wester Hotel.

Then on Monday, Sept. 23, the conference will be at the Nor'Wester Hotel starting at 9:30 am when keynote speaker Roger Marple from Alberta will discuss his experiences of finding hope and living well with dementia.

There will be a variety of sessions throughout the two days, including challenging the stigma of dementia, physical activity and cognitive health, sharing stories about hope, and planning ahead. The North West Dementia Working Group, in collaboration with Lakehead University's Centre for Education and Research on Aging & Health (CERAH), is delighted to be hosting this conference.

Susan Bithrey, a member of the North West Dementia Working Group said this conference will be beneficial for people who have experienced dementia.

"I am honoured to be involved with the North West Dementia Working Group, and especially to be able to contribute to the upcoming conference," Bithrey said.

"As a former care partner to my late husband Reg during his ten-year journey with dementia, I gained insight into how challenging it is to live well with this disease, and to care for someone as they go about their daily lives. I hope to be able to share some of my and Reg's lived experience, and in doing so, perhaps be able to help others in their
journeys."

"This conference will bring together people with dementia and their care partners across the region to connect and share their experiences of challenging the stigma associated with dementia and living with hope amidst dementia," said Dr. Nisha Sutherland, a Research Associate with CERAH and co-facilitator of the North West Dementia Working Group.

For those living in Northwestern Ontario outside of Thunder Bay, travel and accommodation subsidies are available. A $25 registration fee includes all workshop materials and refreshments over the two days.

For further information, please visit cerah.lakeheadu.ca/events, or contact Ruth Wilford at (807) 766-7298.

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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8177 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca .

Lakehead University has approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and 2,000 faculty and staff in 10 faculties at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead is a fully comprehensive university: home to Ontario's newest
Faculty of Law in 44 years, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and faculties of Engineering, Business Administration, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, Science & Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Education, and Graduate Studies. Maclean's 2019 University Rankings place Lakehead University among Canada's Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities and in 2018 Research Infosource named Lakehead Research University of the Year in its category for the fourth consecutive year.

August 27, 2019 – Thunder Bay, Ont.

Lakehead University's Interim Provost & Vice-President (Academic), Dr. David Barnett, is pleased to announce that Dr. Jula Hughes has been named as the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law's new Dean.

Dr. Hughes is currently a professor at the Faculty of Law of New Brunswick and will begin at Lakehead University on October 1, 2019.

Dr. Hughes holds a prestigious two-year appointment as University Research Scholar and is the principal investigator on a SSHRC and Status of Women Canada funded research and community action collaboration titled "Looking out for each other," a capacity-building project by, with and for Indigenous communities and Aboriginal organizations that supports families and friends of missing persons.

Prior to her appointment at the University of New Brunswick, she practiced labour and human rights law in Ottawa.

Lakehead University's Bora Laskin Faculty of Law is a regional law school with a focus on Northern Ontario. It embraces three mandates in its curriculum: Aboriginal and Indigenous Law, Natural Resources and Environmental Law, and Sole/Small Town Practice with the Integrated Practice Curriculum.

"Jula's experience makes her a perfect fit with the faculty's three mandates," Dr. Barnett said, adding that he would like to thank the members of the Search Committee and everyone who participated and supported the search, within Lakehead and from the external community.

Dr. Hughes said she is excited to join the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law.

"Reconciliation with First Peoples and access to justice are key challenges for our legal system, for the legal profession and for legal education in Canada," she said.

"I am excited to join the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law as Dean and to lead and contribute to a faculty with a mandate to learn from Indigenous legal traditions and to promote equitable and honourable relationships between Indigenous Peoples and settlers.

"Access to justice is an important determinant of a peaceful and prosperous society. Through the Integrated Practice Curriculum, the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law is educating lawyers in the North, for the North. I see huge promise in the approach Lakehead University has taken to the issue of access to justice. We can make a big difference," she added.

The search process for Lakehead's newest Dean of Law began in 2018. The Search Committee was comprised of representatives from the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law, other Lakehead University Faculties; the University's various governing bodies, the Thunder Bay Law Association, Anishinabek Nation, Anishinawbe Omaa Minowaywin (the advisory committee at the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law), Fort William First Nation, Grand Council Treaty 3, the Métis Nation of Ontario, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, and Lakehead University's Ogimaawin-Aboriginal Governance Council.

