Justice Sharpe gives highly successful first talk in legal history for legal professionals series

Thanks to Justice Robert Sharpe for a great presentation on the life and career of Chief Justice Brian Dickson!
The first session in a series of Osgoode Society legal-history-for-legal-professionals talks was standing room only, and well received by all in attendance.
Thanks also to the Osgoode Society communications committee, especially Jim Phillips and Trish McMahon, for coming up with a great idea, and Amanda Campbell and the Law Society of Ontario for excellent execution!
We expect to follow this with two other similar evenings this year--watch this space, sign up for our newsletter, and become a member at osgoodesociety.ca!

New from U of T press: Roots of Entanglement: Essays in the History of Native-Newcomer Relations ed. by Myra Rutherdale et al.

Four legal history essays in a new collection from U of T Press.

Roots of Entanglement: Essays in the History of Native-Newcomer Relations

Edited by Myra Rutherdale, Kerry Abel, and Whitney Lackenbauer

IV Law, Legislation, and History

They Have Suffered the Most: First Nations and the Aftermath of the 1885 North-West Rebellion, Bill Waiser

“Powerless To Protect”: Ontario Game Protection Legislation, Unreported and Indetermined Case Law, and the Criminalization of Indian Hunting in the Robinson Treaty Territories, 1892-1931, Frank Tough

One Good Thing: Law and Elevator Etiquette in the Indian Territories, Hamar Foster

Reclaiming History through the Courts: Aboriginal Rights, the Marshall Decision, and Maritime History, Kenneth S. Coates

Mills, Adapting to Miners’ Practices: The Development of Gold Mining Law and the 1863 Mining Board

New in BC Studies from Thomas Mills (h/t Doug Harris)

Adapting to Miners’ Practices: The Development of Gold Mining Law and the 1863 Mining Board

The differences in the settlement process in British Columba and the western United States has invited comparison. Specifically, historians have sought to explain why Californian miners submitted to British rule during the early gold rush period -- especially when this population had its own legal practices, knowledge of mining, capital for the exploitation of the diggings, and was numerically superior to the British officials attempting to administer them. The literature has come to accept that the Gold Fields Act, 1859, which allowed for Gold Commissioners and Mining Boards, smoothed a transition to a more centralized form of British law and order and quashed the establishment of decentralized mining customs, originating from California, in the form of miners’ meetings and camp law. This paper generally agrees with the consensus that the law played a role in the reduction of tensions between the mining community and the Government. A review of the development of the early gold mining law shows that the Colonial Government was eager to adapt formal law to miners’ practices -- defusing any potential for conflict, in the process. Decentralized laws created by mining communities at Yale and Hill’s Bar were formalized in later regulations by Governor Douglas. Following the issuing of the Gold Fields Act, 1859, the concerns of miners in Cayoosh District were met with accommodation by changes to the law that directly addressed their concerns. And mining practices in Cariboo District such as tunnel mining, previously not taken into account, were met with formal regulations bringing the law in line with common practices. This pattern of adaptation continued after the establishment of the 1863 Mining Board, which submitted recommendations for changes to the mining law as well as entire draft acts touching on mining subjects unaddressed by the formal law. The Government’s response was the Gold Fields Act, 1864 which included many of the recommendations submitted by the Mining Board. This consistent adaptation on the part of the Colonial Government helps to explain the submission of foreign nationals to British rule and, moreover, is reflective of a transition in mining practices, from simple placer mining to more complex highly capitalized mining operations.

Register now for an evening of legal history with Justice Robert Sharpe

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

5:30 p.m. February 27th Osgoode Hall-Museum Room, 130 Queen St.W.

Join us for the Osgoode Society's first evening session of legal history for legal professionals and earn 20 minutes of Professionalism CLE credit at the same time.

Justice Robert Sharpe of the Ontario Court of Appeal will discuss the career and influence of the Honourable Brian Dickson, Chief Justice of Canada from 1984 to 1990.

Justice Sharpe is  uniquely positioned to provide insight into the working life of the Supreme Court of Canada. He served as Executive Legal Officer to Chief Justice Dickson and is the co-author of Brian Dickson: A Judge’s Journey (with Kent Roach).

