Watch this space regularly for updates of new print and electronic titles received at Law Library. Click on a book cover to find out more about the book and where it can be found in the Law Library.
Meeting the growing need for legal professionals with Indigenous legal knowledge: The new JD/JID program
In the TRC Calls to Action, Canadian law schools are called upon to require law students to learn the history and legacy of residential schools, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Aboriginal-Crown relations, and Indigenous law. The University of Victoria has taken this call to action to heart through its new JD/ JID program that will begin this fall. The new program will be the world’s first law degree that combines the study of both Canadian common law and Indigenous law, ensuring future legal professionals have the required skills to succeed in both realms.
UVic president Jamie Cassels commenting on the news stated:
“This program builds on UVic’s longstanding commitment to, and unique relationship with, the First Peoples of Canada. The foundational work for this program has been underway for several years, building on Indigenous scholarship for which UVic is known internationally”
Below is a round up of recent press coverage of the new program:
- UVic News Release (2018, Feb 21). World’s first Indigenous law degree to be offered at UVic.
- Watts, R. (2018, Feb 22). New program a ‘new beginning’ at UVic for Indigenous law studies. Times Colonist.
- Britton, L. (2018, Feb 22). UVic law students to study Canadian and Indigenous legal systems in new program. CBC News.
- Depner, W. (2018, Feb 22). New Uvic Program combines Indigenous and non-Indigenous law. Victoria News.
- Val Napoleon on the CBC radio show All Points West with host Jason D’Souza (posted soon)
For more information and links to publications by UVic’s two leading Indigenous law experts, check out our previous blog posts linked below.
John Borrows (Professor, Canada Research Chair Indigenous Law):
- Professor John Borrows awarded 2017 Killam Prize
- UVic Law Professors in the Annual Author Celebration Event – March 8th
- John Borrows New Nexen Chair
Val Napoleon (Associate Professor, Law Foundation Professor of Aboriginal Justice and Governance):
- Professor Val Napoleon on Activism, Indigenous Law & Disrupting Things
- Professor Val Napoleon named to the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists
- Professor Val Napoleon awarded Indigenous Peoples’ Counsel Award
Related Library Resources:
Stay tuned for further updates from the library!
Environmental Law Club Research Event a Success!
Earlier this month, the UVic Environmental Law Club conducted a successful all-day research event at the UVic Law Library. Using their knowledge of legislative research, over 50 law students created a timeline of environmentally important legislative and policy changes to BC mining law in support of the Environmental Law Center’s Major Mining Law Reform Project.
For more information on this event, check out this post published yesterday on Slaw and written by the Environmental Law Club: http://www.slaw.ca/2018/02/15/law-student-led-legal-research-day-supports-environmental-law-reform/
UVic Law Professors in the Annual Author Celebration Event – March 8th
Mark your calendars for the annual UVic Author Celebration Event happening on March 8th at 3pm!
This event 
recognizes the incredible amount of intellectual content produced by members of the UVic community.
This year’s event features two faculty from UVic law. Professor John Borrows is among the incredible panel of authors and Professor Rebecca Johnson will be moderating the event.
Join the event on Facebook or find more details below:
When: March 8, 2018
Where: University Bookstore
Time: 3:00-4:30pm
THEME: Join us as we celebrate books written by UVic authors, including an engaging panel discussion with authors from the UVic community on issues facing First Nations communities.
Moderator: Rebecca Johnson (Professor & Associate Director, Indigenous Law Research Unit)
Author Panel:
- John Borrows (Law) – The Right Relationship: Reimagining the Implementation of Historical Treaties & Freedom and Indigenous Constitutionalism
- Lorna Williams (Education) – Knowing Home: Braiding Indigenous Science with Western Science, Book 1
- Michele Tanaka (Education) – Learning and Teaching Together: Weaving Indigenous Ways of Knowing into Education
- Paul Whitinui (Education) – Promising Practices in Indigenous Teacher Education
Family Day closure and research help during reading week
Please note that the Law Library will be closed next Monday, February 12 (Family Day). Full details of our hours of operation are available here.
While the research help desk will be closed during reading week – research and citation help will remain available.
Students, you’re encouraged to email or phone the usual research help contacts. The law librarians receive email and phone messages at those contacts and will respond as quickly as possible, Monday through Friday. You may also make an appointment with a law librarian for research help via email or the staff at the library loan desk.
Our regular Research Help Desk hours will resume on Monday, February 19.
Massive Enviro Law Research-o-thon effort!
We love to see legal research in action for a real-life purpose!
Today, it’s environmental law reform, through the Enviro Law Research-o-thon! The UVic Environmental Law Club co-ordinated a team of vol
unteers to research relevant BC legislative history and secondary discussion and to synthesize their results into a shared knowledge base.
Their work will help support the development of mining law reform proposals led by the UVic Environmental Law Centre.
Law librarians Alisa, Caron, and Alex prepared a gorgeous targeted and comprehensive research guide website earlier this week to help the students identify and work with valuable resources in the law library collection, including BC legislative research content in our Quickscribe, HeinOnline, LLMC Digital, and BC Laws databases. It also incorporates the 
legislative starting points compiled by ELC articling student Renata, and Kim’s chapter on researching BC legislation. Today, the librarians are on hand throughout, to help with the intricate process of historical legislative and contextual legal research.
Kudos to all involved, and many thanks to Quickscribe Inc for their generous financial support of the students’ snacks and incidentals!