Dr. Jula Hughes

Dr. Hughes is a full professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of New Brunswick. She currently holds a prestigious two-year appointment as University Research Scholar and is the principal investigator on a SSHRC and Status of Women Canada funded research and community action collaboration titled "Looking out for each other," a capacity-building project by, with and for Indigenous communities and Aboriginal organizations that supports families and friends of missing persons.

She is the author of 24 peer-reviewed publications, and she has participated in numerous international and national conferences as invited speaker, convener, presenter, panel organizer and discussant.

Dr. Hughes was appointed as Assistant Professor in 2006, promoted to Associate Professor in 2011, tenured in 2012 and promoted to Professor in 2017. Prior to her appointment at UNB, she practiced labour and human rights law in Ottawa. In 1999- 2000, she clerked for Justice Ian Binnie of the Supreme Court of Canada.

A recipient of UNB Law's Teaching Excellence award in 2016, she currently teaches Criminal Law, Constitutional Law and Jurisprudence. In the past, she has also taught Foundations, Public Law, Labour Law, Labour Arbitration, Human Rights Law, Wrongful Convictions and Advanced Criminal Procedure. She is the chair of the Law Faculty Experiential Learning and TRC committees and has participated in and/or chaired a wide variety of faculty committees.

Dr. Hughes has served the university community as elected senator-at-large and member of the Research Ethics Board. She served as president and chief negotiator of the faculty association (for which she was awarded the CAUT Dedicated Service Award). Her contributions to faculty labour relations included membership in the task force on mandatory retirement and the renegotiation of UNB's shared pension plan.

Her contributions to the legal community include serving as regional coordinator and senior advocacy advisor of the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute, vice-president of the Fredericton Legal Advice Clinic, and corporate secretary of the Canadian Association for Legal Ethics. She was co-chair of a provincial inquiry into New Brunswick's legal aid system. Further, she is a frequent contributor to judicial and continuing legal education conferences and the chair of the RCMP national advisory committee on witness protection. She is the co-editor-in-chief of the Canadian Journal of Law and Society and she was a member of the executive and grant adjudication committees of the Urban Aboriginal Knowledge Network (Atlantic), SSHRC adjudicator and frequent peer reviewer.

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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8177 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

Photo of Dr. Jula Hughes by Rob Blanchard, UNB

Lakehead University has approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and 2,000 faculty and staff in 10 faculties at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead is a fully comprehensive university: home to Ontario's newest Faculty of Law in 44 years, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and faculties of Engineering, Business Administration, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, Science & Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Education, and Graduate Studies. Maclean's 2019 University Rankings place Lakehead University among Canada's Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities and in 2018 Research Infosource named Lakehead Research University of the Year in its category for the fourth consecutive year. Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

August 29, 2019 – Thunder Bay, Ont.

Lakehead University researchers are receiving more than $742,000 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) for seven important projects undertaken by faculty and graduate students.

Three projects in particular will assist Indigenous children who are experiencing mental health difficulties, investigate how food sovereignty can provide health interventions in Northern Ontario's rural and urban hubs, and assist people with dementia in the decision-making surrounding their own death.

The project between Lakehead University and a local First Nations children's services organization aims to use a variety of strategies to develop treatments for young Indigenous children who are experiencing mental health difficulties.

"The approach that we'll be using brings together the best of what we know from a psychological approach, but also the best of what we know from traditional cultural approaches. Bringing together these knowledge bases helps improve the wellness of young people," said Dr. Christopher Mushquash, an associate professor in Lakehead's Department of Psychology and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.

A grant of $160,000 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research will be used to develop a group intervention strategy for First Nations children and youth.

Dr. Mushquash, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction, is also the director of the Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research and a psychologist at Dilico. Dr. Mushquash is also the Associate Vice-President, Research at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and Chief Scientist at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute.

"Dilico's role in this project is to meet the clinical needs of the service population in a way that honours our strengths as a people," said John Dixon, director of mental health and addiction services at Dilico Anishinabek Family Care, whose offices are located on the Fort William First Nation.

Along with Dr. Mushquash and Dixon, the research team includes PhD student Kristy Kowatch, as well as Tina Bobinski and Kristine Stasiuk of Dilico.