This lecture is for Osgoode Society members only. Please renew your membership for 2018 if you haven't already done so, or join now for the first time.  Membership brings many benefits:  our 2018 members book, which will be A History of Law in Canada Volume I: 1500 to 1866 by Philip Girard, Jim Phillips and Blake Brown; other lectures and events; our quarterly newsletter with information on the Osgoode Society and Canadian legal history generally. PLEASE REGISTER AT: https://www.osgoodesociety.ca/events/ YOU CAN ALSO REGISTER BY PHONE OR E-MAIL AT 416-947-3321 OR OSGOODESOCIETY@LSUC.ON.CA

CJLS/RCDS call for special issue proposals (deadline March 2)

CALL FOR SPECIAL ISSUE PROPOSALS (For summer 2019 issue) DUE March 2, 2018

The Editorial Board of CJLS/RCDS is seeking proposals for the 2019 special edition of the Journal (Volume 34.2) for publication in the summer of 2019. The annual thematic special issue, curated by guest editors, is selected by the Editorial Board. Each issue explores a theme across a range of genres by contributions from a potentially diverse group of scholars. CJLS/RCDS is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal that produces cutting edge research dealing with law and its social and cultural context.

Past special issue topics included: • 2017 – Law, Vulnerability and Segregation: What have we learned from Ashley Smith’s carceral Death? • 2016 – Financial Transfers Between Spouses on Divorce: Logics of Need, Restitution, or Compensation? • 2015 – Ways of Knowing Atrocity

Proposals by potential guest editors must comply with CJLS/RCDS Submission and Special Issue Guidelines aimed at assisting those interested in submitting manuscripts to CJLS/RCDS. See our Guidelines here. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Proposals should be emailed to cjls_rcds@carleton.ca by March 2, 2018. For further information on the Journal, including the role of guest editors, and general information on the publication process, and the journal style guide, please visit the website.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the Editor-in-Chief for either our English or French manuscripts: Benjamin L. Berger Editor-in-Chief, English Manuscripts, bberger@osgoode.yorku.ca Eric Reiter Editor-in-Chief, English Manuscripts, eric.reiter@concordia.ca Joane Martel Editor-in-Chief, French Manuscripts, joane.martel@svs.ulaval.ca

APPEL DE PROPOSITIONS POUR LE NUMÉRO SPÉCIAL (Numéro de l’été 2019) Date limite : le 2 mars 2018

Le comité de rédaction de la RCDS/CJLS lance un appel de propositions pour le numéro spécial de la Revue qui sera publié au cours de l’été 2019. Le thème du numéro spécial annuel, préparé et organisé par les rédacteurs invités, est sélectionné par le comité de rédaction. Chaque numéro spécial se consacre à l’étude d’un thème à travers une palette de genres par des contributions d’un groupe d’universitaires potentiellement diversifié. La RCDS/CJLS est une revue interdisciplinaire évaluée par les pairs qui produit de la recherche innovatrice dans le domaine du droit et de son contexte social et culturel.

Exemples de thèmes de numéros spéciaux : • 2017 – Droit, vulnérabilité et ségrégation : qu’avons nous appris de la mort carcérale d’Ashley Smith? • 2016 – Transferts financiers entre conjoints après le divorce : logiques du besoin, de la restitution ou de la compensation? • 2015 – La production de connaissances sur les atrocités

Les propositions des rédacteurs invités potentiels doivent respecter les directives pour le numéro spécial destinées à l’intention de ceux et celles intéressés à soumettre des manuscrits à la RCDS/CJLS. Vous trouverez les directives ici. Les demandes incomplètes ne seront pas considérées. Les propositions doivent être envoyées par courriel à cjls_rcds@carleton.ca avant le 2 mars 2018. Pour plus de renseignements sur la Revue, incluant le rôle des rédacteurs-invités, et des informations générales sur le processus de publication et le guide de rédaction de la Revue, veuillez consulter le site web.

N’hésitez pas à communiquer avec les rédacteurs en chef pour toutes questions : Joane Martel Rédactrice en chef, langue française, joane.martel@svs.ulaval.ca Benjamin L. Berger Rédacteur en chef, langue anglaise, bberger@osgoode.yorku.ca Eric Reiter Rédacteur en chef, langue anglaise, eric.reiter@concordia.ca