Dr. Mushquash, who grew up in Sioux Lookout, has been working with First Nations organizations on improving the lives of people in remote communities. Along with a high level of poverty, residents are also struggling with the lingering effects of the 60s Scoop and the residential school system.

"When you bring these elements together it creates a much higher need for mental health services," Dr. Mushquash said, referring to issues such as depression, anxiety, emotion regulation, adjustment to trauma and substance use.

The treatment participants will be clients of Dilico, ages 7-12. Often they present with multiple diagnoses, such as depression as well as anxiety and difficulty sleeping.

Partnerships with Dr. Mushquash have been community-focused and community-driven, Dixon said.

"Research is only undertaken if it is wanted by the community and is of benefit to communities in terms of immediate knowledge translation, and the advancement of community wellness," he said.

"What we will do on the psychology side of things," Dr. Mushquash explained, "is bring together the very best literature and approaches on what we think could be of utility to young people."

That information will go to an advisory group of stakeholders and community members for feedback. At the same time, Dilico will engage people with expertise in addressing these symptoms to build a program for children that will hopefully decrease depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns.

"It is our expectation that training and service delivery models will be developed from this work that will further enhance Indigenous models of care," Dixon said, emphasizing the focus is on Anishinabek beliefs, spirituality and community relations.

Dr. Lana Ray, assistant professor in Indigenous Learning, is receiving $142,211 to spend one year creating an Indigenous Food Sovereignty (IFS) best practice framework that she will use to design, implement and evaluate health interventions for Indigenous peoples accessing services in Northern Ontario's urban and rural communities.

"At a community level, this project will examine the effectiveness of moving from an outcome based approach to one that is focused on the ways in which health is negotiated and lived among Indigenous peoples according to an Indigenous model of health, and thus an understanding of health that is culturally based," Dr. Ray said.

Through a case-study design and engagement with health care providers and administrators throughout the region, Dr. Ray and the project team are able to build upon the innovative work currently happening at partner Aboriginal Health Access Centres in northern Ontario.

Dr. Ray will work with Joe LeBlanc, Director of Indigenous Affiars at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and co-investigators Anita Cameron, Perry McLeod-Shabogesic, Dr. Kristin Burnett, associate professor in Indigenous Learning, and Dr. Barbara Parker, assistant professor in Sociology.

Dr. Nisha Sutherland, assistant professor in the School of Nursing and research affiliate at the Centre for Education and Research on Aging & Health, is receiving $195,075 to spend three years exploring and promoting end-of-life decision-making for people with dementia living in long-term care homes.

"The purpose of this study is to include residents with dementia and their care partners (paid care workers and unpaid family members) when making decisions about dying," Dr. Sutherland wrote in her funding application. "We will use methods of interview, observation and review of documents to understand how care decisions are made for residents with dementia."

This study is important to point to new ways of including residents with dementia and the people who care for them in making decisions towards palliative care.

First, they will use a relational model of citizenship to understand the meaning of actions and intentions of people with dementia and include them in decision-making. Second, they will use a critical feminist lens to highlight the influence of gender and other social relations in end-of-life decision-making.

"We will partner with long-term care home partners and people with dementia in the community to create a video that sheds light on fair practices and policies," Dr. Sutherland wrote.

This study is essential for residents with dementia to have a fair chance to receive quality palliative care and die in the way they wish. This project was ranked first out of 18 in its category. "Thank you to the CIHR for recognizing the important research undertaken by Lakehead University faculty and graduate students," said Dr. Andrew Dean, Lakehead University's Vice-President, Research and Innovation.

Funding from CIHR also generates support from the federal Research Support Fund to offset the indirect costs of research incurred by universities.

In 2018/19, Lakehead University will receive nearly $2 million in assistance from the Research Support Fund to support the indirect costs of research, which includes costs for supporting the management of intellectual property, research and administration, ethics and regulatory compliance, research resources, and research facilities.

New CIHR Grants 2018-19: Total $742,286

Faculty Member Grants

Project Grant (three- to four-year grants)

Dr. Christopher Mushquash, Department of Psychology, Developing a transdiagnostic group intervention for First Nations children and youth, $160,000.

Principal Applicant – Knowledge User

John Dixon, Dilico Anishinabek Family Care

Co-applicant – TraineeKristy Kowatch, Department of Psychology

Collaborators - Knowledge Users

• Tina Bobinski, Dilico Anishinabek Family Care
• Kristine Stasiuk, Dilico Anishinabek Family Care

Dr. Nisha Sutherland, Department of Nursing, Promoting Just and Inclusive End-of-life Decision-making for Long-term Care Home Residents with Dementia and their Care Partners, $195,075.

Co-applicants

• Dr. Mariette Brennan, Bora Laskin Faculty of Law
• Dr. Sherry Dupuis, University of Waterloo
• Dr. Pia C. Kontos, University Health Network (Toronto)
• Dr. Oona M. St-Amant Ryerson University
• Dr. Elaine C. Wiersma, Department of Health Sciences, Director, Centre for Education and Research on Aging & Health

Catalyst Grant: Indigenous Approaches to Wellness Research (One year grant)

Dr. Lana Ray, Department of Indigenous Learning, Investigating Food Sovereignty as a Best Practice Framework for Health Interventions in Rural and Urban Hubs in Northern Ontario, $142,211.

Principal Knowledge User

• Joe LeBlanc, Director of Indigenous Affairs at NOSM
   

Co-applicants

• Dr. Kristin Burnett, Department of Indigenous Learning
• Dr. Barbara Parker, Department of Sociology

Knowledge Users

• Perry McLeod-Shabogesic, Shkagamik-Kwe Health Centre
• Anita Cameron, Waasegiizhig Nanaadawe'iyewigamig

Partner

• Sudbury Social Planning Council

Graduate Student Grants

CIHR – Doctoral Research Award – Priority Announcement: Research in First Nations, Métis and/or Inuit Health Award

Kowatch, Kristy - Clinical Psychology – The development, implementation and evaluation of a transdiagnostic group intervention for First Nations children. September 1, 2018 – August 31, 2021, $105,000.

CIHR – Doctoral Award – Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS-D) Award

Toombs, Elaine – Clinical Psychology – The Strongest FamiliesTM Parenting Program: A randomized-controlled trial of a culturally appropriate parenting program for northwestern Ontario First Nations communities. September 1, 2018 – August 31, 2021, $105,000.

CIHR – Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master's Program

Kristen Chafe - Clinical Psychology, The Role of Estrogen in Moderating the Relationship Between Lifestyle Factors and Cognitive Ability in Older Women May 1, 2018 – April 31, 2018, $17,500.

CIHR – Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master's Program

Martina Agostino – Biology, Novel Methods for the Treatment and Diagnosis of Fibromyalgia. September 1 – August 31, 2019, $17,500.

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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8177 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

Lakehead University has approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and 2,000 faculty and staff in 10 faculties at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead is a fully comprehensive university: home to Ontario's newest Faculty of Law in 44 years, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and faculties of Engineering, Business Administration, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, Science & Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Education, and Graduate Studies. Maclean's 2019 University Rankings place Lakehead University among Canada's Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities and in 2018 Research Infosource named Lakehead Research University of the Year in its category for the fourth consecutive year. Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

From left, Joanna Goldenberg, coach, with students Phaedra Olinyk, Nathan Wainwright, Amanda Gallo, and Austin Nix, along with Kimberley Gagan, coach, travelled to Toronto last weekend for the Arnup Cup.

February 15, 2019 – Thunder Bay, Ont.

Picture this.

Your law firm has been hired to defend a man charged with using a handgun to steal $20,000 from an ATM machine in a convenience store.

The man is in debt to the mob and had a $20,000 payment that was due, which gave him a motive. Physical evidence, including clothing and cigarettes containing the man’s DNA, linked him to the crime. But you believe your client was framed by the Crown’s witnesses, who had provided conflicting information to the police.

What would you say or do to defend this man?

Third-year students from Lakehead University’s Bora Laskin Faculty of Law faced this challenge during the Arnup Cup moot – or mock – trial competition held at the Federal Courthouse in Toronto last weekend, sponsored by WeirFoulds and the Advocates’ Society.

For the first time, the Bora Laskin team placed first in the challenge against students from Queen’s, University of Ottawa, York, University of Toronto, Western, and Windsor.

Third-year students Amanda Gallo and Nathan Wainwright competed in the challenge.

“This competition was an incredible opportunity to run a full-length jury trial before a Superior Court judge,” Gallo said.

“The jurors were all members of The Advocates' Society, who organized the competition, and they provided us with really great feedback once the trial was over. Overall, it was an excellent opportunity to learn and grow as a young advocate,” she said. 

Gallo added that she learned the value of being flexible and not taking herself too seriously.

“Trials are live creatures and you can never predict with certainty what will happen. What you can control, however, is how you react to an unexpected situation. A little bit of calm and good humour can go a long way to minimizing stress.”

Wainwright said the team prepared for the moot as if it was a real case. “We worked hard and executed our trial plan from start to finish in an attempt to be persuasive to the jurors. Fortunately, it resonated with them, which led to a successful trial,” he said, adding that it gave students the experience of conducting a trial before a jury and the Superior Court judge.

“I learned many things, including how to control witnesses, deal with judges, be persuasive and follow courtroom procedure,” he said.

“What I call the ‘Lakehead Difference’ was displayed in spades in the moot. It was evident that the practical curriculum that Lakehead Law emphasizes more so than other law schools gave our team a foundation in oral advocacy skills that may have made the difference,” Wainwright added.

Gallo and Wainwright had help from their alternates, third-year students Phaedra Olinyk and Austin Nix, who kept them on their toes by preparing a case against them that was similar to the Crown’s case.

“I knew we had a strong team, but the fact that we beat out every single law school in Ontario – and Osgoode Hall even sent two teams – was truly amazing,” Olinyk said.

“My education at the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law helped me prepare for this competition because the integrated practice curriculum provided me with the necessary skills to be able to advocate orally, but to also effectively prepare with my team.

“Throughout my time at Lakehead I have been given a legal education that is distinctive from other law schools in Ontario and Canada, because they focus on providing practical legal skills such as oral advocacy, running a trial, and the list goes on,” she said.

Nix said he and Olinyk competed against Gallo and Wainwright several times leading up to the moot, to help them prepare.

“I think the biggest lesson from this experience is that hard work pays off. The effort that you put in will reflect the reward you get out of it. And while this was a significant win for Lakehead at the provincial level, there is still much more work to be put in for the national competition,” he said.

As the preparation team, he and Olinyk partly based what the Crown might say and do on his experiences at his placement in the North Bay Crown Attorney’s office.

“The idea of thinking like a Crown attorney definitely contributed to the preparation of my case, which in turn, helped strengthen our team’s case,” he said.

Kim Gagan, Founding Director of Lakehead University’s Community Legal Services, and Joanna Goldenberg, one of the clinic’s Review Counsel, were the team’s coaches, which was fitting because they each have extensive criminal law advocacy experience.

Gagan said the students’ practice placements at legal offices in first term, coupled with Lakehead’s integrated practice curriculum, provides them with more “real life and hands on experiences” than law students from other universities usually receive.

“I like to think that gives us a great foundation for this type of competition,” she said.

The team will head to the national moot competition, called the Sopinka Cup, in Ottawa on March 15 and 16.  

– 30 –

Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8177 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

Lakehead University has approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and 2,000 faculty and staff in 10 faculties at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead is a fully comprehensive university: home to Ontario’s newest Faculty of Law in 44 years, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and faculties of Engineering, Business Administration, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, Science & Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Education, and Graduate Studies. Maclean’s 2019 University Rankings place Lakehead University among Canada's Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities and in 2018 Research Infosource named Lakehead Research University of the Year in its category for the fourth consecutive year. Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

Here are some of the features in this issue:

HOBBITS AND STEGODONS

Searching for the reasons behind the extinction of a race of 3.5-
feet-tall early humans

NOW AND THEN

Kevin Ford reminisces about his Lakehead SCUBA exploits

HISTORY BUFF

Tom Rose came back home to Orillia and discovered the lure of
the past

MONSTER MASH

Fear and fascination permeates our long-running obsession with
monsters

FISTS OF FURY

Don’t get on MMA fighter Emma Horner’s bad side

SULTAN OF SAMBA

Award-winning percussionist Rick Lazar is an innovator in the
vibrant world music scene


Please send your comments, suggestions, and story ideas to editor@lakeheadu.ca.